Friday Five

From Songbird at RevGalBlogPals

There are only five full days before Christmas Day, and whether you use them for shopping, wrapping, preaching, worshiping, singing or traveling or even wishing the whole darn thing were over last Tuesday, there's a good chance they will be busy ones.

So let's make this easy, if we can: tell us five things you need to accomplish before Christmas Eve.

1. Quit crying. Or maybe continue crying. A parishioner will in all probability die between now and Christmas. I cried with a son and daughter yesterday. She is making an intentional choice to die, or at least not to continue to linger and if she gets better then spend the rest of her life waiting to die in a nursing home.

2. Quit resenting the fact that I never have Christmas. I preach, like most solo pastors Sunday, Christmas Eve and the following Christmas. People keep asking if family is coming to be with me. I wouldn't have enough time to enjoy them if they came. I don't know how solo pastors with children still at home or in college manage this time of the year.

3. Start exercising every day. I was in a fair amount of pain this morning. I did Pilates yesterday and then walked for half an hour. Pain is tiring. But if I don't get back to walking, I'll look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy, right down to the nakedness, cause I AM NOT GOING TO BUY BIGGER CLOTHES despite the fact that I have three outfits I can wear right now. Not having anything to do with Christmas.

4. Write my Christmas Eve sermon. 'Nuff said.

5. Email my sis explaining that I haven't managed to get her Christmas present, even though I have sent her husband his favorite Christmas gift. Find a gift for a friend who unexpectedly gave me a regifted item for Christmas.