Noticings – December 21, 2022

NOTICINGS…

December 21, 2022

It didn’t go exactly as planned. I mean, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the way I wanted it to be. At our Faith United Christmas concert last weekend, I played and sang my very favourite Christmas carol, “In the Bleak Midwinter.” I had worked really hard on a very special and intricate arrangement. I wanted to show off my new guitar that I’d been raving about, and use some of the fun foot pedals that give me such joy. I had it all worked out. It was tight! (In music-speak that means well-rehearsed.) I even made sure I did a good sound check because I was using new devices. All good.
 
Then I set it aside and did some tasks and waited for my turn in the program. It came, and up I went, ready to wow the world. I looked down and saw that the screen on one device was dark, but I didn’t think anything of it. Little did I know that it had ‘gone to sleep’ and reverted to its basic mode rather than the fancy mode I had pre-set. Oops! I started singing and playing – so far so good. I stepped on the first pedal – it did its groovy thing perfectly. I was feeling stoked! (for about 5 seconds) Then I stepped on the next pedal and, well, let’s just say that the sound I was expecting was not what I got. I had to instantly abandon my fancy arrangement and just sing the song. It wasn’t a disaster by any means, but ‘just singing the song’ is what I always do. I wanted this to be special, but as they say, the best laid plans…
 
The experience got me thinking about how so many of us fuss, and bother, and prepare, and stress ourselves silly about making everything just perfect for our family gatherings at Christmas time – and then, inevitably, you step on the wrong pedal and it doesn’t work out like you’d dreamed. The thing is, I was the only one bothered by my ‘failure’. Everyone else just enjoyed what they were offered and were kind in their appreciation. I hope you can feel that way about your Christmas preparations.
 
I read something very wise the other day. It said that wishing people a “Merry Christmas” can sometimes inadvertently put a lot of pressure on them to act a certain way (merry) when their circumstance may not afford that. So instead, the wisdom I read was this: perhaps we should wish people a “Gentle Christmas!” Let’s make a deal. I’ll be gentle with myself about my song, and you’ll be gentle with yourself about your Christmas!
(Oh, and I’m going to try that song again at the Family Christmas Eve service! Pray for me.)
Have a gentle Christmas, friends!
 
(Click here for a video version of Noticings)
 
Shalom,
Rev. Larry