Week of Humiliation and Thoughts on 40

Advent
After 14 years at the same church, we were selected this past weekend as the family to light the advent candle during the middle service in front of approximately 500 people.  I don't like to be on stage nor does my son.  But my husband and daughter were born for the stage, so we agreed to do the simple reading.  My daughter had already memorized Luke 2 (Gift #821) when she was learning her lines to play Mary in the Christmas skit.  So she recited half of this week's passage from memory, while I tried to memorize the rest of the passage the night before.  Our son did not want to speak at all, so we let him be the one to light the candle.  All began well, but then after our boy transferred the flame to the shepherd's candle, he did not blow out the candle he was using to transfer the flame. So while our daughter quoted Luke 2, my husband I were whispering, "Blow it out!"  He began to lay the lit candle on the table (which was covered in a table cloth that was probably very flammable), and I was thinking, "Please don't set the church on fire!"

Perhaps some of the visitors that morning assumed we use a Bible translation that reads in Luke 2 as follows:

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, [Blow it out, son!] keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them [Blow out the candle now], and they were terrified. [Don't set the church on fire!]"

Needless to say, I was so distracted by the fact that we nearly burned the church down that I was afraid to look away from my notes to recite the verses from memory.

Okay so that was embarrassing enough, right?

Well, before church I was so impressed that we were actually all ready for church early, dressed in coordinated colors with hair combed and the kids in socks and shoes that were actually pairs of a set (verses different socks or shoes on each foot) that I decided to take some family photos.

My husband was not in a great mood because he had to work Friday night until almost midnight, all afternoon and evening on Saturday (missing the Army/Navy game in which Navy won for the 13th year in a row), and had to go back in after church.  His frustration with work was all over his face in these photos, so I wonder how angry he looked on stage during the lighting of the advent candle.

Then when I took time to look at the photos of me later that evening, I gasped!  I was wearing a red sweater dress with white undergarments, and you could see the entire outline of my bra through the dress in the photos!  YIKES!  I began to have a panic attack.  Had I just flashed 500 people AT CHURCH on stage without realizing it?  Why didn't anyway tell me?  What did they think?  Why did the pastor let me go up there on stage?  No wonder I felt like people were staring at me at church.  I had just assumed they were looking at the big screens behind me. Why didn't my husband tell me?  I was horrified!

Then he assured me that the camera flash was highlighting what was under the dress and that in real life, no one could see my bra (Gift #822).  What about the stage lights?  Would they not have highlighted my undergarments as well? I guess I'll never know, but he assures me I did not flash the church body as the camera flash (pun) suggests.  I would post those pics to illustrate my humiliation, but for the sake of modesty (and since the FCC probably searches private blogs for photos to use against us as needed), I have used a photo editor to smear the dress, and the photo editing is obvious enough to prove my point.

Turning 40

Over the past year and especially this coming week, A LOT of my younger friends have turned or will be turning 40. So, as I have heard many "over the hill" jokes at their parties, I got to thinking about the journey to 40 and after. For some the path to 40 has been carefree and easy. For others, it has been been quite an arduous, uphill climb. Many have suffered much as a result of circumstances completely out of their control and for righteousness sake. The steeper the climb the higher the hill. The higher the hill the better the view (or perspective), and the more exhilarating the sled down that hill. Enjoy the view, my 40 something friends, and the breathtaking ride.

"But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled." (1 Peter 4:13)

Celebrating Melanie's 40th

Our community group has a tradition of celebrating birthdays at Tacos y Tequila.  We don't drink tequila, but the food sure is tasty.  When we celebrated last Thursday, the PR guy took a photo of us and posted it on their website. Lovely, so now if my students ever see it, they may think their teacher likes tequila.