Saturday, December 12, 2009

Preparing for Christmas

This year has been a strange yet refreshing year for us as we prepare for Christmas. We had to decide in June what Christmas decoration to bring. Our four Christmas stockings were the only decorations that made the cut. Well, now that we are in NYC and it is December, these four items have not even made the cut to be displayed. We have no fireplace to hang them on. AND we have gone with a different decorating motif......."If we have not made it, then it is not out!!" This attitude seemed to fit our seminary budget best.


With that being said, Addison and Parker have been very busy making decorations. They have made snowflakes for the windows, several modeling clay things (Santa's hat, a Christmas tree, a candy cane, a snowman, etc.), and Advent wreath for our table, and a gingerbread house that has been well than picked over now. The two of them have had an absolute ball doing this. They love it when our friends walk in and comment on the crafts. I have to say that decorating for this Christmas has definitely made it into their memory book.

Along with this change, we have noticed a change in perspective about Christmas. Last Sunday, while lighting our second Advent candle, we went around the table saying what we were looking forward to this season. Both children said that they were looking forward to being with friends and family. I was pleasantly surprised that neither one of them mentioned the word gifts!!! Being away from our family for this extended period has made being with them top the list.

We are anxiously awaiting next Friday. That is when we leave to travel south to "God's country". We have begun to plan where we are going when. It is going to be a crazy two weeks. We can't wait to see HOME....the friendly faces and people we love, grass and trees....sit by a fireplace.....yes, we are excited!!

Friday, December 11, 2009

St. Nicholas Party

Last night, the seminary had the community St. Nicholas party (even though St. Nick's day is Dec. 6th... had to work around schedules). It was a terrific time. A good friend of mine, Isabel, and I are the parent coordinators for this year. This party falls under our umbrella. Not knowing what to plan, we decided to keep this event simple. The tradition is that the Dean of the seminary reads 'Twas the night before Christmas (Clement Moore was a professor at General). Then, we are all surprised by a visit from Santa (aka. St. Nick).

So at lunch yesterday, several questions were being asked. How are you all decorating the Refectory? Are you going to use the blow up snow man? When am I going to read the story? Are there going to be Christmas carols? How was the room going to be arranged? I had this sinking feeling that this would in fact be the Bah-Hum-Bug St. Nick party. Our only planned decoration was the Christmas tree... no inflatable snowman. Isabel had asked James if he would be interested in leading Christmas carols... but had no confirmation. We had no idea of how the evening would flow....would the Dean read first then have Santa visit.... or would it be better the other way around?!?! And to top it off, Isabel and I decided NO GIFTS for the children!!!! We followed the tradition of St. Nick and prepared goody bags containing an orange, a few pieces of chocolate, and a peppermint stick. The evening was not looking good.

Our family arrived at the Refectory around 5:45. You would not believe it!!! A Christmas elf had sprung a surprise on us (his name is John)!!! A dear, dear friend from the communications department had decorated the Refectory! It was beautiful and festive. He has such a gift for bringing a mood to a room. I was blown away! The employees at the TuTu center had the room set up beautifully... even had a special chair for the Dean and Santa.

As people began showing up, in walked James with his guitar, ready to play Christmas carols. He had recruited Jadon to accompany him. As the evening continued, it just flowed. The only hitch was when the Dean was about to the read the story... in walked the Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Shori. The Dean did have to pause and welcome her to the seminary. So the caroling began until the Dean was able to read 'Twas the night before Christmas. Santa capped off the night. He was wonderful!! Being a spouse of one of the seminarians gave him some insight of each child. He (Owen) was wonderful with the children. And can you believe....not a single tear about not receiving a gift!!!!!
Over all, the evening could not have gone any smoother. The community of GTS is so willing to give. With everyone giving their gift, the result is wonderful. Isabel and I almost feel guilty that people were thanking us for the evening. We had done so little for the night to have gone so well. We are so thankful for such a wonderful community!!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....


Yes! The weather is frightful. And we have no fireplace to warm up by!!! But I have to tell you that this past Saturday we had our FIRST snow!!! Well... for us southerners, it was considered a snow! I was walking back from the grocery on Saturday in the nasty ole rain when I looked closer and there it was! SNOW!!! Some may call it a wintry mix, but our family considered it a full blown blizzard. It kept coming too! And about an hour or two later, only snow was falling from the sky. There was enough that it stuck to the roof's of the cars. And yes, it was time to bundle up and go have a snowball fight. I think that everyone else thought we were crazy, but snowballs were flying. It was a great time!

Monday, December 7, 2009

A Message to All Tree Huggers


If tree hugging is your thing, here is a simple message. Approach the tree slowly and with caution or else the tree will win. (Parker is fine...was just running after a soccer ball when the tree jumped out in front of him!)


Sunday, December 6, 2009

It is coming to an end....


Since 1822 every student has been part of a long standing tradition in which we sign our names into the Matriculation Book. I too took part in this tradition at the first of this semester. This book lists all the names of students who have attended General Theological Seminary along with the names of my friends who are now priests and have graduated from GTS. It also holds the names of many theologians who we study today. This was a beautiful service and was one of the high lights of this semester.

As this semester moved past Matriculation, I felt overwhelmed with emotions. The process to get here was finally behind me. Now I had to begin a new journey as a seminarian. I have to say this has been a roller coaster ride of emotions for me. It has been so long since I have been in school. There have been many times I felt a little overwhelmed with all the information, papers, lectures and tests… not to mention all the hours of reading that I have to keep up with.

Eventually, I found out that every new student is feeling the same way. We take a class which helps us realize our emotions. This class gives us advice of how to deal with our apprehensions. One of the first things I realized is everyone is here to help form you.

From the very beginning I realized that there is always going to be something I need to be reading or writing. This semester is over this week and finals start next week. I currently have to work on three papers, have a test tomorrow, have a presentation tomorrow, and have to begin studying for my finals. This does not include the hours of reading which I need to catch up on. I can not tell you how happy I will be once this first semester is all completed. With this being said I have really enjoyed this semester and could not be happier about being in seminary at General.

Thanksgiving

So, it has been a while since I lasted posted. Thanksgiving has come and gone. We are now in the season of Advent.....preparing for the birth of Christ. But first...let's recap Thanksgiving.


We were so fortunate to have Bruce, Kitty, and Stuart come to visit for a week. As we prepared for their visit, there was the unexpected that kept us from being "perfectly" ready. Tuesday morning, the day of the big arrival, we woke up to an email that our friend Brian (a GTS grad) was flying in and going to be on campus. We could not have been more excited....but wait, there were groceries to buy! Oh well, the groceries would be put on hold. We were able to visit with Brian (which I must say was awesome!!!!). He had just returned from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. We were able to hear his stories and see his unbelievable pictures. Plus, we got to laugh a good laugh with a wonderfully crazy friend.



For the next week, the Jones family DID New York City. We walked to Time Square which is a stimulus overload at night, used the Charmin bathrooms (the kid's new favorite), spent the day in Central Park where we saw street performers, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge on one of the coldest days ever, saw Ground Zero and St. Paul's Chapel, worshipped at St. John the Divine, admired Trinity Wall Street, shopped on Canal Street, walked through Little Italy, woke up early to shop on Black Friday, walked down 5th Avenue to Rockefeller Plaza, and went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade where we saw Santa on his sleigh. With doing all of this, there was still time to be a family even with sore feet and leg aches. It was truly wonderful to have all seven of us living together in 800 square feet for a week.....I know, enough to make any stomach turn. But it was wonderful... just being with family made the space seem so large and comfortable.

Thanksgiving Day begin very relaxed. The Holcomb's came for breakfast. After the parade, Kitty, Brad, and I attended Eucharist in the Chapel. When the service ended, we walked out to the most amazing day. The sky was that clear blue with a breeze that was blowing vibrant yellow leaves off of the trees. Everyone just stopped and admired the site. Truly, we were stunned by the beauty of the day. It was just one of those moments that stop you in your tracks. We ate Thanksgiving dinner with the GTS community. It was a pot luck dinner where everyone brought a dish. About fifty of us gathered for the meal beside a fire that was provided via the Internet on the screen in the lecture hall!!

Sunday brought Advent...the beginning of the Christian calendar. We went to St. John the Divine for church. Going to church there is always an amazing experience. This Sunday proved no different. That afternoon, we gathered once again with the GTS community to make advent wreaths. Kitty and the kids made a terrific wreath out of live greens that decorates our table. After making this, Kitty and Bruce were able to see Addison and Parker acolyte during the family service on campus. At this service, you can always expect the unexpected....even "marching" around the alter while singing. We learned about the Advent wreath and what each candle means. We learned about the season of Advent. We celebrated Eucharist. Between the two services, Advent was now in full swing.

As everything has an end, so did this visit. We all walked to the corner of 9th and 20th and hailed a cab. After loading the luggage and saying goodbye, we stood on the corner waving as the cab pulled away. As we watched it go down 9th Avenue, Addison burst into tears. It did feel empty watching the cab drive away. It was almost like a part of us was in that cab leaving....but it was a part of us. It was our family. Thank goodness Christmas is right around the corner and we will see our family then!!!!