The Christmas Ball
During the month of December, I plan to share thoughts about Jesus coming into the world and also some stories about the origin of Christmas traditions around the world. Ray and I and our family enjoy many Christmas traditions. On Friday night, we and our daughter Mary Evelyn and her family enjoyed one of our Christmas traditions, our English country dance group’s annual Christmas ball.
I decided to wear my Christmas ball gown I made several years ago and asked Ray if he would wear the coordinating vest I made for him. This ball was very special to us because it follows this year of so very many challenging health issues for Ray. Back in the spring, I was doing all of the driving and lifting. We were limiting our walks to only ten minutes, and then only on mostly level ground. For us even to be able to go to the ball was a great victory. During the evening, Mary Evelyn, who is the dance caller for our group, filled us with joy when she told us between two dances that it was so good to see us there in our Christmas ball clothes.
We were not only at the ball. We danced the first dance around 6:45 when the dancing began and stayed to the very end at 9:30. Ray sat out for only two dances, and I sat out for one.
When we broke for refreshments, Mary Evelyn told the group how thankful she was that her parents were able to be there after her dad’s year of challenging health. She also pointed out that we were wearing the same ball outfits that we wore at our first Christmas ball 25 years ago.
I had thought about the 20-plus years we had been dancing, but had not stopped to put two and two together to plan the outfits to coincide with exactly 25 years. The reminder made the evening even more fun and special. Mary Evelyn told us later that she hadn’t put it all together either until she saw us there in those clothes.
At the ball, I met a homeschooling mom I had not met before. She had come from over an hour away with her daughters and talked about what a wonderful opportunity this English country dance group is for them. I agree. It is a wonderful group. Almost, if not every one of the 60-plus people who were there—ranging from age two to 71—are homeschooling or have homeschooled as parents and/or students.
According to the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” the true love gave his true love nine ladies dancing. Ray and I have found dancing to be a great way to connect with people, to get a good aerobic workout, and to have what Grandpa Vanderhof calls in “You Can’t Take It with You” a truckload of fun.
As I mentioned yesterday, in Ecclesiastes 3 Solomon describes different seasons we experience in our lives. Verse 4 is an appropriate one for everyone. It is particularly appropriate for Ray and me this year. The same may be true for you. We are grateful that Friday night was a time to laugh and a time to dance.
There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven—
. . . A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4