January 6 – “It is official”

It has officially happened.  Santa is no longer in the building.  Yep.  I had my seasonal winter shearing taken care of yesterday.  The college era long hair and the Santa Claus beard are history.  Oh, there’s still a bit of a beard.  I’ve kind of grown attached to something on my face over the years.  And I didn’t shave my head bald or anything.  I just placed my hairiness in the hands of a competent hair stylist (more than competent, actually; she is amazing), and sat back and relaxed.  The head doesn’t take near as long to dry off after a shower now.  And in a pinch I don’t even need a comb.  Just brush my hands through it and I’m good to go. 

We have finished the first three of the Star Wars movies, arguably the worst of the series.  I think Rogue One falls next in line chronologically, if I’m not mistaken.  Then we can finally get to the “real” Star Wars movies. 

Chris woke up in a not so good situation yesterday.  When she finally joined me in the study she almost immediately left again.  Seems she had spent the last hour in the bathroom.  In her words, she was “emptying my system from both ends.”  Then we talked with Josh for a while last night.  He and Christi both have been pretty sick as well.  I felt bad about that.  I worried that I was the cause of everyone’s malady, even though I did my best to stay out of the way as much as possible when everyone was here.  Chris assured me it was probably just a virus that the kids had that didn’t affect them nearly as hard as it did the adults.  Makes sense.  I for one am certainly a wimpy adult.  And those kiddos are incredibly resilient.  Chris bounced back pretty well by the afternoon, though.  Her “Mom anti-illness genes” are still in pretty good working order.  The kids get well quickly.  The Moms get well quickly.  Is it any wonder the rest of us poor soul Dad-types have to contend with the dreaded Man flu?  But that’s OK.  We are willing to take the hit so the rest of the family can avoid the worst of it.

Psalms 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Father, bring your healing to all the folks with flu and colds and coughs this season.  Amen.