True Friends

When you are real, true friends, time doesn't matter. Winnie and I have been friends for many, many years (longer than some of you are old). We haven't been able to spend as much together in the past years, but we met for supper last night at Cracker Barrel. In one way, it was as if we had just spent time together last week - the love, kindred spirit, and friendship were the same. On the other hand, we were there almost 3 hours and it didn't even scratch the surface on catching up with each other. I couldn't believe we had been there that long. Of course, we did take time to show off pictures of our grandchildren - as I've said before, nothing like being a grandma! The last few minutes of our time together we spent rocking on the porch and laughing - laughing at the way we were hanging onto our purses while we rocked, laughing at how stiff we felt and didn't know if we could get up, and counting to 3 to get up and then laughing so hard we weren't sure we would be able to get up. Obviously, we stood up or I wouldn't be typing in my blog (ha, ha). Winnie is off to take two of her grandbabies to Disney World in a few weeks. It will be her 37th trip - you see it's one more thing Winnie and I have in common - we are both kids at heart and love to have fun! Have a great time, Winnie! We left our rockers, hugged, and promised we'd get together again after her trip. Can't wait!

Merry Christmas

One more time - I just love Christmas. We had my Mom, Uncle Archie, Scott and his girls, Chris and family, Julie & Cliff (and of course, their dog, Red). We had a good lunch and then opened presents. All the grandbabies were very excited to open presents. Abby (our youngest - the almost 3 yr old) was oohing and aahing about the wrapping and actual opening of the presents. She had to take every single little piece of paper off of each present before looking at the present. She only took one article of clothing out of the box - the Dora shirt my Mom gave her. Then she rolled it up and stuffed it back in the box. Everything else she insisted on holding up for a picture, but didn't take it out of the box. Julie & Cliff gave the girls stocking hats with a present inside. Jessica (Scott's middle girl - 11 yrs old) put the hat on, left it on all day Christmas, and still had it on today (the day after). You never know what the kids will like. The kids and grandbabies played "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader" with us. I asked the questions - anyone could just call out the answer. We laughed and had a good time. Sometimes the older ones were smarter and sometimes the young ones showed us up. I think it was one of the best Christmas' we've had. It's always great to be with family. Scott will have his girls this weekend and his youngest, Katelyn, is already planning on making cookies with me. It'll be so much fun. Hope everyone had as special a day as we did. (One more time - I just love Christmas!)

The Wise Men and Mary & Joseph

I just love Christmas (familiar saying in my blog lately). Pastor Mike preached an awesome sermon today. I always take notes - sinks in better that way. Today, he had such good stuff, I had a hard time keeping up. (Not my best example of handwriting in my notes today.) The Wise Men were gentiles. I probably knew that, but just forgot about it (sounds good, huh?). They were searching the ancient writings and then followed the Star. What an adventure. Nothing stopped them from their search for the Baby Jesus. To live my life and not let anything stop or hinder me from searching for His will in my life is my goal - but I fall far short too many times. The Wise Men were excited in their search. I'm trying to be more excited about every day, no matter what happens. You can miss a valuable lesson if you're not paying close attention. When the Wise Men found Him, they fell down and worshipped Him. Can you imagine seeing God right in front of you? What do you say - what do you do? I CAN ONLY IMAGINE (those who know me well, know that's my favorite praise song) ! Another interesting point Pastor Mike made was Mary and Joseph willingly accepted the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They did not rob the Wise Men of the blessing of giving their gifts. There is real joy in giving. I hope this Christmas we all get to experience the joy of giving of ourselves as well as our gifts. Remember to willingly accept the gifts - don't rob the other person of their blessing. (To my family, be prepared - I plan to quote Pastor Mike on Christmas Day.)

Kids program at church

Last night was our kids Christmas program. They represented the story of the birth of Jesus while several adults read the narration. There were a couple really cute moments: one was of Nathan Wilson (~2 months old) as Baby Jesus and his brother, Thomas (who's 2), playing the donkey - they looked so cute; the other one was when a sister, Mallory Dipasquale, and her older brother, Mason (think he's 5), entered as sheep. He was flicking his sheep ears all the way up the aisle and for a few seconds on the platform (couldn't help but hear giggling in the congregation). Then Mallory playing a baby sheep went right over to Baby Jesus and leaned down for a closer look. The costumes were great. Jill Yoho organized and directed it. She did a fantastic job. She even taught the kids how to bow at the end. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

What a weekend...

This was a busy weekend. We did some major cleaning around the house. Wanted to share some of our good fortune with those less fortunate. We took 9 leaf bags full of clothes and house stuff to Goodwill tonight. There were clothes from Julie's younger days and John's & mine smaller days. We also cleaned out the hall coat closet and took a few coats too. It's a good feeling to get things in order. Slowly, but surely we are making progress. Church was awesome as usual. Pastor Mike talked about the joy of the shepherds and how they told others. It was a good reminder of the joy we need to feel and share about our Savior. Too many times I know I don't think about the individuals and the individual events that occurred at Christ's birth. I want to focus on that more. After church, we went to Chris' girls baton holiday extravaganza. AJ and Stephanie both did excellent in their solo routines. AJ has really improved this year and Stephanie just seems to have the talent for it. We got to take Scott's girls with us. It was great to have all 6 grandbabies with us. We took Scott's girls home and had supper with my Mom, Scott and the girls. Played some horse bingo and then home. There's nothing like being a Nonni (interpretation - grandma) !

God is great !

In the last two days, God has shown me His awesome power to handle everything. Praise the Lord just doesn't quite do it for me. I feel like shouting to the world - no worries - just trust in the Lord. Ms. Deb has been offered a school nurse position and our china closet sold on craigslist.com. I had seen the ad for the school nurse position and called Ms. Deb. It was a God thing - I never read the want ads now that I'm retired. It was a long wait, but I kept talking to God and saying I know You brought this to my attention. Then our china closet ad was up for a week and I had about 5 people who were interested, asking questions, but no sale. I prayed about it again and felt I should repost it. I reposted it in the early hours of Wednesday and had a response by noon and a sale by 2 PM. God is so good. It reminds me of my previous post about surrender. I pray I will always surrender to His guidance and His will for my life. If you don't have a close relationship with Jesus, begin now - just ask Him into your life. It's awesome !

SMYDEK Christmas Party

No matter how old I get, I'm still young at heart. I'm sure I would have several witnesses to endorse this statement - some would probably say I'm still a child. I love Christmas - I love the story of Jesus' birth, the music, and the lights. We attended the SMYDEK Christmas party (Church party). It was held in conjunction with the Point of Rocks youth. We had a great time. The food was good and the smoothies were excellent! Enjoyed watching everyone play the different games. Charades is always a favorite. God's people know how to have fun!

First Snow

I always enjoy the first snow of the year so much. It's a tradition of mine to celebrate it. It reminds me how Jesus washes our sins as white as snow. It is so beautiful to see how God can use such tiny flakes to turn our world white. It is just another reminder that He is in control. Thank you, God, for the beauty of the earth! It also reminds me of my Dad. I miss him so much this year. My Dad and I used to get in his Travel-All (predecessor to the SUVs). We would go exploring in the snow - check to see if roads were safe to go to church and just to have fun. It is one of my most treasured memories. Miss you, Dad.

Surrender

Every time I think of the word surrender, I think of the hymn "I Surrender All." Wouldn't life be so much simpler if we could just surrender to God's way? I know I struggle sometimes with the "I can fix this" attitude. I like to solve problems - I hear the problem and immediately start thinking of options to make the situation better. Sometimes you can't change a situation or fix the problem. God is in control even though we don't understand why things are the way they are. I have a friend who is dying of cancer - she is lingering and she is ready to go to her Heavenly home. I don't understand why she must linger - not that we ever want to lose a loved one. I must surrender her to God, His plan, and His timetable. If you are reading this, pray for me to be able to surrender all areas of my life to God and make His way, mine...

Blessings

John and I went to church tonight to help Julie and Cliff decorate the church. It was a fun time. We got it all done in about 4 hours. It was a fulfilling adventure, but we were tired when we were through. One of the things I did was arrange the nativity in the vestibule. This is important because what happened next. I checked my email when I got home and had a devotional email from Max Lucado - a Christian author. I subscribe to his email devotions and receive a couple a month. Tonight's was about the Wise Men. It was such a blessing so here it is: "Suppose you could give a gift to Christ, what would it be? How could you possibly select a gift for the One who not only has everything, but who made everything? The Wise Men did. They can be an example to us. In addition to the gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they gave the Savior some gifts we can give him today: their hope, their time, and their worship. The wandering wise men gave Jesus their hope. When everyone else saw a night sky, this small band of men saw the light. The sight of the star sparked a desire in their hearts that send them packing. They went, seeking Jesus. When night comes to your world, what do you see? The darkness or the stars? Hopelessness or hopefulness? Sometimes, just as he did so long ago, God uses the darkness to reveal his stars—“The light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5). Give God your hope for Christmas. While you’re giving, give God your time. The wise men did. Before they gave God their presents, they gave their presence. It’s likely that these men traveled as long as two years before locating the prince of heaven. Before that one incredible moment when they knelt before Jesus, the wise men spent many moments, months, perhaps years searching, in anticipation of that meeting. Just as the wise men devoted themselves to seeking the Savior, so can you: “You will seek him and find him when you seek him with all your heart” (Duet. 4:29). And when they did find him, the wise men gave Jesus another gift: their worship. Men of wealth, influence, and intellect: what did they do when they saw Jesus? “…they fell down and worshiped him” (Matt. 2:11) Worship. It’s a gift that extends to the giver as well. Through worship, we come to see God more clearly. God invites us, through worship, to see his face so he can change ours. In worship, we simply stand before God with a prepared and willing heart and let God do his work. And he does. He wipes away the tears. He mops away the perspiration. He softens our furrowed brows. He touches our cheeks. He changes our faces as we worship. The wise men sought the child of God, just as God seeks his children. “The Father is actively seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23). The gifts of hope, time, and worship. Three gifts the wise still give." God bless...