Blog Archives - trish hermanson

Revelations from Our Family Meetings

12/29/2019

The death of our pet mouse Critter ranked as one of the worst events of the year, I learned at an annual family meeting. And getting flannel sheets was one of the best events.
     I’d never have known these without our annual family gathering, a practice we’ve followed for more than a quarter century to kick off the New Year. My husband Duane brought home this idea, and these meetings became a safe place to reveal our deepest feelings because everyone had a voice. We even moved after our discussion one year because four of us said that’s what we wanted.
     Our girls have flown from the nest and are raising their own families now, but Duane and I still brew tea and sit down together for this conversation. We look back - sometimes in grief and sometimes in gratitude - and we look forward with prayerful expectation. This is what we each consider prior to sharing:
1. Surprises this past year were:
2. The best things that happened to me and our family this past year were:
3. Some of the hard things in 2019 were:
4. This past year I learned or grew in:
5. This year I hope to grow in the following areas: Physically, Spiritually, Relationships, Education
6. For vacation I’d like our family to:
7. I’d like our family to spend money on:
     It’s amazing as I look through notes from past years. Some of our toughest situations simply evaporated. Some had to be worked through. And some dreams did come true.
  I wish you the best as you ponder your past and plan for your future.

Why Go Caroling with Prostitutes?

12/19/2019

When my friend Mandie went Christmas caroling on the seamy side of town, a group of prostitutes joined in. “They knew their carols well,” she told me.
     I wonder if Jesus went caroling today, would he head for the prostitutes and other low-lifes? I think so. In his day, he shunned people who were satisfied with themselves and their accomplishments. Instead, he hung out with those who hungered for something more than what their lives measured up to.
     I’m not satisfied with life on this planet nor my part in it either. It’s all a mix of good and bad, justice and injustice, beauty and ugly. Even at its best, it doesn’t fill the longing inside me. Author C.S. Lewis explained, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
     Yet here we are, often simply whistling our tunes on the small stages of our lives. But there’s a larger song that's resonating, a cosmic one. And Jesus comes recruiting, asking if we want to join his chorus. All we need to do is grab onto his coattails before he passes by. Then we'll experience the “comfort and joy” the old Christmas carol speaks of.

My friend Mandie Gallagher
is president of the board
of Mean Street Ministry.

The MIA Wiseman Finally Shows Up!

12/10/2019

I’m showing my new grandson Judah the wiseman who has been missing in action from our nativity scene for nearly four decades. When I inherited the manger scene from my parents, the third wiseman had disappeared, probably having taken a tumble and ending up in the trashcan. So Duane and I raised our daughters with only two magi coming to worship the newborn Jesus.
     Then this year when we set up the scene, a third wiseman suddenly showed up next to the other two. No one in our family wants to admit being in on the conspiracy to bring in the third amigo, but I have my suspicions. And I know this is a legitimate wiseman because he comes from the East; the tag under his feet says he’s from China, so perhaps he took a slow boat to get here.
     Or maybe he’s like some of us, a little slow to come worship the Christ child. But he and I have discovered it’s never too late to get in on the party.

How to Avoid the Dump

12/4/2019

You’d think I’d learn not to stand directly under a tree when I shake heavy snow off limbs. But no, I position myself under the branches and end up getting dumped upon. Something similar happens to me if I’m not careful when others unload their burdens on me. All their misery dumps like heavy snow. So when I’m helping others shake loose their woes, I try to remind myself to come alongside and not stand directly under their angst. Otherwise, they walk away relieved, while I’m burdened and look like Frosty the Snowgirl.