The Christmas Card Photo
Our first family Christmas card was sent with a 13¢ stamp back in 1977. Sonja was shy of two years and Mikos was four. I remember that we drove to Fashion Island and asked a stranger to take our picture with a actual camera. The person took two pictures and we had to take the roll of film to get it developed; there was no instant gratification, so however the picture turned out, that was the one we would use.
The Christmas card tradition continues and since our families have grown, it has become more complicated. Not everyone is excited for the annual group picture, and most of the time someone is in a bad mood, but it’s never me.
When our grandkids were younger it took a great deal of patience for me not to lose it and start screaming, but if it were not through the grace of God I managed to hold my tongue for the sake of the infamous Christmas card picture. One year Will refused to open his eyes. In every picture he intentionally closed his eyes. Even with a stern warning Will did not budge. It took a ridiculous bribe to make Will finally open his eyes.
Our daughter Sonja insists on dressing her boys like twins, but they are not, and poor Russ, if Sonja can find a big enough shirt then the family becomes triplets. Not too many Christmases ago Sonja had the boys dressed in these really cute monster shirts. I could not take my eyes off the adorable non- threatening faces of the monsters and thought that everyone that received my Christmas greeting that year would refer to it as the monster shirt card. The same year Maddie used this as a personal modeling photo shoot, having posed for very many pictures while her brother photo-bombed her frame. Our neighbor Marisa was the photographer and she played into Maddie’s many poses.
The Christmas card picture that is chosen every year is always the one that I look the best in; all women do the same.
Once the pictures are complete comes the mailing. You would think that after so many years I could get the addresses together but something always goes wrong. I am at the mercy of Sonja to get my labels together, as the I more attempt, the bigger the mess. I am not really sure what happened this year, but some of you will receive cards with only first names, so I convey my sincere apologies.
We are in the third week of Advent. As Catholics we start the liturgical new year with Christmas, not in January. The word Advent is derived from the Latin word Adventus, which means coming. There are four candles on the Advent wreath, and this week the pink candle is lit, representing joy, and the happiness we will experience with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The four Sundays of Advent represent the 4,000 years of Israel’s Biblical history prior to the coming of Christ. Advent is a season of preparation, by fasting and praying for purification, so the priests wear purple for royalty and penance. Oh Come Oh Come Immanuel!
Sunday’s Advent reading is, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the people; but the Lord will arise upon you and his glory will be see upon you. And all nations shall come to your light, and kings of the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah 60:1-3
The Good Club and The Tamale Party
Helen, Marianela, Sarah, and I have been part of the same Bible study club for over 15 years. We had other members like Leslie but due to busy schedules, and new babies, we are now four. We are E.P.H.O.D. an acronym, for Eucharist Prayers of Holiness, Obedience and Divinity. Ephod was the holy breastplate that Aaron, the High Priest, wore when he went into the Holy of Holies (Exodus 28:6-14).
I am the teacher but each of us has an equally important role in our group. Helen is the reader because she is the best lector in the group, and her Catholic primary education really shines. Helen is also the matriarch of the group and a great example of being a gracious wife. I have learned many life learning lessons from my best friend Helen. Marianela, the rock of the group, is the quiet, private warrior for God, you can rest assured if you have asked her for prayer, she will pray until the Lord releases her from doing so. Sarah is the youngest of the group and is on fire for the Lord. She has a special gift of compassion and she and her husband Jason are always the couple that people look to for direction and prayer.
St. Norbert Church’s program for Adopt a Family for Christmas is always a venture that our Bible study group participates in. I had already selected a family of six for us to share. The following Sunday an announcement was made that there were still 42 families that needed sponsors. While Mike waited for me in the car, I got in line to adopt another family. I almost got out of line twice because I did not want to add to our already busy schedule. Our Bible study meets on Wednesday and all the gifts were due to be turned in on Saturday of the same week. This was the same week of the homeless ministry too, I felt apprehensive as I presented the idea to the ladies. Marianela must have seen the distress in my eyes, because without giving it a second thought she said, “I’ll take the family of six.” Not only did she purchase gifts but gifts cards as well; benevolence like this comes from the heart. Helen, Sarah, and I were responsible for the second family. It was pure joy to take my grandchildren to pick out gifts for a five-year-old girl named Janelly. The boys helped pick out two games and Maddie picked out an outfit. Helen went all out for the eight-year-old boy, purchasing two outfits and toys. Sarah has a teenager in her family, so she is familiar with what a sixteen-year-old needs, and she donated a generous amount of make-up plus clothing. We all pitched in for a gift card for groceries as well.
The Tamale Party was a great success, with Helen taking the well deserved title of “Best Tamales in the World.” Hands down, she makes the best, and as much as we try, she always comes clean to claim her title. I picked several new judges this time around, but the best tamale still won. Father Bruce, from our parish, was the guest judge, and he sees me at daily Mass but I guess that doesn’t count because he didn’t pick my tamales.
Congratulations to Helen! You are a winner in many other areas of your life and much to my chagrin a better tamale maker!
Skid Rowing in the City of Angels
“For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'” — Deuteronomy 15:11
Praying for: Derrick, Raymond — and for Karen’s healing from lupus.
How do people end up on Skid Row? For years, many of its occupants have been asked that very question. Studies confirm that a large portion of the homeless population struggles with mental illness that makes functioning in ordinary society extremely difficult. Drugs become the coping mechanism — and addiction, the predictable consequence. The enemy is rampant on Skid Row, not primarily because people are starving for food, but because they are starving for purpose — for an answer to the deepest question of all: Who am I?
Tragically, for many who end up there, the lie takes root: this is my lot in life. Programs and resources exist in abundance, but when a soul has fallen into the abyss of helplessness, it stops reaching for them. It believes the lie. When we pray for the people on Skid Row, we do so to remind them — and ourselves — that even in the most desperate of situations, God is present. He is in the midst of them.
This week brought great affirmation. Many of the homeless welcomed prayer with open hearts. Through deplorable conditions, through rubble and trash, a small ray of hope rises. If even one hurting soul is reached — pulled back from the edge of despair — the effort is more than worth it. As St. Teresa of Calcutta believed, it is never too late — “even one moment is enough to ransom an entire miserable existence, an existence perhaps believed to be useless.”
God always protects His own and uses willing hearts as instruments of His love. If your senses can push through the jungle of smells, flies, and unfathomable conditions, you will make a difference in the lives of the people on Skid Row.
T The streets walked were completely impassable — tents and debris blocking every familiar path — so
the route Hollywood Mobile Grooming had set up several vehicles offering free dog grooming services for the pets of the homeless. In recent years, the presence of dogs on Skid Row has grown significantly. These animals are more than companions — they are anchors. A dog offers something the streets rarely do: unconditional love and a quiet sense of responsibility.
The pet owners formed a cheerful line with their anxious, Heinz-57 mixes — Chihuahua blends and pit bull crosses alike — each one getting a long-overdue spa day. It was, in its own way, a small sign of dignity restored.
Great is the reward of Hollywood Mobile Grooming. Thank you for seeing the whole person — and the beloved animal beside them.
It was a busy week. Two grandchildren — Maddie and Will — stayed over since Thursday, which meant cooking, packing lunches, and the daily school run. Mike had promised to help, but an invitation to a business golf tournament in Phoenix arrived early in the week, and that was the end of that. It became a one-woman show — but with the grace of God, all went well. Maddie, Will, and their friends even pitched in to help make sandwiches.
Robert and Jane — Ministering on Skid Row
This ministry is carried by a team of dedicated servants of Christ. Jane, Robert, John, and Gary are regulars — and together, the love of Christ is shared with those who want to hear, and for those who do not, a silent prayer is lifted on their behalf.
This is the first week of Advent — a season that calls for deep inward reflection, asking God to guide hearts and minds into the holy mystery of Christmas. Please take a few moments today to pray for Karen, who is suffering from advanced lupus, and for Derrick, Derrick, and Raymond, who are also seeking God.