small christmas gathering

when you are far away, you are far away from home. home means people who share your sentiments along the way. home means when you look through the looking glass, all colors and shapes you see are familiar. home is an old ferris wheel which reminds more memories than your porch chair. it's wind, it's blizzards, it's sunshine, it's life.

2006 christmas will be remembered as the year of "mass-a-thone", 3 masses in 24 hours. since I spend most of my time apart from the town I call home in Turkey, I have missed my church buddies. it was a good chance to reconcile. most of them brits, some canadians and americans. some christian turks. a parish of under 30 people, but it's christmas no matter what.

in southern turkey it's mid-40's, sunny, and of course no snow. but it's still christmas.a small tree, carols on tape, some good mozart, and it's over.

I will be on and off the net for the week to come. but do come, because I will be sharing more thoughts on children, squeezed between the west and the east, children of turkey, and their feelings about Santa Claus and new year presents (as they exchange presents on new years' eve here not on christmas day).

Merry Christmas y'all.