Jack & Anja enjoying a
peaceful Christmas

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with my son and his family up north. The grandchildren were busy opening presents and I was busy taking pictures, when I happened to notice their cat and dog asleep under the tree. Usually Anja, the dog, is busy running around, and the cat Jack is out of sight. But not during this Christmas play. Anja was tired after going out sledding with my grandsons and friends, and Jack the cat stayed around seeing what all the excitement was about.

I almost did not get this picture, since my four-year-old granddaughter wanted to get the cat and dog in on the action. After I took the picture she finally woke up the cat. It went off somewhere but the dog was just plain tired and slept on.

There is a Graf family twitch that some of us have of unconsciously sticking our tongues out. It looks like Anja picked up this Graf family twitch.

At our Church this morning during the Christmas homily our priest reminded us how the first Christmas was not so neat and tidy as pictured on Christmas cards. The shepherds were known as thieves, and animal stables were dirty places. There were a lot of twitches in the first Christmas.

At the sign of peace at Church my two friends Emmanuel, 5, and Amanda, 8, joined their Uncle Bob (me) and went around the Church greeting persons. For the rest of the liturgy they sat with my wife and me. Going to communion hand and hand with these two children I felt joy and peace. Emmanuel means “God with us”, which is what Christmas is all about.

May the Christmas peace of Anja and Jack, and the Christmas joy of Emmanuel and Amanda be with all of you in the New Year?

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