Posted on in Faith, Humor, Memories

Ten Years Ago

I take opportunities to teach the Gospel whenever I can. Every year stick on decorations are made for sliding glass doors, etc. I had one I used for several years for our Grandkids to play with. They could arrange and re-arrange the pieces if they wanted to. 

One year I picked up our youngest Grandgirl from nursery school and brought her home for lunch at our house. They had been learning about farms and farm animals. Old MacDonald was a new favorite song for singing in the car.

As she was eating her lunch she looked at the sliding glass door. 

“Look Grammy, there’s Jesus,  right in that barn!”

What a joy to have young’uns among us!

Lord, help me always to see with the eyes of a child. Help me celebrate You right in that barn and in my dining room! 

Posted on in Faith, Humor, Memories

Another Christmas Memory

The particular winter I am thinking about was approximately twelve years ago. It had been a windy autumn, more wind than usual. One neighbor had begun to decorate for Christmas. In their tradition, the Jesus baby was not put out until Christmas Day. 

As we drove down the street, our oldest Grandgirl, then about five years old, noticed the figures. She said a classic line!

“I see Mary, and I see Joseph. I guess Jesus blowed away!”

We have mentioned her comment every year since. Such innocence and astute observation! If you can’t find Him, perhaps you can explain His absence?

May you know an increased awareness of Christ this season and throughout the coming year! Blessings to you.

“I see Mary, and I see Joseph. I guess Jesus blowed away!”

Posted on in Family

One Christmas

Christmas time was upon us and Emily, at 3-1/2 years, was fueled by excitement. We had recently purchased a plastic creche set which she was allowed to play with. Both Boba nd I had explained to her the true meaning of Christmas, and she was enchanted by Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. Perhaps the baby Jesus was so fascinating because she had a baby in her life, too, in the form of her younger brother, 5 month old Jeffrey.  In keeping with the family tradition of new clothes for Christmas we had purchased something entirely new for Emily, her own. purse! As Christmas Eve approached I tried to teach her that her purse was for tissues, her offering, and things she might need while away from home.

It seemed a feat of circus proportions getting our family ready for church service that evening, Jeffrey, bundled against the winter weather, was none too happy to be overheating as I grabbed my coat and Bob got Emily into the back seat of the car. I finally drew a deep breath as Bob drove us to church. I reminded Emily that we were going to church to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. She thought that was  great idea!

We placed Jeffrey in the nursery where he could make as much noise as he wanted. the service was refreshing after all the turmoil of getting there intact and on time. As the congregation began to sing “Silent Night” I noticed Emily fumbling with her purse. I asked what she had in her hand, fearful it would be some loud toy or worse yet, something gooey. SHe open her palm to show me the plastic baby Jesus in His manger bed. She looked up at me with dark brown eyes glistening and said, “I thought He ought to come.“


 “I thought He ought to come.“

               Just imagine that tiny hand opening!

No creche will ever be the same for me. She understood the message about Christmas! And even in the excitement of a new purse, she brought Jesus to church for His birthday. Thank you Emily for a wonderful memory!

Posted on in Family

Trains!

One adventure our Grandson loves is going to see the train layouts at the Cincinnati Museum Center. It reopened this year after a major remodeling project. There is a small train the children may ride and ring the bell as they go around. One year we thought we would never get him off the ride!

Well this year, sadly, he was too tall to ride that train! He did display his feelings with the magnetic build-it-yourself snowman! Then we moved on to view the massive train layout with Pop.

So moving to a huge room with almost countless tracks there were my guys oohing and ahhing again.

Hoping your traditions are joyous, also!

Posted on in Humor, Marriage and Memories

Advent Calendar

Someone mentioned on the radio that their Mom used to take an advent calendar and put a slip of paper in each day saying “I love it when you …” or “I love that you are …” It became a treasured memory of waiting for the birth of Jesus. Over our 48 years of marriage we have gathered many favorite decorations and memories. I thought this year it would be great to make something similar to this advent calendar for Bob.

To make it look rustic I took a piece of burlap. Then made little pockets to hold the papers. Placed them on the burlap in the shape of a tree. Sewed them in place and numbered them. Printed the I love you slips, cut them up and presented it to Bob on the first day of December. Gee! it sounds easier than it was when I was making it!

I almost gave up twice. The pockets were not very straight. The puff paint was a mess. I told Bob to think of it as American folk art, similar to Grandma Moses, not a precise creation. Often OCD must die when I do crafts.

Today is December 11 and he is enjoying the calendar. He says he will fill it next year for me.

Posted on in Book quotes, Faith, Family, Spiritual growth

Meanwhile, Back at the Soldier Crawl

ABIDE:  me with You, You in me , and flowing forth from me.

You are the vine, I am the branch. Our relationship, love, contacts create the tendrils that help me to cling, ABIDE.

Even at crochet group, I choose to abide. Even at the grocery I choose to abide. While listening to Bob and learning to hear, I choose to abide. 

While traveling a few years ago I found this wrought iron sculpture and remembered the book “Clinging” that I had been reading and ABIDE which I am still trying to learn. The tendril is clearly delineated. I want my tendrils tight and close with Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Defined: “Tendrils are slender structures that coil around smaller objects to provide support for growing shoots.” So I went ahead and wrote the meditation/prayer outline for our weekly intercessors meeting.  The theme was abide, remain, stay, endure, dwell. I presented it the day before Bob and I went to the Convent for an Advent Quiet Day. Emilie Griffin wrote “Prayer is clinging, not only that we cling to God, but that He clings to us.” We prayed that the persons on our Topics List would cling to God for all of their needs.

At the Convent we were each assigned a room for our personal use during the day. The sign on my door had a quote from Jan L. Richardson: “The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before . . . .What is possible is to not see it, to miss it, to turn just as it brushes past you . .  So stay. Sit. Linger. Tarry. Ponder. Wait. Behold. Wonder. There will be time enough for running. For rushing. . . For now, stay. Wait. Something is on the horizon.”

I was gobsmacked!   Abide   Remain  Stay  Endure  Dwell  Stay  Sit  Linger  Tarry  Ponder  Wait  Behold  Wonder all within 24 hours!

How are you spending your Advent Season?

Hopefully you are able to shed cares and move towards the silence that re-creates.

Posted on in Family

Writing and Meditation

November 14 journal entry: All shall be well – ALL MANNER OF THINGS shall be well. Meditation music from the Insight Timer app (https://insighttimer.com/) is entitled “Floating.” Very useful for centering. The sound of  the kitchen toaster is grounding me in the here and now. 

Writing is not silence, but like doing a soldier crawl towards silence. 

Shedding cares along the crawl. Forearms scraped but dragging me along.

I will drop distractions and invite You to enter deeper Lord, into my mouth and pen and mind – enter dwell ABIDE

WELL! I hit the wrong button in new editor and WHAM! it posted.

Posted on in Faith, Humor

Wise Men

One of my favorite sayings has been made in decorations of several sorts. One year for Christmas my daughter, Emily, gave us a star which hangs in our kitchen now.wise 1

Matthew 2:1-10 (HCSB) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

“When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.”

“Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went on their way.

“And there it was—the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.”

Now we know little about these wise men.  We do know that stars are most easily seen in a clear night sky. There is a man made star that we can see at this time annually when the people who own a house on the hill light it up. We see it from a four lane highway at 55 MPH.

The other day after church Bob decided he wanted to find where that house was, where that star was. We started off up the hill on a sunny Sunday afternoon circling into various subdivisions. Our hunt was for naught. Too many houses with private drives up there! We will just have to admire it from afar and be reminded as we pass that wise men were led to the Savior by a star.

I was giggling inside as we made our way home. What does it say about us that we were searching for a star on a sunny afternoon? Maybe not too wise? Except really good at wise cracks!

wise

We do still seek the Savior to come and fill us at a greater depth during this season of Advent and all the year long.

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Memories, Nature

Wind Chill 17

This morning the wind chill was 17 degrees. That is just plain COLD.

As the first salt truck of the year goes down our street, I thought it might be fun to show you the photos I took on our favorite walk last September. Enjoy! and remember seasons change. This weather, too , will pass.

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View from above Harsha Lake, better known around here as East Fork.

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Posted on in Traveling

Simple Cardboard

Recently I have seen  simply cardboard signs written with permanent marker and posted at random corners. These are not yard sale signs. They have two words only, “Be Kind.” With all the rage and insulting verbiage flying through America today I love this simple message. Evidently we have we forgotten kindness so much that we have to be reminded.

When we were in Oregon we saw this ceramic on a wall. It was not for sale, but I love the photo! 

Let’s Be Kind this week and see the difference it can make. It is truly not that hard to do.