Ivan at Dartmouth

Last night I shared with my Wednesday night group how wonderful it was for Ivan to be in Dartmouth where my father had gone to school, because Ivan is enjoying the experience so much, and because he went out of his way to search out information about his grandfather at Dartmouth. Those facts have touched me.
Then quite a coincidence - it turns out that one of the people in the group was part of a group of 9 women selected to be the first "co-ed" experiment at Dartmouth. Her experiences were very similar to mine as part of the first class of undergrad women at Yale! We all felt that we were under a microscope while we were there, although my group had a leg up on hers - we were 50 and they were only 9.
The most amazing part, however, is that the 9 were not allowed to continue and be part of that Dartmouth class, yet recently somebody advocated for them and now they have officially been made part of that class. Good for them!
What are the odds? In a group of 11 people meeting in a church basement in Tucson, two women pioneers at Ivy League institutions come together. And they discover that part of their past practically by accident.
Anyway, thanks to Ivan for sharing his enjoyment in the cold reaches of New Hampshire.

Advent - the season of waiting for Christmas

I wish I had gotten an advent calendar this year. There is something to the idea of intentionally marking the progress toward Christmas every day by opening a window on a calendar of some sort. I need to plan better next year and get myself one to accompany my advent candles in the window of Ivan's room.
In recent years Christmas hasn't been all that exciting to me. After all, if you move beyond the stories of the virgin birth and the star in the sky leading the Magi to the baby Jesus, then there is little excitement left. But this year I have found myself able to delve deeper into the symbolism and recognize that in this season, the darkest part of the year, there is joy in celebrating the fact that God is in us all. That all creation shares and experiences the divine. So it isn't about the Jesus story per se, but rather about preparing for and living the presence of God in the world.
That's enough to get my attention! So I am listening in my car to XM Christmas music every day.