Magical Experiences
I started this particular post on Christmas Day. My goal was to write a post for every day during the Twelve Days of Christmas. Obviously, since I am just now finishing the post from the First Day of Christmas, and the Feast of Epiphany was Wednesday, my goal was not reached. This past holiday season I tried to really embrace focusing on Advent in order to truly experience Christmas Eve and the birth of Christ. You know the old adage - people are too focused on Santa Clause and the commercialization of Christmas.
I can't lie to you, I think it is fun to see the excitement in children's eyes when they think Santa has been there. In my extended family we have 25 great-grandchildren. Their ages are 16-1, and there is a group of them between 3-5 who are hilarious. Of course they are all sweet and cute, but that is the age range when Santa is extra magical. My Dad had this idea to wrap his knee up and use crutches on Christmas Day. He told all the children that he heard a noise and Christmas Eve, so he went outside and Santa and his reindeer ran over him. The kids thought this was really cool. He tried to get my mom and me to wrap up our arms, but I told him it was kind of believable that Santa would run over one person but three was a stretch.
Do you remember all the magical things that you believed as a child? I.E. Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Ferry e.t.c. Some kids caught on to the truth a lot sooner than the rest of us. I think it took finding all my teeth in a hidden drawer when I was about...well, I will not reveal the age, but I was pretty old, until I realized the Tooth Ferry was not real. And I am still under the impression that if you quit believing in Santa Claus, then he stops coming. Well, I am just kidding but I still get presents from "Santa." As far as the Easter Bunny goes...I never really understood how a bunny could do all of that present delivering, I mean he isn't human. BUT there is one magical thing from my childhood that has yet to be shaken from that mysterious magical place that exists in all of us.
You see, my extended family is quite large. My Dad is the baby of five, and I am number ten out of eleven grandchildren. I am also quite a bit younger than the rest of them. When they were all in college, I was in elementary school. I can remember when they would come home from college my family would get together and cook and "have some spirits."
On one such occasion the eldest female cousin brought her boyfriend (who is now her husband) down to meet the "entire family." So, as the party got going someone decided that we needed a little music. Many of us learned to play the guitar from a lady named Ms. Annette, who happened to live close by. We urged Granny to call and ask her to bring her guitar out and play while we all sang. Low and behold, she showed up with her guitar and amplifier. No kidding. She and one of my cousins played and we all sang along for hours. It is still incredible to me that the boyfriend hung around.
After they had enough singing they decided to play this game where four people lifted one person using only their two fingers. THIS is the magical experience that I am still fascinated with. One person would sit in a chair. One person put two fingers under one knee cap, another put two fingers under another knee cap, the other two people put two fingers under the persons armpit. They would try and lift the person but it would fail. Then they would each slowly place their hands all piled on top of the person in the chairs head and concentrate. Then they would slowly take their hands off and try again. The second time they could lift the person way off the floor, as if the person was a feather. Isn't that magical?
I can't lie to you, I think it is fun to see the excitement in children's eyes when they think Santa has been there. In my extended family we have 25 great-grandchildren. Their ages are 16-1, and there is a group of them between 3-5 who are hilarious. Of course they are all sweet and cute, but that is the age range when Santa is extra magical. My Dad had this idea to wrap his knee up and use crutches on Christmas Day. He told all the children that he heard a noise and Christmas Eve, so he went outside and Santa and his reindeer ran over him. The kids thought this was really cool. He tried to get my mom and me to wrap up our arms, but I told him it was kind of believable that Santa would run over one person but three was a stretch.
Do you remember all the magical things that you believed as a child? I.E. Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Ferry e.t.c. Some kids caught on to the truth a lot sooner than the rest of us. I think it took finding all my teeth in a hidden drawer when I was about...well, I will not reveal the age, but I was pretty old, until I realized the Tooth Ferry was not real. And I am still under the impression that if you quit believing in Santa Claus, then he stops coming. Well, I am just kidding but I still get presents from "Santa." As far as the Easter Bunny goes...I never really understood how a bunny could do all of that present delivering, I mean he isn't human. BUT there is one magical thing from my childhood that has yet to be shaken from that mysterious magical place that exists in all of us.
You see, my extended family is quite large. My Dad is the baby of five, and I am number ten out of eleven grandchildren. I am also quite a bit younger than the rest of them. When they were all in college, I was in elementary school. I can remember when they would come home from college my family would get together and cook and "have some spirits."
On one such occasion the eldest female cousin brought her boyfriend (who is now her husband) down to meet the "entire family." So, as the party got going someone decided that we needed a little music. Many of us learned to play the guitar from a lady named Ms. Annette, who happened to live close by. We urged Granny to call and ask her to bring her guitar out and play while we all sang. Low and behold, she showed up with her guitar and amplifier. No kidding. She and one of my cousins played and we all sang along for hours. It is still incredible to me that the boyfriend hung around.
After they had enough singing they decided to play this game where four people lifted one person using only their two fingers. THIS is the magical experience that I am still fascinated with. One person would sit in a chair. One person put two fingers under one knee cap, another put two fingers under another knee cap, the other two people put two fingers under the persons armpit. They would try and lift the person but it would fail. Then they would each slowly place their hands all piled on top of the person in the chairs head and concentrate. Then they would slowly take their hands off and try again. The second time they could lift the person way off the floor, as if the person was a feather. Isn't that magical?
I googled this and discovered it is actually called "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board," and the scientific name is "human diamagnetism gravity antenna levitation." Jeez, why do people have to go and label everything and ruin the magic and awe of it? Really, sometimes I think it is wonderful to know there are things that happen that can't be labeled or explained. Like when someone is dying and their pet mysteriously knows it, and goes crazy. Or when the animals ran up the mountain before the tsunami because they knew what was coming. Or when a betrothed girl named Mary became pregnant without consummating her relationship, and thus birthing Christ. Call all these wonder, awe, or plan magic - but they make me realize there is so much we don't know, but God is in control.
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