Merry Christmas,Welcome to the first ever Bratton Family Christmas blog! We are honored by your effort to arrive at this page, and I will do my best to not abuse the fact that our text space is not limited by paper or card. This may be the first of many blogs, who knows?! True to the context, I think I should start with blog-like musings. . .
So we come to celebrate the birth of our Savior once again. My need for originality is thwarted by this holiday. We considered turquoise ornaments on the tree this year, but Sam's club sold out before we purchased our 55 gallon drum-o-ornaments. We even looked at fake trees this year (even the ones with embedded lights which appeal to my obsessive desire that the wires not be seen and the lights be methodically spaced for perfect coverage) as our house was being tented for termites in the middle of holiday prep and we wondered whether our "real" tree would die more quickly. Christmas is, after all, a time for efficiency above most other things. So how do you get there? I guess for me it is a return to "first things."
I've always been a little distracted by the focus on the manger because I know what's coming. Even in the lantern glow of Bethlehem, the cross is never far away. I'm drawn to the shepherds because I think they got it. Something about the sky filling with Angels gave them a glimpse that this was a big deal. In truth, I think the book of Isaiah is the best reading for Christmas. There, you get a sense of this unbelievably Holy God looking ahead to his greatest condescension in the incarnation of Christ. The basic idea first comes out in my favorite of all passages, Isaiah 6:
"1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;The Shepherds went off rejoicing at what they had seen and heard, as did Isaiah (in a slightly more reluctant way initially). My prayer is that we would get a renewed sense of what God is doing in spite of our pathetic celebration of what he has done.
the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
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So another year in the Bratton family, and what a year it has been.
We have now been in Ojai ("O-hi" for you out of state folks) for 3 full years already! Hard to believe. This has been a good season for us. Oddly enough, it has not been the easiest season, but as Beth and I were reflecting on our 8 years of marriage in October we both agreed it has been good. I say oddly enough because last year at this time, our news was filled with bad health news in our extended families (cancer and stroke) and the loss of our unborn daughter. We actually had a repeat this year with our second miscarriage almost to the day from our first in October 2006. Sometimes grief sneaks up on me, and I find tears that I didn't know I had for our kids that we haven't yet met (Like right now, for instance). Beth grieves better than I do--she actually just does it. My grief leaks our through cracks in my otherwise well-managed veneer of stoicism.
The challenges that life throws haven't stopped, but we find God nearer these days than we used to. I have been able to attend a 6 retreat series called the Journey over the past 2 years which has had a profound impact on my life, marriage, and ministry as I walk with God in new rhythms of life. In spite of some large frustrations this year, things have been going very well at Camp. We had a phenomenal summer staff which always makes life more enjoyable. It also enabled us to focus more on our campers and less on putting out fires. Speaking of fires, we watched some pretty large ones in the area, but we were unaffected apart from a little smoke and falling ash. My new passion is vintage vehicles. Our 1969 VW Bus, Sky, is almost completely done. We have redone almost the entire interior and I did my first tune up with great success. I'm looking for upgraded seat belts for Christmas. We also bought a 1963 10' Shasta trailer this year. Her name is "Daisy," and her interior is complete so far, with exterior paint on deck for early 2008, to match our bus.
Beth's life has taken on several new dimensions this year. She is now leading a MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at our church in addition to teaching pre-school Sunday school. After feeling very isolated as a young mom, she is now well connected with many others who know the joys and. . .challenges of having young children (we cast much less judgement on mothers who lose it on the news these days). For the first time in our married life, Beth has found a group of women to connect with who really love, support, and understand one another. It has also been really cool to see her find her niche in ministry. This summer she really enjoyed hosting a prayer group for our staff girls each week as well. Meanwhile she is also a great mom to our own little pre-schooler-going-on-college-student. As you can see on our card, she has mastered the little mermaid hair flip.
Bennigan continues to amaze us. Yes, all parents are biased, etc., but I really think he is an exceptional kid. His artwork was included on the card this year, with other pieces promised in the months ahead if you check back. This one features my VW Bus driving along the ocean. note the use of perspective with blacktop visible in front of and behind the vehicle. He also properly placed the drivers' seat over the front wheels. The arches in the background are "curly waves," by the way. Benny knows about curly waves because he is getting ready for surfing by going out and sitting on a longboard with me and getting as close as we dare to breaking waves. His artistic ventures are primarily in marker, but we are looking at various other art forms. He is pretty amazing at Legos too. When not practicing for Mensa membership, he is almost always doing one of two things: playing Playmobil or chasing/cuddling/harassing our cat Nutmeg. Benny truly loves his cat. We have another cat, but Guapo is a little too fast for Benny. He remains a classic camp kid, waving from his bedroom window and trying to hang out with college students everywhere we go. He also has made some good friends his own age this year, in addition to his boy and girl cousins whom he loves dearly. He also made his first appearance in the classic 4th of July parade with Beth's parents during a summer visit.
We really loved living in Wisconsin, but we are slowly accepting the fact that California is really more conducive to our lifestyle. Most days Beth mentions at some point that she can't believe we live here (usually followed by some kind of encouragement to tow the line and not get fired/quit my current position). We are also grateful to live near Grandma & Grandpa Bratton, who we get to see pretty often.
As always, if you are in the area, we would love to have you visit. We will likely make it to Colorado and maybe even Iowa or Wisconsin sometime in 2008. Please do not feel the need to give notice (nor should you expect that we will call before showing up on your doorstep).
We thank you for your presence in our life. As I have been reading your cards and letters this year, I have been overcome by a certain nostalgia at memories of people and places gone by. You truly fill in the whole picture of our life (or you would have been dropped from the list this year). Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers often.
Merry Christmas,
Love,
Guy, Beth, & Bennigan Bratton
