Cats, Crossword Puzzles, and Christmas Cantatas

Couldn't resist this scene.

With wars and rumors of wars, it just seems comforting to see a kitty curled up under the Christmas tree.

It's day 8 after chemo, and I'm still struggling to make it through the day. This morning for the first time ever, I sat at the breakfast table doing a crossword puzzle just to distract myself from how I was feeling. 

I just don't do crossword puzzles at the breakfast table.

 There are too many jobs to do, but today I just crashed and let the girls finish the men's lunches and clean up and move on with school or work for the day.  Thankfully I was able to spend a couple hours or so helping Hannah with her algebra and coming up with semester grades for Bible, American history, and spelling/vocabulary, leaving other subjects for later.

I could bore you with a list of stuff I'm having to hurdle like cracked and bleeding lips and fingers, a very dry throat, nausea moments, random pains here and there, and all sorts of other things.

Instead, here are some bits of Christmas cheer that truly do keep me cheered.

My family coming home from singing in the community Christmas cantata Sunday afternoon. Usually it has been held in the local school, but for some reason this did not work out this year, so it was held in a local church.

 

It was a wonderful experience of getting "out of the salt shaker and into the world." The organizer wrote our family a note saying she wasn't sure the cantata would have come together if our three hadn't taken part. They helped carry the parts, with Crystal and Hannah helping out with the alto and Jonathan helping with bass. Jonathan felt it was a wonderful time of connecting with local people that he doesn't see very often. 

What better thing to do together than simply sing Christmas music to honor and glorify our Savior?

 Hannah likes to play her guitar nearly every day, even in the middle of the Christmas decor muddle!

And Crystal tries to practice every day for the upcoming half hour she is supposed to play Monday evening at the state capitol at 6:30, where the same White River community cantata is to sing at 7 p.m.

And the cat curls up under the Christmas tree on the fallen tree skirt--reminding us that in the middle of a fallen and sin-cursed world, "there is a place of quite rest--near to the heart of God."