Sharon and I are having a quiet Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day. At noon our youngest son, Michael, and partner, Kaja, and a
nephew, Steven, left for Calgary. Yesterday our oldest son, Jonathan,
daughter-in-law, Lauren, and granddaughter, Hannah, also returned to Calgary.
We will be going to Mass at 10:00 this evening.
With the temperature currently -26C and
dropping and the house silent I have been thinking about past Christmas Eves.
In particular, I have been thinking of some of those Christmas Eves of 30 years
ago when we would drive to Oxbow to be with my sister, Ann Marie, and her
family.
It was a long drive, almost 600 km. Often it
was cold. We would usually be driving into the evening. After hours of travel
the boys would be dozing as we neared Oxbow and it would be peaceful going down
the highway with only a few other vehicles on the road with us.
My most vivid memory of that drive came the
first time Sharon and I listened to The
Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth on CBC radio being read by Al Maitland. We became caught
up in the story.
In The Shepherd it is Christmas Eve of 1957
when a young RAF pilot flying his de Haviland Vampire jet fighter from Germany
to England has his electrical systems fail. Lost in the fog with fuel and hope
running out a World War II Mosquito fighter bomber appears out of the clouds
and guides him.
As
we listened to the story in our van, with drifting snow sifting across the
highway creating a sense
of isolation, we had the feeling of being in our own cockpit.
We
did not speak for the 31 minutes it takes Maitland to tell the story.
It
left us uplifted and reflective.
We
have heard the story on several other Christmas Eve journeys and it never fails
to move us. Maitland’s beautiful reading of the story has made it a Canadian
classic. If you would like to listen CBC provides a link at:
Should
you be traveling this Christmas Eve may your trip go well and you arrive
safely.
A
Merry Christmas to all my blogger friends and readers around the world!
And a Merry Christmas to you and yours too, Bill.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Christmas, Bill. All the best to you and your family. Thanks for sharing that story, too, and the memory you have of hearing it. It's those special times that add richness to life.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Oral story telling has changed formats over the past 100 years but it is still a powerful form of communication.
DeleteMerry Christmas to you and Sharon, Bill. I cannot imagine weather that cold, although I am sure you are used to it. Thanks for the story that you shared with us. I had heard of The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth but never read it or heard it.
ReplyDeleteTracyK: Thanks for the Christmas greetings. Merry Christmas to you and your family. It is now down to -30C. I cannot say I get used to the cold but it does make us feel close to Santa Claus and the North Pole. I read it was actually warmer at the North Pole today than here in Saskatchewan.
DeleteHave a wonderful Christmas Bill and Sharon. Our family (except for the two grand-daughters who are Chile for Christmas) went to the Cathedral at 5;00 last night and came back here for dinner and presents. This morning we visited and played with the grandkids, Our son Nathaniel and his dad are cooking short ribs downstairs and I'm up here writing. Works for me!
ReplyDeleteMay 2018 bring you every blessing.
gail
Gail: Thanks for the Christmas greetings. I am glad you were able to have time with almost all your family. The short ribs sound great. Your home was filled with joy and good food. All the best to you and your family in 2018. - Bill
DeleteA very happy Christmas to you and yours, Bill, and what a lovely time your family will share. I read that story a long time ago. I loved your description of the silence, the surroundings, and the magic of the moment.
ReplyDeleteMoira: Thanks for the comment. I hope you and your family had an excellent Christmas. I appreciate the kind words. The Shepherd is a special story for us.
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