Point of order

 3 Christmas wishes for you, dear reader-serendipity in relationships, timing, callings

No connection between these several unlikely happenings, but when observed on a cold, windy, and dark Sunday eve, they take on a different significance.

Especially after spending that early Sunday morning, dark and foggy, trying to decipher the mysteries of all these unrelated bits, in late December.

Callings-

Several of my best friends have recently changed their jobs, some by choice and some by force. It is tragic to loose a job- especially doing what you love, working with a team you feel like family, serving clients who you can help in a meaningful way. But actually, most of the job losses I have witnessed will probably lead to greater satisfaction and engagement, as those original jobs were wearing pretty thin.

Now several of them have started new jobs or businesses, in new or related fields, and that is exciting! tji-even the good Dr.Popkin just retired from USAID- Foreign Service, just today, and started a business as Consultant and Trainer.

Excellent!

Those of you in transition, I feel your unease, as I made that switch almost a year ago, from one boat- that I knew quite well but that had worn quite thin on me, and into a new and unknown field.

And I have to say, the unease was the hardest part. In hindsight, there was a lot of excitement in being able to throw myself in full force, into something I can believe in, serving clients and a team I really connect with.

Moving from jobs into callings.

That is my first Christmas wish for you- work you love, with people you love, for people you love and can help.

Timing-

Every year, for the past 4-5-6 years, I have been reading  A Christmas Carol to the kids, as well as facilitating a discussion about the same story at church.

Every year I get out several copies of the story and start reading Thanksgiving weekend. This is the first year I ever recall having stave three-- ghost of Christmas Present happen concurrently with the arrival of the actual Christmas.

Finally!

Recently a close friend and mentor invited me to join a bible study they are starting.

After much praying about how to work this into my schedule,a comically time consuming project just got smaller. So, in early January I am kicking that off, and hope to be able to back fill some of my pathetic lack of Biblical knowledge.

My second crazy Christmas wish for you is to be able to carve out an extra few hours, and replace it with something that fills a hole in your heart.

And I hope the timing of related things work out for you, in ways unknown in the past.

Presbyterian Wife swap-

After recently commenting about how divorce free our group of friends is, I have had the horror of seeing several of my nearest friend's marriages coming unwound.

The Yenta in me wants to pick up the pieces for them and put them back together, but not in their original configurations.

I would place Boy A to girl B; girl C to boy B; girl D with girl E- that sort of thing. 

Not really my place to do that, but sometimes you just see the playing field different than the participants. It is probably best to sit on my hands, but it sure is some sort of crazy cosmic coincidence that so many things are coming unwound at once. And they look so much better rearranged.

My final Christmas wish for you is the peace and joy of the kind of relationship I am working on.

Bumpily, but working on it.

Dat's my stave three-- ghost of Christmas Present. Dat's our Christmas Present- let's do this.

Happy Christmas!

Bless us all, every one.