by Elaine Rassel To the person who sent a poem regarding our loved ones being with Jesus at Christmas time, and to “friends” who remembered Steve this past week_and to all who continue to remember Steve as well as me and our families we say “thanks”.
Year 2021 Christmas Eve and Christmas has come and gone. For those who had one empty space at the table, this year was just a memory.
Zachary, Bethany, and I celebrated Christmas Eve with Steve. I made chocolate chip cookies that morning and had them done before “The Price Is Right” came on. While I watching this program, I put a pumpkin pie in the oven. Everything was going fine up to this point! I left the oven on and at 12:30, I put the prime rib in. One hour later I went to check on this and found the oven was not on. It evidently was cleaning the oven and there was no way to shut this off and use the oven for baking. Every once in a while this happens especially when the oven has been on for awhile.
I got out my electric roaster and set it on 400 degrees. The rib shouldn’t be at this temperature for long but I had lost an hour of cooking time. It was 2:30 before the oven was usable again. I had debated if I should move the rib to the oven, but then, the oven might repeat itself, so I left it in the roaster. It was time to put the baked potatoes on and after looking for almost an hour for the bag that had them in, I gave up on finding them and changed the menu to Cheesy Potatoes. I got this ready and the Green Bean casserole and called Steve. Yes, he would put the potatoes and bean casserole in his oven. He came and got these plus the pie. It was almost 6 o’clock when Zachary and Bethany showed up and said, “When is supper going to be?” I told them I had had quite the time getting this ready and if they knew where the potatoes were. Yes, they were in the backseat on the floor of the car they had been in all afternoon! Well, it was 7:30 before we went to Steve’s for supper. I have to admit, the prime rib was excellent in spite of all it went through.
Sitting down to eat, Zachary asked where the Stove Top Stuffing and dinner rolls were. They were still at home and we had enough to eat without adding these to our meal. I had made a whipped Jello salad and that, plus the potatoes had just a very small bit left over. We spent time after eating looking at all the cards Steve has gotten. There was only one card that was the same out of all the cards. If a person doesn’t think a card or a phone call can make a difference, in this case it was what he needed.
Jesse called Christmas morning and wanted to know if we wanted to come for brunch. I told him that we all ate too much the night before and besides, nobody had planned on getting up until the middle of the afternoon, so I declined the invitation. We did stop by that evening. Bensen and Gracelyn showed me the books that had their name in the book story. Bensen was Bensen the Digger with Zach and Jesse as dirt equipment helping him and Gracelyn was with Barbie and a couple of friends as they made dresses for each other after going to a style show.
December 30 is Rodney’s birthday. I was so hoping he would arrive after Christmas. Floyd’s birthday was Christmas Eve. He had said that he really never celebrated his birthday due to the holiday. I didn’t want our baby to have a similar holiday birthday.
While baby Rodney and I were in the Sacred Heart Hospital, there was a commotion on Floor 5. This was the floor where older people could stay and never be questioned why they were there. The baby floor was Floor 3. One of the first days after Rodney was born, a Sister came with mail for me. She said, “There was quite a commotion on the Fifth floor before I came here.” She had taken mail to Floor 5 and to John Rassel, who was a patient there. Now John was a bachelor as was his other brother, Joe. She handed him the mail and all of a sudden he said, “Good Lord, Sister, I didn’t know I was a father!” She quickly grabbed the card from him and found it should have been delivered to me on Floor 3. It was a card of congratulations on “your baby boy!”
The Christmas Eve’s of the past are just a memory. Things have changed maybe because of the pandemic we went through (and for some, are still going through). Christmas Eve for my family was going to Jeanette’s and then going across the street to church for church services_at one time it was as late as 10 p.m., then changed to 7 or 7:30 p.m. The pews had lit candles on every other one of them. The window sills had lit candles. The people in attendance held lit candles to be able to see the hymn being played. These candles were extingished after we sang the last hymn, Silent Night”. It was a sight to see and put away as a memory.
Now we have services at 3 p.m. I have family that cannot make it to this service because of the time. I have asked to have a service at 5:30 p.m., but it goes on deafened ears as that is the time when most of my family could be at this late service. Ever since the 3 p.m. service, none of my family has been at a Christmas Eve church service. It would be nice if just once, we could have the late Christmas Eve service at Marcus.
My church always had the Christmas children’s program after Christmas. All this was when there were kids in the congregation. We were so happy when a bag of hard candy, an apple, etc. was given to each kid and contended with what we were given. You don’t see this now any more. Because none of us had much of anything, we seemed much happier than the kid of today.
I remember when my boys would ask for me to bring home a cardboard box from the store so they could make a barn or shed out of it. They were happy just to have something they could make themselves rather than spend a lot on a ready-made barn, etc. I guess the kid of today is more interested in the instrument they can play games on.
I see where Diamond Vogel’s 2022 Color of the Year is “Zenith”. Painting a wall in your home Zenith 2022 could help make the space feel restful and tranquil. It is a deep blue, which is inspired by both the sky and sea, and can be uplifting amid a challenging time. The marketing manager for Diamond Vogel has said that we have gone through difficult times the last two years. This Blue color has a lot of peace as well as a peaceful feel. She thinks it just helps us create environments that are easy to live in as well as comfortable in.
Did you know that Diamond Vogel releases its Color the Year along with a color Trend Report annually? The year 2022 is titled “Emerging and moving Forward.” The report provides 20 colors in four trend palettes to inspire both interior and exterior spaces. Simply Home features soft, easy to live with colors, which nurture and protect. New day is all about enjoying the outdoors. Comfort Zone is a really earthy color palette. Its an easy embrace that have toned-down golds and terracotta and greens and yellows. An accent color could be added to “Zenith”.
The marketing manager states that homes are being sold very quickly. People are looking for a home where maybe they might be working from or they would be home schooling their kids from. They are looking for more space or there are some people who are looking for not a large of a home. This is where “color” comes in. “Zenith” can be used inside or outside as mostly an accent color. Maybe one inside wall with accent color is what the homeowner is looking for. Or, maybe you are looking for a restful space then use it on all the walls.
Vogel’s paint choice for 2021 was “Dreaming of the Day” that is a soft blue-green and has a lighter tone to it. You can still use this color in combination with Zenith.
Did you know that Diamond Vogel has been around for quite awhile? Diamond Vogel was founded in 1926 and provides coating solutions to the industrial, architectural, industrial wood, automotive, aerosol, traffic and toll manufacturing markets.
There was an article on a woman who was being tattooed with a memorial portrait of a man that his widow wanted on her forearm. The man tattooing her arm had been a tattoo artist for 26 years and this tattoo was of a fellow tattoo artist and friend who was 45 years old when he died of COVID-19 in August. The deceased had given the woman who was to be tattooed, her first tattoo in 2012, that led to a romance. He had covered her body with intertwining roses and a portrait of her mother.
Now, his widow was having the same photograph that was etched on his tomb, inked on her arm. After he had gotten sick, she wasn’t allowed to see him but now, she is going to be able to see him at all times as he is tattooed on her arm. The tattoo artist who is doing this has stated that he has been seeing twice as many clients as before the pandemic and is booked months in advance at his tattoo parlor. He feels that memorial tattoos help people process traumatic experiences.
A therapist who specializes in traumatic grief says that healthy grievers do not resolve grief by detaching from the deceased but by creating a new relationship with them. “Tattoos can be a way of sustaining that relationship. Her patients range in the 20 to 50 age range that get memorial tattoos. They feel its a powerful way of acknowledging life, death and legacy.” She, herself, has a tattoo of azaleas with “I love you” written in her grandmother’s handwriting.
Well, Zachary don’t even think of remembering me with any tattoo! Just remember when I showed you that clipping of a fellow worker of yours. Both of you were sitting in a line in a nursing home. The friend says, “Zach, where are our red tattoos?” Zachary answers, “I think they are those red wrinkles!”
I hope you had a blessed Christmas and can look forward to the New Year.
Remember to keep in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost friends or relatives to death, have to change their lives because of this, are trying to make ends meet even though they have a job, or should be motivated to find a job, and help those who are still struggling to reunite with family or friends by building a bridge rather than a wall.