Tag Archives: Christmas

It’s A Small World After All

Posted on December 22, 2023 by ivanbenson

Horrific war in the Middle East, Israel versus Hamas, unspeakable brutality and loss of life; the continuing struggle between Ukraine and Russia; health care concerns over RSV and new strains of Covid; economic upheaval and the rise in the prices … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged Alvin Toffler, Christmas, cold, cold weather, Covid, Donner Party, Future Shock, Hamas, heating, Israel, It's a small world after all, middle east, news, RSV, Russia, Ukraine, winter | 9 Comments

The Impossible Dream

Posted on December 1, 2021 by ivanbenson

It was a great honor to be asked to sing “The Impossible Dream” (1965, music by Mitch Leigh, lyrics by Joe Darion) at my high school graduation in May 1971. Along with an amphitheater filled with parents and students, another … Continue reading →

Posted in Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged 1965, 1971, anger, Christ, Christmas, Deliverer, Don Quixote, Evil One, gifts, Impossible, invisible, Jesus, Joe Darion, Magi, Man of La Mancha, Messiah, Mitch Leigh, ordinary, Rincon High School, savior, shepherds, The Impossible Dream, The Quest, University of Arizona, Xmas | 6 Comments

The Gift

Posted on December 12, 2017 by ivanbenson

For about 10 years I was privileged to tell the Christmas story at Stone Mountain Park. The train would stop on the back side of the mountain, and Grandpa Lacey (yours truly) would emerge to greet the passengers and tell … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Christmas, defibrillator, gift of life, gifts, Grandpa Lacey, heart attack, ICD, Isaiah 53, Luke 2, Magi, Messiah, Scott Rousseau, Stone Mountain Park, the Christmas story, The Gift | 14 Comments

A Real Tool: the Coping Saw

Posted on January 19, 2017 by ivanbenson

My father was good with tools! Especially when working with wood. His father was born in Sweden in 1878, and Dad used to have some of his father’s tools until thieves broke into his and Mom’s Tucson, AZ house years … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged 1878, AZ, Christmas, coping saw, coping skills, Dad, father, fears, Flexibility, force, Forgiveness, Gentleness, grandfather, holidays, inauguration, insecurity, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Mom, New Year, president, stress, Sweden, the unknown, tools, Tucson, uncertainty, worry | 2 Comments

No Room at the Inn

Posted on December 4, 2014 by ivanbenson

As the Christmas season approaches, and colder weather creeps in on us, my thoughts turn to . . . rodents in the chimney. Please understand, I would rather write about something else, today. Almost anything else. But the truth is, … Continue reading →

Posted in Comedy, Family History, Uncategorized | Tagged Bethlehem, chimney, Christmas, control, firelog, flue, Jesus, life script, manger, Mary and Joseph, no room at the Inn, no trespassing, R.O.U.S., rodent, The Princess Bride, transforming, varmint | 10 Comments

The NeverEnding Story

Posted on April 29, 2014 by ivanbenson

One of the most delightful experiences of my life has been . . . storytelling. I remember as a child those rare moments when we would get Dad talking about growing up as a small boy in Macon, Georgia, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged Apple, Bill Cosby, Brian Regan, chattanooga, childrens CDs, Christmas, Garrison Keillor, Georgia, Gus and Phil, Harry Potter, Hickman County TN, Jerry Clower, Jobs, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Little Red Riding Hood, Macon Georgia, Pecos Bill, Pete Seeger, Pied Piper, Sand Mountain, Steve Jobs, Stone Mountain Park, storytelling, The Byrds, The Greenhorn and the Mule Egg, The Hero of Stone Mountain Park, The NeverEnding Story, The Three Apples, Turn Turn Turn, world war II | 6 Comments

Hitting Hard

Posted on December 7, 2013 by ivanbenson

On Wednesday of this week the traffic on the way to work was unusually heavy, and the pouring rain made it an even greater challenge to navigate. As I crept along in the seemingly endless slow moving stream of cars … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged accident, Alzheimer's, amazing star, appreciation, Bedouin, bleeding on the brain, change, Christmas, clarity, dead teeth, dementia, dentist, falling, Family, friends, give of ourselves, hard hit, ice, irreparable, Jesus, life events, murder of infants, pause, rain, refocus, routine, sacrifice, Salvation Army, shepherds, slipping, trauma, value, wise men | Comments Off

First Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2012 by ivanbenson

My first Christmas was in 1953. But I don’t remember it at all. I was just a few weeks out of the incubator at the hospital in Chattanooga (having been 4 to 7 weeks premature, and just over 4 lbs … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged Christmas, death, Family, first, gifts, memory, Merrythought toys, mother, ornaments, presents, teddy bear, toys | 10 Comments

Unfinished Tasks

Posted on December 7, 2012 by ivanbenson

My oldest daughter was going through Christmas cards yesterday, sorting through some of her late grandmother’s unused cards to use as her own this season. We had given these cards to her as we cleaned out mother’s apartment in late … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged blessings, cards, Christmas, death, Family, final words, joy, loving words, mother, season, smiles, tasks, unfinished | 8 Comments

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Tag Archives: Christmas

It’s A Small World After All

The Impossible Dream

The Gift

A Real Tool: the Coping Saw

No Room at the Inn

The NeverEnding Story

Hitting Hard

First Christmas

Unfinished Tasks

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