A Good Christmas

This Christmas was a good one for me. We we spent time with the family--two days of playing with grand-kids. And there was dominoes at night. I came in third place out of four. We ate well, too, and tried two new beers from the brewery.

It snowed and there was ice, but we got home safely. We rested. It was good.

The best part of Christmas was a phone call I made to my brother. I hadn't heard from him in close to three years. I was resentful about that, and that was wrong. The resentment goes against my Christian beliefs. (I constantly have to remind myself of those beliefs.)

Over those three years, my brother hadn't returned a couple of phone calls, even after I left messages. He never responded to any email messages, and he never sends any kind of yearly Christmas wishes. I was hardened against him, and that was wrong. I missed talking to him, because our conversations were always very interesting to me (those times long ago when we did converse). My brother's interests in movies, his eclectic tastes in music, and his outlook on life all make for stimulating conversation. I missed that.

This Christmas, I felt the need to try again, so I did. I called. The phone rang several times, making me think this would be another failed attempt. But he picked up. And the first thing he mentioned was his regrettable lack of communication. I understood that it wasn't against me. That's the way he is. And he apologized. We conversed, and we enjoyed the conversation. It was like there was no three-year gap. We talked for quite a while. It was good.

Merry Christmas.