Anticipation and dread

The difference between anticipation and dread is quite simple. Anticipation is full of known variables leading to a probable positive outcome. Dread is the anticipation of undesirable factors leading to either an uncontrolled negative conclusion or a known negative process necessary to arrive at a positive conclusion. OK, so where am I going with this?

Richard and I anticipate a wonderful short visit with our German son-in-law in less than two weeks. However, we dread the trip to Seattle. The roads are icy and long, making this trip stressful. I have a very short list of items requested by Amy that Juergen will either take home with him or enjoy while in Seattle. So today while I have nothing else on my schedule, I will try to find used Dr. Suese books from the Goodwill and masa harina from Winco. I also am taking some hand-carved camels made of olive wood in Jordan (found among Christmas decorations I am sorting) and an American apple pie to Seattle. Juergen loves apple pie and though Germany has wonderful pastries, you can't get apple pie there.

Since we will be going very close to Bridget's, we will try to see her family too. I have some things for her and her kids, as well. We anticipate that Rick and his family will be in Oregon at Christmas time. Not sure if they will be here on Christmas day, but certainly sometime around the holiday. But we will also see them while in Washington.

Looks like a month of travel (dread) and celebration (anticipation) for us. We dread the fast pace but anticipate a wonderful time spent with loved ones. So it all begins.

It was nice to see Lissa, Nate and Charlie at church yesterday, even though briefly. It was also nice to have friends over for dinner and an afternoon spent just kicking back with folks who share the same values and concerns. What with all the health issues over the past few years, we haven't done this nearly as often as we would like. It was very relaxing, I made sure it would be. I made sure the floors were swept and the bathroom was clean then just put a roast in the oven before church. Aside from that, no stressing out about a cluttered desk or planning special activities. No wondering if we had the right napkins to match the dishes or if the cider was right to go with the meat. I just pulled some things off the shelf and out of the freezer. We enjoyed what the Lord provided. He always privides our needs. It was really a good time had by all. We anticipate doing this sort of entertaining more often in the future. As for our guests, they are about to enter into health related concerns of their own. He is scheduled for knee replacement surgery on December 6, so will be spending most of this Christmas season stuck at home. While they dread the process, they anticipate a good result. We anticipate visiting them there during his long recovery. Maybe we can take with us a little Christmas cheer to brighten their imposed isolation.

We also received a call from our oldest granddaughter yesterday. She wanted to let us know that she had received the package I had sent last week. She was thrilled to have the afghan she used as a baby, some family artifacts and items for her upcoming wedding. She had questions about the family tree and about some of the artifacts. She expressed an interest in knowing more about individuals and the family in general. Since other grandchildren have also expressed a similar interest, I anticipate putting together a book of sorts for all my grandchildren with this information. But not until I finish going through all those boxes in the basement. I could get very distracted without even trying.