From BBC4 Radio: ‘Today’s weather can be summed up
in two words – wet and windy.’ (Then, quite unexpectedly, a different male
voice chimed in, ‘very – and that makes three!’ Haha.) Not only that, but as
today marked the winter solstice, we experienced the shortest day – in terms of
light anyway – we’re going to get all year. Whew - from this point, it’s all downhill!
Feel less inclined to moan, however, having read a
Christmas newsletter from a couple I worked with at BYU, Ron and Lynnette Bybee,
now serving in the Stockholm Sweden Mission, where at the present time they are
experiencing three hours of daylight in a 24 hour period. In a small town of
3500, they report that they are having to adjust to 2’ of snow and temperatures
ranging from 25 to -7°F. Their Christmas wish to all: May your Christmas season
be filled with His love and a bit of Zion.
In the morning got a random phone call from Sue, a
single sister I didn’t know, who was inviting me to a birthday party for
another single sister I didn’t know either. (We singles like to stick
together!) She actually had contacted me at the request of my friend, Carole,
in Poole (not too far away – by car). We haven’t had a chance to see one another
since I arrived in the south, and she was looking for any chance for us to get
together. We arranged that Sue would pick me up around 5:10 later that day. (Sue
lives in Oxford and is here for the holidays to visit her parent who live in
Weymouth.)
Spent the afternoon with Loraine at several
interesting stores, preparing for the ‘onslaught’ that is soon to take place –
the arrival of ‘the coach!’ The first was something akin to MacFrugals, but
with food and a much more extensive and elaborate operation – you know, the
kind of place where you have no idea what treasure you might come upon, and if you’re
interested, you’d better snatch it right up now because there’s a good chance
it won’t be there the next time around. The second was a warehouse of food and
dry goods for caterers and other persons who cook and provide for a goodly
amount of people. You grab your dolly and go to town. My, oh, my, did we load up
on the goods! Spent the better part of the afternoon getting every imaginable bit
in way of supplies.
I asked Loraine today while we were out shopping
if they (the whole Godwin crew – Elaine and her kids) would be having a big
Christmas eve or day dinner, crammed in somewhere among all the other things
that needed to be done on those days. It was then that Loraine told me what Christmas
has come to represent for her: it was on Christmas that her husband had left
her, leaving notes behind that he just couldn’t go on, with the intention of
killing himself, but then didn’t and returned to a far off bedroom in the hotel
in the wee hours of the morning, not letting anyone know they could stop their
frantic searching. (Seems he had been having an affair with a younger woman.)
Can you imagine the trauma for that entire family of seven kids on that day?! Then
the following Christmas, by that time mostly divorced but, of course, things
were still really harry, her mom had been visiting and much terrible arguing, haranguing
and blaming had been going on. Loraine’s mom, who she was very close to, ended
up quite ill in the hospital from all the stress and turmoil. Loraine tried to
be with her there the most she could, but sadly she died within the next couple
days. And through all this anguish and suffering, Loraine had to put on a happy
face and conduct business as usual at the hotel. Can you imagine why Christmas
is a difficult time of year for her? As I have had my own share of
Christmastime trauma, I could surely relate to the mixed feelings she
associates with this season – a time that should be one of wonderful happiness
and cheer.
When we got home from our shopping spree, I was in
my room puttering about a bit, when I got a text from Sue explaining, last
minute, that Carole would be happy for me to spend the night if I wanted, but
that she, Sue, would not be able to take me back to Weymouth. I interpreted
that to mean IF I didn’t return tonight, when in fact it meant wouldn’t be able
to altogether. (Derek, Sue’s other passenger, that I remembered from before, was
opting for the stay over, and so he’d be able to help me figuring out the best
way to get back home later.) It was receiving her text that brought my brain back
to reality. In all the commotion of the afternoon, and because the invitation
had only come that morning, I had totally forgotten about my commitment to go out
that evening. Had to hustle to be ready to go in
approximately 15 minutes. Ended up wearing the
jeans I’d had on all day, and felt bad to not be more appropriately dressed – we
were starting the evening out at the Bournemouth Ward Christmas party, one of many
wards in our stake. Turns out, luckily, that I was dressed like everybody else!
(Loraine had really wanted to join me, but for now remains in that stage of
life with kids still at home, needing her for some last minute ‘mom taxi stuff.’
It was Sue driving me and Derek. (I am always
thankful that SOME people have cars! Sometimes in my walkabout world I plum
forget that there’s a whole other world out there – the one I left behind five
and a half months ago.) She needed a little help with directions, old things
sometimes seem unfamiliar to her, and Derek was able to do that (not me!) Sue
told me that about a year ago she had suddenly experienced a major case of temporary
amnesia, medically known as transient global amnesia. She had had to
relearn everything – and, almost more than that, regain her confidence. Seemed to
me that there would have to have been some sort of head injury or tumor to have
caused something as severe as that - but there hadn’t. I asked her if she had
suffered any major stressors about that time. She thought about it for a
minute, and said, ‘well, actually, yes, there had been – a major job change,’
and she remembered feeling particularly concerned about it at that time. I’ve
never known anyone whose had this type of experience, one that comes on so unannounced
and has such a profound effect.
The cultural hall was all festooned with holiday
cheer. There was an elaborate array of savory and sweet foods to eat – we ate
our fill. As well there were all sorts of crafts and games for kids, young and
old, to do and play – like at a school fair. Very fun, noisy and full of
energy, friendly. After we watched Father Christmas distribute gifts to every
child – and there were a goodly number – collecting more singles to ride along
with us, we made our exit and drove a little further to the Poole Ward
Christmas party.
It was here at this function that we finally came
upon my dear friend, Carole. (said with as broad an ‘a’ as you can say – like
in ‘map,’ unlike the way we say ‘carol’ – Carole has told me she rather likes
the American way of saying her name) This party had pretty much the same setup
as the last – excepting, rather than a dinner they had hired a young woman who
makes crepes at faires, etc – both the sweet AND the savory type. I waited
patiently in line, (patiently because it took a while as each one is individually
made fresh for you personally), for my caramel Nutella variety, minus the
pounds of cream – until at the top of the line, when I was so close I could
taste it, I came upon this official sign (the painted-letter kind made from
wood that is hinged at the top so it will stand up) – and here it listed all
the kinds she was prepared to make for you – AND the prices. Turned away in
dejection, thinking, as much as my mouth was watering for a real crepe (don’t
know if I’ve ever even had an honest-to-goodness actual crepe like this before!),
I didn’t want it that 3-pound-50 much! Instead I went and made me a little baby
Jesus on straw in a walnut shell – with a glue gun – as we all have at one time
or another. When you see a photo of my little tree, you’ll see him nestled
there. (Happy end to my crepe story – having arrived at the front of the line
and then leaving it, turns out the crepe lady had posted her sign, as she
always does, as an advertisement for her business – letting everyone know that
she can bring ‘her shop’ to you – anywhere. So back in line I went – to get
that caramel Nutella crepe afterall!)
Carole and I hugged and chatted away – what was
new with her and her children, her
lodgers, her job. (Sometime soon I will go and spend some time with her in
Poole – funny how different things are when you don’t have a car.) I was torn
between staying with her that night or going on home. In the end, never did get
to THE birthday party. As about the time I was leaving to go with Sue and Derek,
Loraine had been feeling especially despondent and overwhelmed, (she has a lot
of burdens on her shoulders – sorrows the eye can’t see, as I have come to
think of it), I determined to put my own desires on the back burner and get on
back home to perhaps help lift some of those strains.
When we got a quiet moment I told Carole that I
had made up my mind to return home this evening – regardless of the cost, but
that I needed to figure out the departure times for the bus or train back to
Weymouth – by then I had learned that Sue was not returning tonight OR tomorrow. We figured our best bet was to find a person
with connections – someone with an iPhone, yes! Our second attempt led us to a
priesthood brother. (I said to him,
‘wow, I’m impressed – a middle-aged person with an iPhone!’ His rejoinder –
‘middle-aged, hah! I’ve got kids who are middle-aged!’ haha.)’ Turned out he
was the high counselor who had been involved with the Singles Convention in
Weymouth I’d attended back in November – and he actually remembered me.
(Impressive!) Not only did he have an iPhone, but was very attentive and went
even a step further – ‘need to get to Weymouth? How about these guys – they’re
going to Weymouth, indicating the Paynes! Saved me £10 (it was Derek who told
me that a one-way ticket to Poole is £10 something, whereas a return ticket is
less than another pound more. What?!) and a long old lonely ride home, plus all
the fuss and muss of Loraine having to come and get me at the station. (I guess
there’re some perks to being an American in a foreign country – people tend to
remember you!)
Never did get to that promised birthday party for Carole (new friend) that
would soon be heading over to my old friend Carole's house – but the Payne’s were leaving now,
and I was grateful for the offer of a ride. Two ward parties – and NO birthday
party later, we were on our way back to Weymouth. The Paynes are an interesting
couple, both rather young looking – even younger than I thought because Fiona
told me they’d been married for 16 years. I had seen them for the first time
the night before at the Carol Concert where Fiona had lead the congregational
singing and lead/sang in the choir, as well. (In fact, Fiona is the daughter of
the Relief Society President. I had remarked to Fiona how much I thought she
looked like her mom. Dave had quipped in, they’re cookie cutters – all four of
the children!) Dave played the piano for a couple songs – in particular, the
Twelve Days of Christmas.
Loraine had told me that while
Fiona was active in the church, Dave was not a member. Pretty great to see him here
tonight, actively participating in a ward function –and it wasn’t even their
ward, but an adjoining one. I was especially pleased
to see that he is well-known, included, accepted and involved. As my former
bishop, Bishop DeSous, would say – a dry Mormon! (Well, at least you can’t say
that seeds haven’t been sown – now waiting for that dry ground to germinate.)
I asked Fiona what had brought them there and Fiona
said because they had asked Dave to perform some of his magic – which was
exactly what he had been doing when I first saw him in the corner of the
cultural hall with a crowd of people gathered around. I knew that Dave was a
music teacher, but further discussion showed that, in fact, he was a math
specialist. (Wow – multi-faceted guy!) And then there’s Fiona – get ready for
this – who designs the structural frame of military helicopters! (No joke! . . . and no children.) Dave commented that
he thought it was pretty cool that I’d had the courage to come and live in an
unknown land. I told him thanks for that encouragement. We talked a little
about growing up – or not! – and then
agreed that all of us would be perfectly happy to stay Peter Pans – when and IF
we ever grew up! As you can see, I really enjoyed talking to them.
*Which leads us in the end of the day to the end of
the world that, thankfully, did not happen: don’t know about you, but I still
need some grandkid hugging before that day! As reported by a number of tabloids,
both factual and silly:
Events had been organized across the planet for people to either
gather for the oncoming Armageddon or to celebrate together the continuance of
the human race. Many were drawn to locations where it is believed they have a
chance of surviving the apocalypse. The
most prominent of these was a mountain in the French Pyrenees where a giant UFO
and aliens were said to be waiting to spirit those nearby to safety. But the
area around the village of Bugarach was reported quiet at 11.11am, apart from those
who had flocked there for the event.
Update to
the Mayan calendar prediction, ‘End Of The World 2012? Not
Just Yet,’
Dec. 21 started out as the prophetic day some
had believed would usher in the fiery end of the world. By Friday afternoon, it
had become more comic than cosmic, the punch line of countless Facebook posts.
Doomsday hour comes and goes in several parts
of the world - and we're all still here!
According to the Times Mirror: The world has
not come to an end - or so it appears.
BC News is checking in around the world, as the
clock turns to midnight on Dec. 21, to find out if the world has ended — so
far, so good.
Thousands of people around the world have been anxiously wondering
whether the end of a 5,126-year cycle of the Mayan "Long Count"
calendar would mark the apocalypse. But the predicted time of the world's end -
11.11am - came and went today without any significant reports of widespread
doom (although there are new predictions that the world will end in 2018.
Photos of the day
when the world DIDN’T end:
1-
Guatemalan Mayan natives, Tikal, Guatemala -
end
of the 13th Baktun (surprise, surprise – it's not the end of the world!)
2- Bugarach, France - d'éviter l'apocalypse (no apocalypse
this time!)
3- on the Salisbury Plain,
Stonehenge, England (everybody’s got to get in on the act!)
4- keep calm
Photos (in general)_
1- Bybee Byline from Byske, Sweden - close to the
north pole, brrr
2- birthday card I know all my kids would have wanted
to give me for my birthday, but 'they didn’t know!’ (To raise funds for camp
this summer, the young men and women of the Bournemouth Ward Christmas were
selling greeting cards at a discount. There were a lot of fun ones; however, most
of those were ones I could envision someone giving to me – so I just enjoyed
them, but didn’t buy.)
3- ward Christmas party in Poole
4- crepe maker par excellence had three irons going
at once (mhmm, hot and tasty – crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle)
5- crocheted potholder and otherwise trinketed
Christmas tree – how could you NOT put that on display?! (Is this a true Morman
handicrafts item or what?!)
