Yevet Tenney

OK. It’s 2018, and I’m not perfect yet. That’s all right. No one would like me if I was. I found that out when I was perfect. Well, at least I thought I was. It was one of those delusional phases of my life when I thought I knew most everything that needed to be known.

As the tinsel and the garlands begin to grace the trees and the glitter of Christmas fills the stores, I remember Christmases past when the children were home. It was never the perfect Hallmark Christmas where smells of cinnamon and spice permeate a spotless kitchen, and the pies and decorative breads line the counters.

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
—Philippians 4:4

Lately, I have been puzzled at the commandment the Lord gives us to rejoice. What does it really mean? How is it different from gratitude?

The bright red, yellow and orange of autumn leaves and the chill of the wind announce that fall has arrived and winter is well on its way. I can’t imagine how it was back then on that first Thanksgiving Day for those Pilgrims who survived the treacherous sea voyage in a ship not bigger than my house.

It was back in the ’70s or ’80s that I first heard the term “comfort zone.” It became my new buzzword, and I even wrote goals to break out of my comfort zones. Back then, I was obsessed with self-improvement, but it wasn’t until a few Sundays ago in church I made the connection between comfort zones and repentance.

Family traditions have always been an integral part of my life. We celebrate holidays and have family reunions, like many other families, but we have other traditions that fill our daily lives.