Christmas Note

“So, this is Christmas.

And what have you done?

Another year over,

And a new one just begun….”

This song was written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono back in the 70’s, and while it’s a protest song, there are some sentiments in it, at least in that first verse, that I like.

Indeed another year is almost over, and what have we all been doing? Besides getting older and crankier (that’s me), I remind myself and all of you, that there is a difference between the pottery maker who says, “I have 20 years worth of experience”, and the one who really has just 1 year repeated 20 times.

One has growth, understanding, and the perspective gained over a long period of time; the other just has accumulated years and the dust of all the pottery that didn’t make it to a sale.

What did you do this year?  Did you learn anything new?  Anything that made you say, at the end of a long day or a long week, ”That was worth it.”

So here are some of the things I have been doing:

My wife and I were going to be going on a long trip (16 days total) and so I picked up enough Greek to be a bother to the locals, and enough Turkish to know that I wasn’t going to be able to do the same in Turkey. Still, everybody was very polite and even amused at hearing me speak, so I guess it was a win-win. I sang the “Ave Maria” in the house where the blessed Virgin Mary spent her remaining years.  I cannot tell you what that meant to me.

I worked with one of my grandsons to improve his chess game.  So this year what does he do?  He beats the instructor of the chess club at his school and then trounces me three games in a row. I’m very proud of him.

As you know, I tutor a young lady named Ollie, who is also the newest member of BHKIRA.  She is home-schooled and I work with her in Latin and Geometry.  That required me to brush up on Caesar’s Gallic Wars, and to crack open a Geometry book that hasn’t seen the light of day in some years. Somehow we both made it through.

Some progress, organizationally, has been made by your classmates (style-mates?)

Shibu Banerjee achieved the Menkyo level in BHKIRA. Rose Sabine and Jay Sabine were both promoted by Hanshi Drew Landrus, Rose to 6^th dan and Jay to 4^th dan. I remember when I met them they were brown belts, where does the time go?

Off the top of my head, that is what I remember from this year.  Please write some responses and fill in the gaps!

Thank you all, and may you all have the most safe, blessed, and enjoyable Christmas ever.

Steve