End of the Year

Well, my last post said it has been way to long since I wrote last. Well, here we are again. Sigh.

Quite a bit has happened. I was in the musical at school again this year. We did Cinderella (Roger & Hammerstein style). I had 20 seconds as Cinderella's father. It was a lot of fun. The kids, as usual, had a blast. Heather brought the girls to a dress rehearsal. Barbara had so much fun. She was playing Cinderella for a few days after. Zoo Lights is in full swing. A great time and we are close to breaking an attendance record.

The holidays this year have not been altogether pleasant. Almost everyone here has been sick at some point, and I am the latest casualty. Sadly we said good bye to Grandma Cahoon on the 23rd. She had been going downhill quickly for a week. The good part of this story is that everyone on Heather's side was able to come. There has been a family issue that was set aside for the time-being as well. Despite tragedies in life there are still good things that can come of them, I guess. It is nice to see people come together.

Christmas was good to us. Nice weather, good times with family, and I received a few good movies as gifts. I also liked the shirts that people bought for me, and Dad and Violet gave me a collectors coin from Australia with a platypus on it! As I get older I find that it is less about what I get and more about the events I experience. Watching Barbara and Hope with Santa Claus at the staff kids party or having dinner with family is what really means the most.

Looking back at 2014, I can say that it has not been the best of years. Losing both Heather's and my own last surviving grandparents and losing Annie has been difficult. While it is natural to focus on the negative, I choose instead to focus on the positive. My Top Ten for the last entry of 2014 is: Top Ten Surprises of 2014.
10. Jim Henson Creature Shop Challenge(Reality Show Surprise of the Year). I had caught most of the episodes that showcased the magic behind the puppetry and creature building of Jim Henson's legacy. I hope there will be a second season.

9. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Movie Surprise of the Year). I flew to Orlando this summer for a Kagan workshop, and this was the only movie the flight offered that was in the slightest bit appealing to me according to the write-up in the catalog. I was so pleasantly surprised to find such a delightful film. No, it is not my usual sci-fi special effects fare, but it had a great story, was funny, endearing, and something I could watch with the family without worry. I found it for under $7 at Walmart on Boxing Day. Definitely went for it.

8. Superhero TV (TV Surprise of the Year). I started watching a couple of TV shows this year with a common theme: super heroes. They are really good! The Flash is becoming one of my favourites (I am even interested in catching up on Arrow), and Gotham is quite interesting as well. Add to that Agents of Shield and being Super is cool again.

7. Sir Anthony Williams (Celebrity Highlight of the Year). Meeting Rene Auberjonois and Nana Visitor at Vulcan was coll, and the Comic Expo in Calgary introduced me to Felicia Day and Billy Boyd, but Anthony Williams takes the cake. The way he treated my nephew Connor and surprised him with a free autograph was a memory I hope to never forget. He was a truly gracious and charming individual.

6. Girl in a Country Song (Song Surprise of the Year). I will confess, I have fallen out of love with country music lately. Last year in particular I was frustrated that it seemed that all that they played on the radio was about guys going ape-crazy over the bodies of pretty girls and spend all their time partying. It's called "bro country" and it is not something I identify with. I missed the songs that spoke about real relationships. Then Maddie and Tae debuted their eventual first #1 single. It was perfect!


5. Imagine Dragons (CD Surprise of the Year). I had heard a few songs by this Utah-based band and decided to buy their album "Night Visions". I loved it. There were so many great songs on it. Yes, I am about a year behind on this album, but I'm almost 40, so forgive me. I'm not in the target demographic of pop culture anymore.


4.The Dark Legacy of Shannara (Book Surprise of the Year). I have been a fan of Terry Brooks and his Shannara series for over 30 years. Yes, there have been stretches where I stopped reading his books, but I started again this year with this trilogy. He took his writing and story telling to new levels. I am really looking forward to 2015 when his books become a TV series.

3. Toronto (City Surprise and Family Trip Highlight of the Year). When Grandma Andrews passed away I went with my father to Toronto to take care of things. I mostly went for moral support, but what happened was a great bonding experience for my Dad and I. He showed me so much of this city that he grew up in. We went to the high school he graduated from, his university, the house he grew up in, visited his life-long friend, and I was able to meet my uncles. We went to the Toronto Zoo, which was a lot of fun.

 

2. Multiple Intelligences (Career Highlight of the Year). My Kagan workshop was on tapping into the different ways that students are smart to help them learn. It continues to remind me how great Cooperative Learning Structures are so beneficial to my career. It has really helped my teaching practice.


1. Hope Kelly Andrews (The Highlight of the Year). Of course my second daughter will be my highlight of the year. Hope has such a bright personality and is the darling of our home. She smiles with her whole face, laughs with her whole body, and loves with her whole soul. So glad to have you, little Bookie-Dee!

Merry Christmas to All

It is one of my favourite times again, the winter holiday season. I love Christmas time, and having a little girl who is truly experiencing it for the first time is adding so much of the magic again. Yes, last year Barbara was happy to have presents to unwrap, but she is really getting into the swing of things this year. She loves the rocking polar bear that moves as "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" plays, she recognizes Santa, she loves the German Christmas cookies I got at the Edelweiss Village, she thinks all Christmas lights are "pretty", and she enjoys reading the nativity books Heather bought for her. It brings much joy to my heart to see her pure innocence and happiness that this season is bringing. It truly is a joyful time.

To be honest, I have also found Christmas this year to be more hectic than usual. I'm not sure how it happened or why. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and I am finding that my own pace is a wee bit slower than I would like to remember. Maybe it is the extra things that I added onto my plate this year. Maybe it's that little bundle of energy that learned to take her first few steps a few months ago and has been running around ever since. Regardless of which I need to take some time to remember the real reasons that make this time special for me.

For me, Christmas has mostly been about family. As mine is growing (just under five months for the newest little Andrews to enter the world) I find that I must make the most of family not just during these festive times but all year long. I plan on avoiding the stereotype of a father who does not have time for his kids or wife. My best memories of Christmas past has always included family. The great food my mother used to make was often made with us kids. Buying the right gift for a brother or sister was always a careful ordeal. Having the entire family together for Mom's last Christmas was so very important, even though we did not know that it would be her last. It is one of the many blessings that I found looking back that we were able to do that for her. Since Heather has entered my life there have been many great Christmas memories with more family. I realise that many of us look back with a bit of hurt and pain at Christmas memories with family no longer with us. I volunteer at Zoo Lights, and this past Friday I spoke to a woman who was at the wishing tree. She said her family felt she was foolish writing down a wish that she knew she couldn't receive. She lost her son six years ago and wanted him back. She slipped away before I could say much more than I was sorry for her loss. I wanted to give her a hug from her son. I hope someone else will be able to do that for her.

Christmas has also been about looking for the best in things and people. It is about reaching out to those that are all around us with a smile, a hug, a helping hand, a donation, or just a listening ear. It is about going a little out of your way to perform a small act of kindness. It is about finding that little bit of forgiveness to someone who wronged us that we just have been thus far unable or unwilling to give. Christmas is to bring about joy to the world through our actions and our words. It is about bring to pass the peace on Earth and goodwill to men that we sing about but often do little to comprehend. There is love and sweetness that should be woven into the fabric of this holiday season if we are to truly to get the most out of it.

Yes, I have some silly Christmas traditions. I now own every single Muppet Christmas special (although I cannot find the disc for the Muppet Christmas Carol for some reason) that exists, including the before ever elusive Muppet Family Christmas. I cannot have a good Christmas without some lebkuchen, of which now that I know where the prime place in Calgary to acquire them will ever be a staple again. I need to listen to as many parodies of the 12 Days of Christmas I can find (my favourites being the 12 Pains of Christmas and the classic Mackenzie Brother version). That's all well and fine. At the end of the day (or the season as it were), I offer in my Top Ten List the Ten Most Important Traditions of Christmas.

10. Give a little something to those who serve you. There are many ways to do this. I personally try to give a little something to the people in retail and the service industry at this time. Those three-pack Lindt truffles are just about perfect for that. I try to make sure I always have some when I am Christmas shopping and then leave one behind when I make a purchase.

9. Give back to the community. For me, this is where Zoo Lights comes in, but it can include supporting any charity or non-profit organization. It includes shoveling sidewalks for neighbours and strangers.

8. Singing traditional Christmas carols/hymns. Yes, "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" are fun, but they would all be meaningless if there hadn't been that "Silent Night" where that special child was found "Away in a Manger". When I buy a Christmas album, there must be a few of those songs on it. If they are all party-type fun stuff with no mention of Christ, then it just is not for me.

7. Ward Christmas party. I have been fortunate enough to go almost every year. My church family is so integral to the success that I have had that I relish the opportunity to celebrate an important event with them. The fact that there is usually a great turkey dinner involved is great too.

6. Talking to strangers. Totally in the face of what my elementary teachers taught me, but this means offering a friendly hello and Merry Christmas to those around us.

5. Respecting all holidays, regardless of religion. I made a special effort this year to recognize the religious and cultural holidays and observances of many faiths. I know that there are many people who are not Christian, and while this is a country that was created largely by Christian people, it was created for all people of all belief, even if that belief is none at all. I make no apologies for wishing people a Merry Christmas, but there is no reason to pass along a desire for people to have a Happy Chanukah or a Habari Gani.

4. Forgiveness. We need to find forgiveness in our hearts, for He is willing to forgive us. This includes finding forgiveness for ourselves. We can give ourselves a gift in allowing us to move beyond the mistakes that we make.

3. Tell my wife how much she means to me. Yeah, this is a year long goal, but Christmas includes gift giving, and every day she gives me love, understanding, acceptance, support, peace, joy, and my children. She brings out the best in me and completes my life.

2. Spend time with family. I hope my children will be able to look back when I'm gone and be able to say that I was always there for them, not just at Christmas  but always. I hope the activities that we turn into traditions will be fond memories for them.

1. Keep the first six letters in Christmas the main focus.

A last little gift to you all, one of my favourite more modern Christmas songs.