1 Year Down 2 to go (Bucket List update)

Well a little over a year ago I published my Bucket List in preparation for the world ending in 2012 (the whole December 2012 Myan calendar thing). I have given you periodic updates through this year. Now with a little under two years left, I am updating and revising my bucket list. The original post text will be blue, with revisions in red.

Steve's Bucket List:

1} Finish writing my novel and get it published. This is a long-time goal, and now the end of the world is just giving me motivation to work faster. I have some big plans in the works in this area, keep watching here and on facebook for more, and for how you can help make this dream come true.

2}Take a guitar lesson from Orianthi. She is the amazing guitarist from the Michael Jackson THIS IS IT movie, and to just spend an hour learning from her would be amazing. She is busy touring with Adam Lambert, but I'm sure she'll get back to me after the tour. I'll be checking in with her on Twitter after the holidays, sure she'll respond this time.

3} Spend a month traveling in England and Ireland. I figure it would take at least a month to find all the historical, but not touristy spots. Still waiting for financing...come on LOTTO!!!

4} Star in, or direct a movie with Zooey Deshanel. Maybe my friend Beau could produce it. She is one of my favorite actresses, and I'd love to work with her. Talks are still delayed by me having no way to contact Zooey, she doesn't Twitter enough...might need to switch to Rachel Nichols, she has responded to multiple tweets, and seems cool. Well, Zooey has started tweeting more, but has yet to respond to me, and Rachel is still responding, so I am hereby officially changing this to "Star in, or direct a movie with Rachel Nichols. Also to get bucket list down to 10 items, I am combining #8 in here, and adding have lunch/coffee with Rachel Nichols, since she responds more than Ashley Greene.

5} Spend a day at the park with just my kids and my parents. Sounds easy enough, but if you understood my family situation, you'd know this is probably the wildest thing on my list. Still no progress to report here.

6} Write a song with Taylor Swift. I'd let her sing it, since my voice would make people pray for the end of the world. plus with her singing it would be a sure hit. New album out, big huge world tour in the works for next year, plus Jake is kinda in the way now, so not looking good, but still hopeful.

7} Get together and hang out for at least part of a day catching up with as many of my Facebook friends as I can. Since my Toyota friends I can see any time, I won't count those, sorry. This is where I can report the most progress: In October I hooked up with my friend Beau who I hadn't seen since college, we hung out before the U2 concert. This month I have has lunch with my friends Adam, and John, both from my KLoRD days who I hadn't seen in 14 or 15 years. Very good time catching up on all accounts. Looking forward to more meetings soon. In a bit of a slump here, but will be making a New Years resolution on this front, keep a watch here for that.

#8 (becoming part of #4)} Have lunch or dinner with Ashley Greene (from Twilight). Her character is so sweet, and from what I hear, she is too. See #4 above (although I'd still keep the Ashley option open)

The new #8 (formerly 11)}To see a sunrise and sunset on every continent. Well, could probably skip Antarctica. Still stuck on North America...as with England trip, waiting on financing...Come on lotto!!!

9} Spend a month on tour with U2. Maybe get invited up onstage by Bono. U2 will be touring US again this year...hoping to get a chance to talk with them about the options.

10} Take a dance lesson from one of my favorite Dancing with the Stars pros, either Lacey Schwimmer, Chelsie Hightower, or Julianne Hough. Things not looking great here, Lacey hasn't been spending as much time in her dad's Redlands studio lately, or at least not tweeting about it.

A Christmas gift for you, my friends.

During the advent season in 1987 I wrote a Christmas story. For many years it has been hidden away in storage. I recently unearthed it, and have polished it up a little. I am now going to share it with you my friends. Read and enjoy:

Christmas Dreams

The snow blew in soft wisps against the oaken stable. The old cart horse slept on a bed of hay. A small light glowed in the window of a nearby house. Inside the house the cart driver sat in his chair rocking, trying his best to keep warm in the cold Pennsylvania winter.

Living alone in the country made it hard for the man to get wood for his fire. In past times he would travel to town with his horse, buy wood and haul it back in his cart. He would burn enough wood to keep warm, and the rest he would carve; he made toys for the children, salt and pepper shakers for the women or birdhouses for the men. He would then travel into town to sell his creations, and with the money he would buy more wood. Around the beginning of November he would start working on his Christmas ornaments. These always sold well, and made for large wood purchases. Each year, exactly three weeks before Christmas, he would begin work on the nativity scene for the church building in town. For two solid weeks he would work from sun-up until long after dark carving the figures of the holy family. Then a week before Christmas he would hook the horse up to the cart, load the nativity set in and head for the church. Everyone in town loved his work, and his nativity scene was the talk of the town.

But about a year ago his fingers began to feel the bite that so many older hands feel. As his joints hardened and the arthritis began to twist his fingers, his carving became less precise, and people began buying less and less of his work. Three weeks before Christmas, he went to town to buy the wood for the nativity scene, and the wood to keep him warm until Christmas. The money was short, and he was not able get enough wood.

He was determined to carve a nativity scene to better all his previous ones, so he cut back on his heating rations. He painfully worked on Joseph, stopping often to rest his stiff joints. Then he began work on the Virgin Mary. As he was putting thee finishing touches on the face, a spur of pain shot through his hand, causing his knife to slip and make a scar across the beautiful face.

The man knew he had to start over, so he took a large piece of wood off his heating wood pile, and began again on Mary. But the man could not bring himself to throw the scarred Madonna into the fireplace, and so his pile of wood dwindled rapidly. His mistake also cost him time, so he stayed up later and got up earlier to get the work done.

The next day was the day he was to bring his nativity scene in to town. Everyone would be waiting; for even though they knew his carving had gotten rougher, they also knew that the love he put into his nativity scene would make it a piece of beauty. He sat in his chair, rocking and holding the wooden baby Jesus in his lap. The wooden child was almost perfect, except the face remained uncarved. As the man rocked, he slowly fell asleep.

As he slept, he began dreaming. He saw himself as a child, running with the sheep on his farm. He saw a Christmas morning when he was ten and he had found a sheepdog puppy under the family Christmas tree. Next he saw his baptism into the church on a Christmas Eve when he was thirteen. Then he was shown a picture he had seen many times of Jesus standing at the door and knocking.

The man got up and opened the door in his dream, and Jesus came in. “My faithful follower,” the Lord said, “you have served me well, and it is your time to rest. Come unto me, and I will give you the rest you so richly deserve.”

“But Lord,” the man replied, holding up the unfinished carving of the Christ child, “My work is not done. The Church needs a nativity scene, and it is not yet finished.”

Love shone from the face of Christ as He drew the man to Himself and repeated the words He had said many years before, “It is finished.” And the man went to be with the Lord, leaving his carving behind.

The next morning the horse woke in the cold air, knowing somehow that he would not be making the planned trip into town.

In the town the crowds gathered around the church to wait for the man to bring his nativity scene. As time passed, and it became apparent that he was not coming, a group of men decided to ride out to the man’s house to see what was wrong.

When they reached his house they knocked, and after a few minutes with no answer, they tried the door. It wasn’t locked, so they walked in, and found the man sitting in his chair. In his cold, lifeless hands he grasped the most beautiful, perfectly carved statue of the baby Jesus they had ever seen. The face shown out with a love and power beyond anything ever before captured by an artist. The nativity seen was brought to the church, and became a permanent part of the church’s Christmas decorations. The man was buried on Christmas Eve, in the churchyard he had loved for so long.

Written during advent 1987

Copyright Stephen J. DeVries, 2010