Dental fun ...

I really ... quite strongly ... dislike trips to the dentist. I do not even like going for a simple cleaning. Well ... a week ago Monday, I had a tooth pulled. One that could have been saved with a root canal, but has no lower tooth to rest on (it isn't a chewing surface) so they gave me the option of getting it pulled. I went for that (after a couple of years hedging and debating and tooth pain) and am glad I did - it did require a return trip yesterday to file down a bit of exposed bone (yuck) but on the upside ... the tooth pain is gone, the pressure from the tooth growing into the lower gums (which I hadn't paid attention to) on my lower jaw is gone ... it's a relief.

Now if only I could learn to not be so stubborn - our Christmas Eve was yesterday (our church is on the old calendar and today is actually Christmas) and I went - to a lovely family dinner (a number of the families at our church have taken us under their wings) and then the Compline. It was all lovely ... beautiful ... but I didn't enjoy or appreciate it as I should have, I know I worried a few people ... I probably should have stayed home, taken my pain meds, and rested. Pride stinks, it really got in the way of my making good decisions last night. I would have liked to have gone to the Nativity Liturgy this morning, but I think God put roadblocks in my path and eliminated the choice for me ... the weather was bad (it had rained and frozen overnight). I don't know if you can see that each individual branch of this Japanese maple is encased in ice.



It was - is - quite beautiful. The kids had an hour delay, too. I ended up deciding - because I am wiped out and sore, although not too bad - to not try and go. I would have been half an hour late, and if the headache I have now is any indicator, today wouldn't have been much better than yesterday, so - I stayed home. I look forward to next year and being able to fully participate in what our church offers for celebrating Christ's birth!

Christ is born! :)