424. Tis the Season

Happy Hanukkah. I'm not Jewish but some people I know are - my friend Jessie, my first boss in Okolona Mr. Klein, another boss at Jefferson Mall from back in 1980s Norman Igar, Jacob Payne over at PageOne Kentucky.com, and several others, such as my congressman and his PR guy, my dear friend Stuart. Hanukkah, an eight day celebration also known as the Festival of Lights, began at Sundown several hours ago earlier this evening.

Today, of course, was the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice, and thus the first day of Winter. Mother Nature responded here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606 with an influx of cold air and strong winds. It is currently 10 degees with the mercury expected to fall a little more before Sunrise tomorrow.

For most of today, as well as yesterday, I was moving furniture - both mine and my friend Morgan's. We both chose the coldest and shortest day of the season for a lot of work, for which, frankly, I am getting too far old. My move was about six blocks; his was closer to 50 miles. He had rented a U-Haul trailer in which we moved the larger pieces of each of our collections of furniture. We have just finished in the last few minutes. We've both vowed that this will be our last move.

This move of mine is one the three big changes I have been preparing for the last few weeks. The second of these is a change in jobs. It has been announced over at City Hall that I will be joining the Metro Council as a Legislative Aide to the newly elected Democratic 26th District Councilman, Brent Ackerson. Brent and I will assume our new roles on January 5. Brent is the first councilmember since merger who was elected to a district previously held by a member of the other Party, in this case Republican Ellen Call.

The third big change is one I've not quite settled on yet, and it appears that my self-imposed deadline of making a decision on this matter by December 31, 2008 will not be met. It was a deadline I set back in the summer of 2003. But, I have been regularly attending the Episcopal Church of the Advent, participating in activities and making a weekly contribution to the collection. This week, as part of Advent's decoration of the church for Christmas, I donated a Pointsettia in memory of my friend Rob Spears. And I expect I'll be attending Mass there late on Christmas Eve. But, I'm still on the fencepost.

Last week the Mass included a Receiving Service for adults previously baptised or confirmed, who were moving their church home to the Episcopal Church and specifically to the Episcopal Church of the Advent. There were four "receivees" accepted by the Bishop, the Very Reverend Ted Gulick, who was present (as required) for such a service. I outted myself to several people there admitting this was something I had been pondering but had not committed to. As regularly as I have been attending, some were surprised I am not already a member, if not at Advent, then at least at some Episcopal Church. But, not yet.

Finally, 'tis the season. Christmas is upon us, a time of renewal, hope, joy, emergence, and redemption. For the first time in much of my life, people are actually into the religious aspects of the season. We are living in an era of gloom and doom, ill-winded economic forecasts, and layoffs and cutbacks and furloughs and pay reductions. It has given most of us pause - a time to reflect - meaning to look back or again, but more importantly, a time to look forward, to the Christmas Season, and to 2009 and the changes on the way for our Republic.

Thanks Be To God.

Merry Christmas.