Plans for tomorrow

Today I received two items which brought pleasure to me. The first was my coupon for a free Dr Pepper. The second was a Christmas card.

Now, I've been receiving numerous Christmas cards each day for the past several weeks and, thus far, I've somehow managed to stay on top of responding to them. I've managed to send out a few cards before first receiving one.

Anyway, back to the particular card I received today. There is nothing especially striking about the card itself, but the handwritten message inside cut straight to the heart. The card is from two of our parishioners who penned, "Father, have a peaceful Christmas. Thanks for all you do."

A peaceful Christmas. That's just what I have in mind. It's been a rather quiet day today, with the exception of the unsuccessful search for a copy of Handel's Messiah (I'm still baffled by that; I can find it easily enough most times of the year). And tomorrow promises to be quiet as well. Quiet and peaceful.

I'm delighted to say that after celebrating Mass at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, I have - of my own will and choosing - no plans whatsoever.

I'll be spending a quiet Christmas afternoon here in the rectory, under an afghan on my couch with a good book. I've already picked out the book: Peter Seewald's Benedict XVI: An Intimate Portrait. I've read only a few pages, but I'm already hooked.

Toward the late afternoon or early evening - if the mood strikes me - I may pop around town to visit a few parishioners. If not, I'll simply continue reading. If any blog readers want to pop over tomorrow, feel free to do so.

I'm really looking forward to the day tomorrow. My family will be gathering for Christmas the first weekend of January, and I'm also looking forward to that. But first, a break is needed.