Anticipation

Well, I'm afraid it's been a busy couple of weeks, hence no post. We officially have a functioning stove again. (woo hoo!) I have used it once since it started working again, and all's well so far, but I couldn't help but flinch just a little bit when I turned that burner on, hoping no infernal flames would come shooting out.

Heather, Graham, Sammy, and I spent one heck of a cold afternoon in P-town last weekend watching our dear Cougs oust the opponent amidst a lot of snow (particularly in the 3rd and 4th quarters). I love the anticipation of the snow and the upcoming holidays, but I'll admit, standing in the wet cold for that long wasn't very pleasant. I'll remember to be inside when the next storm hits, maybe.

It seems I'm embarking on that sentimental journey a little early this year. Perhaps it's because working for a magazine forces you to think six months ahead. Do you remember as a kid the crazy anticipation that led to any holiday? It didn't matter what it was, you were always excited. But you were doubly so when it came to holidays like Halloween and Christmas. We used to have really great extended family Halloween parties when I was a kid, and everyone dressed up in really great costumes. All of the kids would go trick-or-treating together and then come back to the party where we were on a sugar high for the next two weeks, depending on how long the candy would last.

And then there was the supreme magic that surrounded the entire Christmas season. You just never thought Christmas would ever come. Honestly, I hope some of that magic still exists in me somewhere--that hope of good things to come. I heard this broadcast from the Tabernacle Choir last year and have never forgotten it. On a more general scope in life, anticipation is that longing for good things. How interesting. Perhaps we ought to more frequently sense that feeling of anticipation, anxiously waiting, for those good things yet to come.