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Show B2 The Emery County Review, Tuesday, December 23, 2008 The FAMILY PAGE Horoscope Focus On The Family Crossword Figuratively Speaking Focus on the Family Celebrating Family Traditions Brings Everyone Together Dr. James Dobson Q My family lives together under one roof and we share the same last name, but we don’t “feel” like a family. How can I begin to put a sense of togetherness into this harried household? How do you put meaningful activities into your family? One way to accomplish that is by creating traditions in your home. By traditions, I’m referring to those recurring events and behaviors that are anticipated, especially by children, as times of closeness and fellowship between loved ones. In our family, the centerpiece of our holiday traditions is food. Each year during Thanksgiving and Christmas, the women prepare marvelous turkey dinners with all the trimmings. Another great favorite at that time is a fruit dish called ambrosia, containing sectioned oranges and grapes. The family peels the grapes together the night before the big day. These holidays are wonderful experiences for all of us. There’s laughter and warm family interaction through the day. A We look forward to that festive season, not just for the food, but also for what happens between loved ones who come together on that occasion. We also have designated foods on the other holidays throughout the year. On New Year’s Day, for reasons which I cannot explain, we enjoy a southern meal of pinto beans cooked at least eight hours with large chunks of lean ham, served with cornbread and little onions. It’s so good! For many years, we invited thirty or more friends to our home on July 4th and served them barbecued hamburgers and baked beans. This became a prelude to the fireworks display, and much fun and laughter. There are many other traditions. Immediately prior to the Thanksgiving dinner, each person is given two kernels Horoscopes by Holiday It’s time for Christians to celebrate the birth of the Son of God and for celestial cycles to celebrate the birth of the sun center of our solar system as he returns after the longest night. Welcome to the Winter Solstice, a magical time of year that was celebrated by early humanity, as evidenced by prehistoric monuments like Stonehenge that are oriented to frame the sun on the longest and shortest days of the year. ARIES (March 21-April 19). This will be a memorable week as you deal with a colorful set of characters. One in particular stands out. Though this person’s manner and thought process is about as foreign to you as any you’ve seen, your commonalities still outweigh your differences. Find shared interests and you can work through any problem. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re even more sensitive than usual these days. You could walk into a room of people where no one is talking, notice the tension and start figuring out what happened prior to your arrival. In some cases you’ll probably decide that you really don’t need Q A With all respect, your question reveals a rather poor understanding of the nature of toddlers. Most twoyear-olds, those who are normally active, can no more fold their hands in church and listen to a sermon intended for adults than they could swim the Atlantic Ocean. They squirm, churn and burn because they must. You just can’t hold a toddler down. All their waking hours are spent in activity, and that’s normal for this stage of development. So I do not recommend that your child be punished for this behavior. I think he should be left in the church nursery where he can shake the foundations without disturbing the worship service. If there is no nursery, I suggest -- if it is possible from a financial point of view -- that he be left at home with a sitter until he is at least three years of age. (Dr. Dobson is founder and chairman of the board of the nonprofit organization Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995(www. family.org). Questions and answers are excerpted from “Solid Answers” and “Bringing Up Boys,” both published by Tyndale House. Copyright 2008 James Dobson Inc. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.) Figuratively Speaking John MacIntyre Week of December 21 Holiday Mathis of Indian corn to symbolize the blessings he or she is most thankful for that year. A basket is passed and members drop in the corn while sharing their two richest blessings from God during that year. Our expressions of thankfulness inevitably involve people -- children, grandparents and other loved ones. As the basket moves around the table, tears of appreciation and love are evident on many faces. It is one of the most beautiful moments of the year. The great value of traditions is that they give a family sense of identity and belonging. All of us desperately need to feel that we’re not just part of a busy cluster of people living together in a house, but we’re a living, breathing family that’s conscious of our uniqueness, our character and our heritage. That feeling is the only antidote for the loneliness and isolation that characterize so many homes today. I get very upset because my two-year-old boy will not sit still and be quiet in church. He knows he’s not supposed to be noisy, but he hits his toys on the pew and sometimes talks out loud. Should I reprimand him for being disruptive? to know everything. Happiness is sticking to your boundaries. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’re mostly concentrated on one relationship now. All the years that you have been interested in a special person now seem as if they spanned mere weeks. The best times gleam in your memory. As for the future, the prospects are still exciting and the agreements you made will eventually be honored. CANCER (June 22-July 22). The reason you are so smart is that you have endured your share of falls. You found out that if you frittered away insight learned through suffering, the suffering continued. At an opportune moment, perhaps Wednesday evening, gently share this wisdom with the one who’s going through a rough time. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Sure, you could find things to take issue with, were you so inclined. But being confrontational will only serve to wear you down in the end. Stay within your own boundaries and be strong there. Take care of what you can and let go of the rest. Keep it simple, $21,080: Estimated $6.55: Individual pay for total price of the 12 Days of Christmas gift list, up sharply due to gas and gold prices and bird flu, according to the annual PNC Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management. 8.1: Percentage increase over last year that this represents for your true love. $214.99: Cost of “a par- tridge in a pear tree” this year, both up 33.3 percent due largely to higher delivery costs. $349.95: Current cost of the “five golden rings” given on the fifth day, a drop of 11.4 percent as retailers are trying to move luxury merchandise in light of concerns with the slowing economy. the “maids-a-milking,” at minimum wage, making an hour of their time the cheapest gift on the list. $86,608.51: Overall cost for the gift-giver who goes all out and gives the repeated gifts for each day as detailed in the verses of the song. Source: PNC Wealth Management. 72: Percentage of physi- cians representing various religious backgrounds, including Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Scientologist, Islamic, Shinto, Sikh and other religious traditions as well as those with no religious traditions, who believe that miracles have occurred in the past, according to HCD Research. 70: Percentage who be- Continued on Page B6 lieve that they can occur today. 66: Percentage of physi- cians who indicated that they encourage their patients to pray. Source: HCD Research Inc. Contact Vince McGourty at (908) 483-9121 or e-mail vince. mcgourty@hcdi.net. 42: Percentage of U.S. respondents who plan to travel for the holidays, according to TripAdvisor’s Holiday Travel survey. 81: Percentage who will see family and friends for the holidays. 13: Percentage who plan to “escape” family by taking a trip this holiday season. Source: TripAdvisor. 40: Percentage of moms interested in finding a way to keep the entire family entertained, who agreed that it was difficult to keep everyone amused during the holidays, according to Microsoft’s “Xbox 360 Holiday Entertainment Survey.” 33: Percentage of adult respondents who said that too much family time around the holidays can get boring. 1, 2: Ranks of watching movies/TV and playing video games on the list of the most popular ways for 18- to 49-year-olds to have fun over the holidays. Source: Microsoft. 62: Of the companies that typically give year-end bonuses, percentage that say they will be the same or smaller than last year, according to the findings of Battalia Winston’s annual survey on corporate holiday celebrations. 6: Percentage that expect year-end bonuses to go up. Source: Battalia Winston. Idle Thought “I see that sensible men and conscientious men all over the world were of one religion -- the religion of well-doing and daring; men of sturdy truth, men of integrity and feeling for others.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) (Copyright 2008 John MacIntyre inc. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.) Puzzle answers on Page B5. |