The Periodic Midlife/Longlife Update E-newsletter December 2006

is devoted to sharing information and enhancing excellence in ongoing faith and holistic formation for maturing adults from midlife through end of life.

Bill Prather, Founder and Director

of Partners In Pastoral Care

seeks to provide members with an ongoing flow of practical information that leaders/models can use directly with adults of all ages. Training is also offered through the educational arm of Partners in Pastoral Care.

All opinions expressed herein are those of the author. Permission is granted to reproduce this issue in whole or in part as long as its source is identified.

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www.partnersinpastoralcare.org

In This Issue:

1. Short Christmas Thought

Each year, just prior to Christmas day, my wife has an open house and social with all the usual refreshments. An evening that I have enjoyed for years. On these occasions all of our neighbors are invited.

Now, we have had some very different, might I say extremely odd folks move in just a few door down. Since moving in the folks have refused to speak or acknowledge us or any of the other neighbors. This of course has been a point of conversation since they moved in a few months ago. Yet, in the midst of all that, my wife kept her routine habit of inviting every neighbor to join in the open house occasion.

There was no acknowledgement or response of the invitation until this quite eccentric couple showed up at the door. Throughout the entire two hours they did not participate in conversation, seeming to be sorry-looking, solitary souls. Yet, they were our guests.

Because of this, everything seemed to be in confusion. Everyone’s emotions were on edge. It fell upon me, in turn, to try to be a gracious host and bring these folks into a celebrant atmosphere. I must confess, that I did not appreciate the position. Owing to a heavy schedule working with elders at risk, I jealously was guarding this evening to relax with neighbors that were great friends, had no agendas, and not demanding any weighty theological discussions. As I sat there, I thought to myself, “This is going to go down as one of the most miserable Christmas events of my life.” But somehow we got through the evening.

About three quarters of the way through the evening, they bade us all good-buy, the gentleman first reached out followed by his wife and took the hand of each of us, one by one, and said, “Thank you for the best Christmas of our life. We will never forget it.” They walked out into the dark, leaving eighteen of us standing there with mouths open but not a word said about it after.

My heart sank in self-indictment at those tender words of theirs. I had to draw on everything within me not to break. This I did after all were gone and the clean-up done, sitting, reflecting in the last of the candle light.

Only a night or so ago, the Lord taught me a lesson. The primary purpose of a home is to reflect and to distribute the love of Christ. Anything that usurps that is idolatrous.

My friend, it is in the Christ, of who’s birth we celebrate in these days, that our hearts find their true home. I like the wonder of this thought as G. K Chesterton writes:

A child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam;
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home:
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost--how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky's dome.

To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.

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