Distances Bridged

Road in Retirement Disability Update

If you’re one of those people who love a lingering holiday season that stretches long into January or early February, then this blog is for you. If you’re one of those people who pack up all the holiday décor by sundown on December 26, I apologize because this blog involves my Christmas Holiday road in retirement. But first a quick update on my health. My voice has gone from soft yet audible to nearly nonexistent in the past few weeks and we're hoping to turn this around, even if just a smidge, with some speech therapy. I finally connected with a speech therapist here in town who also has expertise in assessing the use of communication devices. Other Parkinson's Disease symptoms have progressed as well, but a couple positives include improved metabolism and my cognitive is all there . . . hunky dory (Chris says that might be debatable).

God Bridged the Distance with Jesus

In my last blog, I highlighted how much I like connecting during the holidays. During the 2024 Christmas season, I felt a strong sense of wonder and gratitude regarding God’s loving desire to connect with us humans. Throughout history, man has placed himself on this tiny planet amidst a vast universe, physically and spiritually far from God. But suddenly, about 2000 years ago, God bridged the distance to connect with us.  

“When the right time finally came, God sent his own Son [bridging the distance] the son of a human mother and living under the Jewish Law (Galatians 4:4).”

We decided to follow God’s example and celebrate the season by bridging some distances with friends and loved ones. It was important in my heart to hit the road. Again, setting the example for me was God. When Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday morning, one of the first things he did according to the Book of Luke chapter 24, was hit the road, not to church, but to the home of a couple of strangers; traveling between Jerusalem and a town called Emmaus. He ended the road trip with a dinner at the home of one of the strangers. God puts a high priority on bridging the distance to connect and break bread with others. 

Bridging the Distance: Middle WI

Having no family in North Dakota means I need to hit that road in retirement and bridge the distance literally to break bread with loved ones. Some of the most important things in life have happened to me when I’ve decided to bridge the distance. My husband and I packed our disability and medical supplies into the truck and hit the road just before Christmas. We logged about 1500 miles over 5-6 days praying for good roads (winter!) and visiting loved ones. We visited Chris’s parents and sister-brother-in-law in the middle of Wisconsin. We got loud playing games and eating strange Ukrainian foods like sauerkraut buns. We were even joined by my younger son who bridged the distance there and back the same day. I guess some of my mothering did some good.

Bridging the Distance: Western WI

That trip to Wisconsin didn’t end in the middle. We left our hotel after two days with Chris’ family driving back the way we came in a slushy snowstorm that, thankfully, we drove out of rather quickly. The next two days were spent in western Wisconsin visiting with my sister, some nieces and nephews and their kids, and about two dozen of my sister’s in-laws. Our visit involved a pre-Christmas Eve evening of breaking of bread; in this case with traditional rice pudding, a smorgasbord of family favorite Christmas delights, a Packer game on TV, a raucous dice game called bunko, and loud conversation in a home bulging with people and love. On actual Christmas Eve we returned to that same home to a much smaller crowd to break more bread in the form of my nephew’s smoker-cooked prime rib and more holiday treats. We attended a packed yet cozy candlelight Christmas Eve service at my sister‘s church that brought tears to my eyes as I reflected on how hard 2024 had been for me. 

Final Bridge

The bridging became less intense, but just as meaningful toward the end of our "Bridge the Distance" tour. We capped off the WI trip with our “traditional” Christmas Eve opening of presents not in our home, but in a Marriott in eastern Minnesota: me, my youngest son, and Chris. We propped up a 42” fake Walmart evergreen with multicolored optical fiber needle lights and scattered a few presents for each other around it. We broke bread with takeout food and vending machine snacks and watched Red One (movie) in our humble abode. Like ancient Mary, this type of Christmas celebration was just fine—I had bridged the distance and I was with family. 

New Memories

When we finally returned to North Dakota from this particular road in retirement, it was Christmas Day and Chris and I were too exhausted to open up our presents to each other. We had bridged the distance, spent time with those we loved, and made new memories. We opened our gifts for each other two days later on a more relaxed and “settled-in” evening. I had again beaten the odds, overcame disability adversity, and bridged 1500 miles of distance to celebrate the birth of Christ with those I love.