I don't think that I've written about this yet.... hubby was to speak today at one of the RV parks that we go to during the 'winter' months. BUT - COVID intervened again - and I got a phone call last week that they have made the decision to cancel this week's service. Seems that several people within the RV park, including some who come to the 'church', have either gotten COVID, or they have been exposed, so that many are in quarantine. I asked about the first week in January as I am on the schedule to speak then, and they said they would meet this week to determine if they will meet that Sunday. Personally, I think they should cancel it as well. They need to maybe even cancel the month of January with new snow birds coming in after Christmas who have been with families and then traveled to get here. They will call next week and give me the news, I guess. If they say they are having it, we will attend; and I will trust God to keep us safe.
The few days before Christmas and our celebrations with family, and even now, I check myself each morning to see if my dry throat is the result of my heavy snoring (oh yes, I snore) or could it be something more, even though I hadn't been anywhere but the grocery a few days earlier. I think we got through Christmas without any exposure from anyone.
New Years. I miss our family gatherings on New Years, and some day in the future I may 'open' it back up again for whomever wants to come over... or even schedule like we do Christmas. I love my family here so much. I know, especially with COVID, we shouldn't get together, but surely in the years to come it will be gone. I remember back when hubby told me I couldn't have everyone over for New Years lunch - that has been several years ago - and we sat at home. Alone. And I was depressed and sad all day. And I told him that he would never do that to me again. I would not allow him to 'keep me to himself' on a holiday when I crave my family about me.
Only life changed and things changed and not long after that we did quit getting together. There are issues, yes, but I know one big hurdle I had to deal with was that our family had gotten so big that we couldn't all sit around the table and hubby just will not allow anyone to NOT eat at the table... no eating in the living room, etc. Long story there and not for today. Anyway, we switched over to the daughter's house and I continued making the ribs and coleslaw and bringing black eyed peas.
The tradition of pork (in some form), cabbage (in some form) and black-eyed peas came from my mother, who always told us it is called the poor man's lunch. A piece of pork, usually some cooked cabbage, and black eyed peas was all they could afford to eat. Supposedly, eating that on New Years' Day would bring you good luck the following year (especially the black eyed peas!) Oh, and the tradition also was to put a coin in the coleslaw. It could be a penny, nickel, dime, or even a dollar coin. The rule was you could not scoop and seek to find the coin, you had to just take your portion of coleslaw and if the coin was there, you got to keep it, and that was the start of your good luck in the new year. I've always tried to continue that tradition.
For years we had ham, coleslaw and black-eyed peas - and other foods to go with it. Then I switched it to pork ribs. Come to think about it, I need to pick some up for us, unless we continue to eat the ham we have kept from the Christmas holiday. Anyway, we now have BBQ pork ribs, coleslaw and black-eyed peas. Special memories of holidays gone by. We change, and times change. I hope my memories of those times never do.
This year, we won't be gathering together with any of the family, unless we change our minds. I was talking to the daughter yesterday and we both decided to just take the day off cooking for several people. I told her that she and her hubby need to just chill for the day. Will see if we stick to that. She may just have her family together, and that's ok. We don't need parent-sitted. I just love being with family, and it doesn't matter where.
So church at the RV park is cancelled today and we will be back to our schedule of watching our services online. And that's ok. I go back to work tomorrow and I know I will have a lot to do. I did glance at my emails on Friday, but haven't touched it since. I do have something I want to do today. Don't know if hubby will agree to it or not. Our former neighbor is all alone now and I'd really like to take him some leftover ham (I froze some of the leftovers) and maybe a cheesecake. He loves cheesecake, being from New York. I feel like we have just deserted him after being his neighbor for years and he was always good to us. In spite of his issues with hubby. I'm sure hubby won't let me go alone, and that's ok too. But I would like to stop by and take him some food and catch up with him. Will see if we can.
Some day, I will get to do what my heart wants to do.
Blessings!
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