Respect His Holy Name

One of my favourite songs from White Christmas is "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep".  Maybe because I don't prayerfully thank Jesus for all of my blessings as often as I should.  The best gift I received this season wasn't even material.  That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the many useful and/or spiffy-cool material gifts I have received.  I don't think I got a bad gift this year, which I can't honestly say about every year. 

Christmas celebrations started early this year.  On Friday, our Doctor Who group gathered to watch the back-to-back two-part season finale.  Despite no prior notification, several of us had gifts ready for each other.  Da was in town, down from Tucson, and didn't miss out on the action.  On Saturday, Steve was down from Vegas.  So he and Wayne showed up for a small social gathering instead of our usual Dark Sun campaign.  Several of us also had gifts ready for each other, despiate no prior notification as well.  It's humourous how groups of friends can be similar yet different.

Yesterday my maternal grandfather, mother, and I attended Christmas Eve mass at St. Raphael.  They had a new icon of St. Raphael behind the altar, so between that and the tapestry which dates back to when my biological parents and I were still parishoners, there are two totally different representations of St. Raphael in the church building now.  The tapestry used to be behind the altar, but was moved by the previous pastor who felt a crusafix belonged there.  Now the crusafix hangs above the altar with the new icon on the wall behind.  The tapestry remains where is was moved years ago, behind the choir.  It's been interesting to watch the parish change in small and big ways over the years. 

Father Milt was the presider.  Because he works at both my grandparents' parish and my parish, it's like he's the family priest.  I know he's the favourite of my mother and grandmother.  I know I don't believe in having favourites, but he is certainly the priest who connects with parishoners the most of any I've ever seen.  I'm sure if I ever contemplated marriage my family would want him to preside over the sacrament.  He asked about my grandmother, and spoke to each of us before mass.  That made Grandma happy when she heard that.

After mass, my grandparents hosted a small little gift exchange and light supper with my parents and I.  For the first time in memory, we did our gifts on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Morn.  Today we returned, as my mother and I cooked dinner for the five of us.  Everything went well, although my grandmother seemed annoyed with herself in how little she could eat and how tired she was.  She's not very patient with the effects of the chemo. 

So as I look back, I see that I am blessed with wonderful friends and family who love one another very much.  What more could a man want?  Thank you, Lord.

It's not the best of Star Wars quizes, but I thought it serendipitous that I had received a MR mini-replica of Obi-Wan's blade as one of my Christmas gifts and here I am quized out as Obi-Wan:

Male Jedi You scored 0% Dark side, 85% Light side, 63% Male, and 0% Female!

hmm.... strong powers of light in you, I sense.

"You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love." ~Harry Drummond

Currently Reading
Welcome the Light:  Daily Devotions for Advent
By Joyce Rupp, OSM
see related

Of all the famous Scrooges, Carl Banks's Scrooge McDuck is one of the tops. 

My "Currently Reading" listing, Welcome the Light:  Daily Devotions for Advent, has been of great help to me this Advent season.  It speaks to my pride and self-denial issues, and hopefully I'll let it help me grow more mature.  As my grandmother gets worse, I've been spending a lot more time over there.  It's really opening my eyes as to where I get my various possitive and negative traits.  Of course, I read somewhere once that our negative traits are really just our possitive traits made sinful. 

I have a lot I want to journal out and not enough time.  Mental prayer will have to suffice.  Otherwise I'll be on no sleep all week at work, which would be bad this time of year in retail.

Of course I've never seen any of the movies I supposedly match.  *shrug*

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski

"The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure." ~Vince Lombardi

The Ship is a cool medival carol about Mary of Nazareth.

So, where to begin?  While reading my regulars I found a couple of interesting things.  I found a recording of Michael's voice posted by SerendipityWalker.  It is nothing earth shattering, just an ordinary message on a friend's voice mail.  But it brought a smile to my face, the ordinariness of it all.  Thanks, SW. 

I also found that Mongoose Publishing has released a new edition of RuneQuest according to Rrraff on the Trollwalla.  Mongoose has been releasing amazing Conan and Lone Wolf d20 campaign supplements, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into a revamped RuneQuest.  They've made the new edition Open Licence, with Gloranthia (the original RuneQuest setting) and Lankhmar campaigns already supported by them.  I really hope to see other companies take Mongoose up on this, as d20 needs some serious competition.  Thanks for the heads up, Rrraff. 

RuneQuest was my 3rd RPG. I had first played the D&D Basic Red Box, then SW:  RPG, then RuneQuest 3rd edition.  That was way back in middle school, sometime before I played AD&D 1st and 2nd editions and RuneQuest 5th edition.  To be honest, I think I played RuneQuest even before I read an issue of Groo! 

How You Live Your Life

You tend to deprive yourself of things you crave, for your own good. You tend to avoid confrontation and stay away from sticky situations. You prefer a variety of friends and tend to change friends quickly. You tend to always dream of things within reach - and you usually get them.

How did the dunce cap originate?

I've been noticing a rather unflattering side of me lately, where immediately after saying or doing things I shouldn't I catch myself.  I'll be all shocked that I said or did the particular thing, and rather want to take it back.  What happened to humility?  I desparately need it back, and when I pray for it I find it hard to fight through my pride to ask for that help.  It's very frustrating.  I feel like I'm losing my relationship with the world and with the Lord as a result.