To understand this update you have to have some background. Walter and I have taught an adult Sunday School class for over a decade. We mix Bible study with books on theology and a heavy dose of historical context. We are called the Loose Leaf Bible Study, because during one set of lessons many years ago we learned that early Christians kept their sacred writings (before the Bible was canonized and made "official") in something called a codex rather than in scrolls like the Jewish scriptures. Keeping sacred writings in a codex was sort of like keeping them in a binder. It allowed various house churches and communities of believers to add to or take away from their collection of writings more easily than cutting out the middle of a scroll, then taping it back together (quite difficult in the pre-3M era, when scotch tape was not yet invented). Anyway, rather than continuing as the Sunday school class that didn't have a cool name, we adopted the Loose-Leaf moniker because it described our rather flexible (some might say skeptical) approach to Bible study.
If you have a name like "Loose Leaf," you have to be prepared to take some good natured ribbing from time to time. Consider all the nouns that "loose" modifies. . .lips, change, women, and most frequently screw.
Anyway, a number of years ago, we all got so busy we didn't manage to get our annual Sunday school Christmas party scheduled before Christmas, so we all decided to wait until after Christmas when we had more time. More time didn't materialize until June. We decorated a tree, dressed in our seasonal garb, exchanged gifts, and really had a good time. We decided that summer was absolutely the best time for a Christmas party for a whole bunch of reasons (if you think about it, you can probably create a long list yourself). Since then, we have our turkey dinner and our conviviality on the upbeat, rather than in time with the rest of the world, and it works out great.
This year, we almost slipped up. Summer came and went, and somehow we had not managed to get together for Christmas. Dorothy and Paul Van Riper saved us by opening their home this evening for the extravaganza. We managed to slip last year's Christmas party in barely before the big pre-Christmas sales started locally. If we hadn't we would have had to have two parties next summer, and that would have been difficult to schedule.
Erin was the official party photographer. Here are a few of her shots:
So we shared the joy of the season and exchanged gifts (I am now the proud owner of paper copies of the past five years of The Chimes, our church newsletter). Since it no longer comes weekly, I think I have a bona fide collector's item (See me if you want to buy them. Soon. Before I recycle them). Walter scored an elegant ceramic sleigh, though I am skeptical he can fit on it during the next snow. Erin didn't catch on that the gifts were heavy on laughs and light on value, so she was thrilled when several party-goers palmed their white elephants off on her.
What will we do in the afterglow of the holiday? Erin and I have school tomorrow. I will then deliver her to piano lessons, while I make a quick run to the library. Shortly before 5:00 we'll pick up Samantha and head to Houston. Our schedule Tuesday?
7:00 Report to clinic for IV placement and blood labs
7:30 CT prep
9:30 CT scan
11:00 bone scan prep
noon clinic
1:00 bone scan
2:30 endocrinology clinic
3:15 clinic back up (if we don't get seen at noon)
6:00 soccer practice
I'll let you know when we have results.
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