"Christmas Vacation Is Over, And..."

My Moody Bible Institute roommate Bob would often relate how his older brothers loved to tease him after the holiday break by singing, "Christmas vacation is over...and we can't have no more fun!" As I recall, in my life not every vacation was a FUN time! For example, at 12 years of age I had to undergo an emergency appendectomy at old Lakeview Hospital in Danville, IL, during Christmas break. And since I was just getting over a chest cold and ether (main anesthetic in those days) may have brought on pneumonia, the doctors gave me a "spinal block," rendering my lower limbs paralyzed for a few hours. The procedure (with a monster needle to my lower spine) was uncomfortable, but it was "cool" to be awake during the surgery and hear the doctors talking. It was not so "cool" afterwards to sense the doctors' concern about feeling to return to my legs (it did in a few hours), nor when I had to cough and a nice but hefty nurse (built like a pro wrestler) would hold me down! Strangely, two other boys from Wallace school had the same surgery at the same time, and old buddy "Pooch" actually got to be my hospital roommate! We stayed a week or so in recuperation, and there really was a little FUN then ... especially when we discovered that the glass drinking straws were angled so that we could blow blasts of water onto the large cloth window blind in the room, leaving a spectacular wet blob for a few hours ... creating a new art-form? It was good to get home and back to school, even if we couldn't "have no more FUN" till next vacation. This Christmas (70 years or so later) Mary K. (Mamaw) and I had BLESSED Christmas and New Year celebrations, including the special 60th anniversary as reported in the previous blog. We also heard from our scattered "kids" via internet e-mail and "Skype," and received lots of anniversary and greeting cards. THANKS to loved ones and friends for all the "FUN"! Our New Year's Eve afternoon Bible Class here at Rosedale Court centered on Isaiah 9:6,7 with the two truths of Christ's first coming - "unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given!" We hope you enjoyed the holidays and will keep looking UP in this new year, relying on Him who is called "Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" and who will ultimately rule this world "upon the Throne of David!" HOW? "The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this!"