Finding Humour in Tough Situations - Ruth L. Snyder

Luke, wearing his grad suit and giving us a thumbs up

Our seventeen-year-old son graduated in June. It was a wonderful day of celebration—his first Paediatric report stated that Luke would never be able to walk, talk, or feed himself. The day of grad, Luke pranced proudly down the aisle, waving at everyone, a broad smile on his face. One of his classmates bribed him not to talk during the ceremony—he loves to talk and spouts out information non-stop. At the banquet, Luke gave us a thumbs up as he walked in. Then he made sure his plate was heaped with his favourite Ukrainian food, and he ate it all. Luke and his twin brother have developmental delays, but they bring a lot of joy and laughter to our family.

Luke was very proud of his suit, so I asked him if he wanted to wear it to church the next day.
"Yes!"
I washed his shirt and wiped down the suit. Sunday morning I knocked on his door and handed his suit to him.
"Thanks, Mom"
"You're welcome, Luke. We'll have breakfast in a few minutes, okay?"
"Yup!"
I went downstairs and prepared breakfast, set the table, and then called everyone. A couple minutes later, everyone was at the table except for Luke. (Usually he's the first one around when there's food involved.)
I marched back upstairs, and stopped short. Luke was sitting on his bed, both feet protruding—from the sleeves of his suit jacket. He was stuck! His feet would not go forward or backward, even with me holding onto the sleeves.
At that moment, several thoughts (and emotions) went through my mind simultaneously:

• How in the world did he get his feet through the sleeves? And why did he put both feet in? (I felt bewildered and sorry for Luke)
• Was this the end of his brand new suit that he had only worn once? (I felt frustrated and angry)
• Everyone was downstairs waiting for breakfast, and there was no quick fix! (I felt rushed because I'm the church pianist and we needed to leave for church in 20 minutes.)

I took a deep breath. "Okay, Luke. I'll help you, but I need to go downstairs for a minute. I'll be right back."

He nodded, looking for reassurance. 

At that point, I couldn't find the energy to smile, but I squeezed his hand.

Downstairs I grabbed a pair of scissors. "Go ahead with breakfast. Luke and I will be a while."

My husband nodded, waiting for an explanation.

"I'll tell you later."

Back upstairs, I took a fresh look at the situation. Luke's heels were both through the sleeves and by this time he was sweating. The actual sleeves were loose; it was the lining that was tight around his ankles. Little by little, I sliced the lining until Luke was able to pull one foot out, then the other.

"How about if you just wear your vest this morning?"

Luke nodded.

I inspected the jacket sleeves. "I'll sew the lining, and next time you wear your suit, you'll be able to wear the jacket too." 

"Thanks, Mom!" Luke gave me a big hug and a slobbery kiss.

Now that this event is in the past, I can laugh. It's another story to add to the "Remember when" collection. Parenting kids who have special needs can be a roller-coaster ride—I say that every day is a new adventure. I'm thankful that God gives strength, and humour, to see us through.

Are you able to find humour in tough situations? I look forward to hearing about it in the comments below.

Ruth L. Snyder lives with her husband and five children in northeastern Alberta. Grace, Luke, Levi, Jayson, and Dorothy have all taught them that being "specially-abled" brings unique opportunities to learn and serve. https://ruthlsnyder.com/blog

Christ + Mass = Christmas by Nina Faye Morey

I remember how amazed I was when I was making cards and my teacher told me how to spell Christmas. Until I was eight years old, I had no idea that the first five letters spelled the title of the King of Kings. ~ Bruce Atchison

While Bruce had no idea as a youngster that the “Christ” in Christmas referred to the King of Kings, I was a young adult before I realized that the “mas” referred to the word, “Mass.” Having grown up in a family that was nominally Protestant, I wasn’t familiar with either the word “Mass” or “Eucharist” until I married into a devout Roman Catholic family.

I still remember how stunned I felt when I heard my husband explaining to our little ones what the word “Christmas” meant. It was one of those “slap the forehead” moments for me. I had never given any thought to the meaning of the “mas” part of the word. Now that it had been pointed out, it seemed so obvious it referred to “Christ’s Mass.” Of course, I knew that it was a commemoration of Christ’s birth, but my family’s holiday celebrations focused more on the secular aspects. I decided to look up the meaning of some of the other words associated with this celebration. I discovered that “Nativity” was derived from the Latin word, nātīvitās, meaning “birth.” Another familiar seasonal word, “Noel,” from the Old French word, noël, is also derived from this Latin word.

As a youngster, I never attended any Christmas religious services with my family. However, I do recall attending regular church services a couple of times with my dad. I fondly remember enjoying stories and colouring pictures in Sunday School on those occasions. In my early teens, I sometimes attended a church service while visiting a devout aunt. A classmate invited me to summer Bible camp one year and, occasionally, to some of her church’s youth activities. But Christmas mainly consisted of Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, Christmas presents, Christmas stories, and, of course, Christmas dinner with family when I was young.

After I was married, Christmas came to mean so much more. A major part of the celebrations was attending Midnight Mass with my husband and his family. Then my mother-in-law would have all the family members present over to her house for a late-night snack. To her, a “snack” was no meager amount of food, even at this late hour. I enjoyed this whole Christmas Eve tradition immensely. It carried on for many years, despite the increase in her family’s size through marriage and grandchildren, until she no longer felt able to continue. I cherish those memories and still miss her contribution to our Christmas celebrations.

As a young mom, I wanted to provide a different Christmas experience for my children. Sure, we had the usual festivities associated with Christmas: Christmas baking, decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping Christmas presents, watching Christmas movies, and reading children’s stories like “The Night before Christmas.” But a miniature Nativity scene was added to our holiday decorations, and I enjoyed reading them the biblical story of Jesus’s birth. And, of course, we always attended Christmas Mass—just not the midnight one until they were old enough.

Having discovered both the “Christ” and the “Mass” in Christmas, I now enjoy the full meaning, spirit, and blessings of the season. All those precious Christmas gifts and colourful Christmas lights pale in comparison to the One who is the true gift and light of Christmas:

Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.

~ James 1:17 (NIV)

Merry Christmas, everyone! May you experience the peace and joy of Christ in your hearts and souls this Christmas.

Photo Credit: © 2017 Nina Faye Morey