Gracefully Frank

Did you know Santa Clause isn’t real? If you didn’t know that, then I’m just kidding…and you should go ahead and find something else to read.

If you did already know Santa is not real then this blog is not going to spoil anything for you. You may have just kind of gradually stopped believing, or you may have had a moment where the light began to dawn. I had a moment. My brother one time said don’t ever write about him in my blog. I think he was kidding.

The first time I really began to suspect something was going on with the whole Santa-comes-through-the-chimney-and-brings-presents thing was pretty unsettling. My Granny Toots’ house was one of the houses in the world where Santa took a pit stop each Christmas Eve. It was right on his route. We would have Christmas Eve dinner, wait the 3 days it would take my Granny, mom and aunts to wash the dishes, and then with perfect timing Santa would knock on the front door to visit. We have the usual pictures of each of us hating his guts when we were babies, but then as we got a little older our reactions were more and more excited. He always brought candy canes. Everyone knows Santa drives a sleigh guided by eight reindeer. One Christmas Eve as we bid Santa a safe journey, my brother Chris and my cousin Jimmy walked me over to the window where I anticipated we would watch as Santa flew away into the night. They knew what they were doing. Instead of climbing into a sleigh powered by reindeer…Santa climbed into a green 1970’s something station wagon powered by a V8. “Where’s his sleigh Haley?” “Where are his reindeer Haley?” I can still picture watching Santa walk toward that car. 

Shannon, Chris, and Jimmy with his hands on my shoulders. The last time I posted an old school picture I was wearing a kilt. In this picture I'm dressed as Betsy Ross and looking nervous. My mom was apparantly into theme wear.

My belief in Santa got a boost sometime in the next few years, thanks to Grandpa Corky, who one Christmas morning came in from a snow covered back yard mad. We were all gathering around our piles of presents that “Santa” had dropped off while we were asleep. I was already pretty sure Santa was impossible, because of the green station wagon incident and because he always had the exact same wrapping paper as my mom. But, when Pa came in and told us he had been up on the roof cleaning the reindeer poop off, I was instilled with a few more years of at least doubt, as opposed to confirmed disbelief. Pa didn’t mind Santa parking on the roof and coming in through the chimney, but he did not appreciate Santa letting his reindeer use his roof as a bathroom. I don’t know who the guy in the green station wagon was, but reindeer poop on the roof was pretty compelling evidence that Santa maybe did exist. Pa wouldn’t make something like that up.

Christmas brings to mind so many great memories. This year will be special to remember. The year we were fighting cancer. The year we had Long John Silver’s for Christmas Eve dinner (just because we can and it made us laugh). The year that Jordi, Birdie and Shawn did my Christmas shopping with me, including picking out their own gifts and then wrapping their presents themselves (best idea I’ve ever had). Time together, laughing and I didn’t have to wrap. The Christmas of maybe the most life changing year I’ve had so far. I look forward to the memories we will make tomorrow. The kids will open their presents from “Santa.” We will spend time with family and celebrate the birth of the Savior. Our Savior. Who’s miraculous birth into this world we celebrate. Amazing. Our gift. Jesus.

Isaiah 9

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Romans 10

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

My sweet sister-in-law is now explaining to the kids that the Easter Bunny helped Santa out and dropped off Christmas Pajamas early so they could wear them tonight. The Easter Bunny travelled a long way and hid the pajamas somewhere in the house because that is how the Easter Bunny does things….so I’m going to wrap this up now and hunt for Easter-Bunny-dropped-off-Christmas-pajamas. She is awesome. They know the truth, but they are up for the hunt.

Merry Christmas Friends!

I spent this day with my parents here in Little Rock. We spent several hours in the hospital where they go daily to receive medicine and have his blood work done. His blood count is going up. Good news. What a year. I'm missing being with the rest of our family this weekend, but I'm so glad we are all with one another in little pockets around Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. Its hard to string words together to express how thankful I am this year in particular. There is just too much, and I can't get through it without crying anyway. But in summary I'm thankful for: New understandings of old promises. New perspectives. New freedoms. New Peace. New Grace. New compassions. New Mercies. New places I've been. New hands I've held. New laughs. New tears. New roads. New surrender. New hopes. Each new day that brings new healing. Jesus Christ. Family. Friends.

So I'm more thankful than I can do justice, but here are a few things I remember not being thankful for:

1) One time I stepped on a cricket...barefoot. Ruined my day.

2) One time I was clipping the fingernails of my niece and one shot up and stuck in my lip gloss. Almost ruined my life.

3) One day I informed my mom, home on her 45 minute lunch hour, that I was supposed to dress up as an Indian for my kindergarten class Thanksgiving celebration that afternoon. The other half of the class were going to be pilgrims. Through gritted teeth at the late notice, she dressed me in a Davy Crockett vest, pig-tail braids, a little war paint and a feather in my hair (she doesn't need much time to pull a look together). Looking sharp she dropped me at the end of a long sidewalk that led to my kindergarten building and rushed on back to Conoco. As I got closer and closer...no one else looked like Pocahontas. No one else looked like that first Thanksgiving. I was a day early. This weird boy who loved me kept saying all day long "let the little Indian girl be first in line" whenever we had to line up. I hated him. The next day, on the actual day we were to celebrate Kindergarten Thanksgiving, I only wore the vest. No war paint. It was old news by then.

4) I had a mullet one time. For a couple of years.

5) I'm an overthinker.

6) Distance.

7) One time I was kind of held hostage for several hours by a moron, his girlfriend and a man with a gun. That's a good story, but I'm unthankful for it.

8) On my first airplane ride I had to visit the ladies room. The stewardess told me how to tell if it was occupied. When someone goes in they lock the door and the sign goes to "Occupied." The little door thing read "vacant" so I opened the airplane bathroom door. The man using the restroom in there had not asked the stewardess for directions as I had. I closed the door and stood there, mortified and laughing along with the stewardess. The man opened the door, saw us, and closed the door again without exiting. So the stewardess suggested I just go sit in the nearest seat to let that man come out without having to face me. So I grabbed the nearest seat waiting for him to walk by. Instead of walking by, he came and stood next to the seat I was sitting in. His seat. He hated me.

9) The Easter my Grandma decided her only wish was that all of us granddaughters would wear Easter hats. Imagine a navy-blue-pretty-woman-wanna-be-dress with a wide brimmed hat. I was too old for dress-up. But would probably do it again this Easter if she asked.

10) One time my brother came to the dinner table with my diary and he wasn't on the first page. Now granted it was a Garfield and Odie diary that was about three inches tall and four inches wide and I didn't have a lot to hide, but that was a bad moment for us. Sorry to air our dirty laundry Chris.

Ok. There is a little balance to all the good I'm thankful for...somehow even those things seem like good though (except 1,2 & 7). One more thing I'm thankful for...my Grandma Bonnie who taught me how to make pecan pie. Like this one I just took out of the oven...
Happy Thanksgiving Friends!