Another Year Closing

The last day of the year has arrived, and it seems impossible that we're staring 2011 in the face.  When I look in the mirror every morning, I see a woman who's getting older with each passing day, and I don't know if I'm ready for old age.  Granted, 61 isn't very old.  When I was a little girl, people in their 50's and 60's looked very old to me.  Now that I'm there, I don't think I look as old as many people my age, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm now a senior citizen!  I remember sitting outside on the glider with my 3-year-old grandson last summer.  I was wearing shorts, and he was sitting in my lap, and he saw my vericose veins and asked, "What happend to you leg, Nana?"  I had to laugh and explain that nothing had happened other than old age!  It's a process that can't be stopped.

I'm grateful for many things that have happened this year -- first of all, for having the gift of life for 2010.  Many people didn't see the end of the year.  Other gifts that my husband and I received include our good health; our jobs; having Mom close by and not 500+ miles away; our home, family, and friends; reliable cars, hosting people who needed a place to stay; the ability to give to others; volunteering with Stop Child Trafficking Now; having food on the table and extra to give away; donating Christmas gifts to those in need; fresh vegetables from our gardens; flowers blooming profusely in our yard; the sound of birds singing and frogs croaking; seeing geese fly above the trees, honking as they went; and hugs and sloppy wet kisses from grandbabies.  The list could go on and on, and it should because there's much for which to be thankful.

This Saturday, we'll celebrate Christmas with my husband's daughters and their families as that celebration was postponed due to last Sunday's snowstorm.  Again, there will be gifts exchanged and too much food eaten, but the day will again remind us of our many blessings.

Monday I plan on undecorating the Christmas tree, packing away all the ornaments that have adorned the tree for so many years and will do so for years to come.  Memories are wrapped up in each ornament, some hand-made, others purchased and given by someone special.  Life is a series of memories, one built upon the other, composing a story that is unique to each of us.  Some of us will have long stories, while other's stories will be abreviated. 

This evening, we will be celebrating both the incoming New Year and my husband's birthday at the home of some good friends -- something that's becoming a tradition.  We'll have a light dinner of homemade soup, fresh bread, salad, and whatever sweets are left over from Christmas, and then play Mexican Train, a domino game that is so much fun.  Then we'll sit in front of the television and watch the Bill and Gloria Gaither Special until the clock slips into 2011 before returning home.

As we look forward to 2011, I pray that it will be better than this year.  For us, another grandchild will arrive in either late April or early May, and the additon of another person to our family is always such a joyous occasion.  But we don't know what the coming year holds, and it is that uncertainty, that unpredictability, that keeps me clinging to the One I need every day of my life, my anchor in my storms -- God.  If we knew what life was going to be like, would any of us need God?  Of would the seeing thrust us more fully into His arms?  I only know that I can't walk this path of life by myself, and I thank God that He has ordained my steps, that He has promised to be with me each step of the way, that He has given me the Bible to light the way, and that He will see me through to the end.  I hope and pray that the same holds true for you.

I'll see you in 2011 -- and please drop a comment once in a while.  I'd love to hear from my readers around the world.  (I won't publish your comment if you don't want it published).  Happy New Year! 

Snow in North Carolina!

The day after Christmas, we awoke to a winter wonderland!  Every branch, wire, fence and shrub was covered with snow fresh from God's storehouse in the heavens.  Silence draped the landscape, muffling the sounds of the few cars that were on the snow-packed roads.  After breakfast, I donned my layers and ski pants and stuffed my socked feet into my heavy boots before venturing outdoors, camera in hand.  I was welcomed by a pristine landscape that was a feast for my eyes.  Having lived most of my life in parts of the United States that experience snow during the winter months, one would think that I'd grow tired of or accustomed to the transformation of the landscape by snow, but I don't.  I'll never tire of it!  Seeing all the drab, leafless trees and brown grass covered in white makes me keenly aware of the creativity of God.  He's established laws of nature that produce these marvelous events -- the right air currents, temperatures, and moisture in the sky create snow -- and amazingly, no two snowflakes are alike.
As I walked through our yard and surrounding woods, I took photos of the trees rimmed with snow, pampas grass weighted down in white, magnolia leaves cradling bundles of snow, evergreen branches holding clusters of snow, and swings moving gently in the wind as they carried their lifeless load.  Beauty was all around me.
Our neighbors were outside building a snowman, and a friendly snowball fight erupted between them and my husband and me.  We were a bunch of older people acting like little kids again because of the snow. 
Later, I took a walk through our neighborhood, a walk I've taken many times, but the weight of my heavy boots and the slippery conditions underfoot made it a real workout.  When I returned home, Bob had been shoveling the snow and was putting it in a big pile, so I decided to make a snow angel -- with wings!  As I was sculpting the face, I pushed so hard that the head came loose and tumbled off, landing in an unrecognizable heap.  After discovering that I couldn't salvage any of it, I rebuilt the head and scuplted the face, being much more careful about how hard I pushed!  Ater I was done, I sprayed blue food coloring onto the angel's dress and yellow coloring onto its hair and wings.  It was dark when I finished.  It lasted through today, but the sun hits it squarely on the front, so it's beginning to crumble in spots, and the face is no longer solid.  My husband took photos of the angel and the outside lights covered in snow, and some of those photos are attached. 
The snow was an added gift to an already wonderful Christmas.  I thank God for His creativity and the marvelous wonder of snow. 

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

Christmas is fast approaching, and I'm forever amazed at how the internet has changed our world and made possible things that we could never envision years ago.  This blog is being read by people in the United States, Canada, Romania, Russia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, China, Germany, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, and that simply boggles my mind!  So my Christmas greeting goes to all of you, where you are in this world, and I hope that you are blessed by the God of the universe, Who loves us more than we can possible imagine!  I've taken the greeting "Merry Christmas to Everyone" and created a poem from the first letter of each word.  I printed this on our Christmas cards that went to family and friends, and now I send it to all of you, my readers and friends around the globe.

Mary and Joseph and a small donkey
Entering a strange and foreign place
Rely on God to guide them as they
Reach their destination, Mary
Yearning to deliver her child.

Cast into a stable, no room
Had they in the inn
Racing against time
In hopes to rest easy soon.
Silent night broken outside
To poor shepherds angels came
Making a joyful announcement
And singing praises on high
Sent by God to proclaim His Son

To save lost mankind
Out of the hands of evil.

Even as the Child was born
Vengeance was being planned
Expecting to thwart God's will.
Resting in a humble manger
Yeshua cries
Only to be comforted by Mary
New mother amazed and awed
Exclaiming her joyful praise.

Merry Christmas to all of you!  Please check back after our wonderful celebration of our Lord's birth, which might turn into something extra special as it looks like we MAY get snow on Christmas day in North Carolina, which hasn't happened since 1947.  May all of you enjoy your friends and family and find comfort in the knowledge that God is still in control of our seemingly chaotic world. 

Family Gifts -- And Others!

Christmas is only one week from tomorrow, and I find myself in a whirlwind of activity which started about a week ago.  Ordering many of our gifts on-line saved a lot of time, but as they arrived, they literally created piles in one of our bedrooms, which meant that we had to make it off limits to family members when they visited.  Those piles have now been wrapped and moved under the tree.  One of our cats, Delilah, isn't too happy that the space under her indoor tree, which SHE has claimed as HERS, is no longer usable.  I caught her hissing and slapping at her brother, Samson, shortly after we put up the tree; she always thinks we bring this in just for her!  Anyway, she won't be able to sleep under the tree again until after Christmas.
We have a party to attend this evening, and tomorrow one of Bob's daughters is graduating from college, so we have a luncheon and graduation to attend; later, two grandkids, Cami and Niland, will be spending the evening and night with us.  After church on Sunday, they'll be joined by two other grandkids, Cooper and Wilson, and all of them will decorate cookies that I have yet to bake!  I guess Cami and Niland will help me bake cookies on Saturday evening, and then I'll do more right after church, so hopefully there'll be plenty to spread between four sets of eager hands! 
I spent two evenings this past week wrapping presents; I think it took me about 5 hours to get everything wrapped, labeled, and under the tree.  With five children and six grandchildren, that amounts to a lot of gifts, and it has been a labor of love.  Even as my husband and I discussed our budget for our gift exchange (yes, we've had a budget and haven't charged one item), we heard about the many needs of the local charities and decided to forego gift-giving between us in order to take that money and spend on gifts for those who NEED.  At this point in our lives, we do not have any NEEDS, just WANTS, and I couldn't justify getting more stuff that I didn't need when there are so many others who won't even get things they need.  So we sat down at the computer and shopped again, and all of the gifts will go to the local rescue mission, along with a box of groceries.
I don't tell you this to make us look good or to brag, but to suggest that maybe there are others who could do the same.  My husband and I have so much stuff that's simply decorative or which gives our home comfort, and to add more to that seems ridiculous in these difficult economic times.  I can't wait for all of the gifts to arrive so we can deliver them; seeing the joy on the faces of the workers at the rescue mission who will take these gifts from our hands will be worth more than any gift I could receive.  And knowing that, on Christmas day, needy kids will have gifts that they wouldn't have if not for our giving will warm my heart!  That's what Christmas is all about - giving!  God gave His most precious gift of all, His Son Jesus, and all that we do on earth should reflect His character, His glory, and His heart.  So if you can manage to drop some gifts off, even if only one or two, before Christmas at your local charity or the Salvation Army, I encourage you to do so.  You'll have a blessing on Christmas day that only God can give -- a blessing of the heart! 

Losing to Technology

As usual, I went grocery shopping on Thursday evening, and upon my return home, driving on the interstate bypass, a mini-van passed me, and through the back window I saw a TV screen showing a DVD, and my heart cried.  When did we become a nation that feels obligated to entertain our kids at every turn?  Technology has stolen the time that used to be spent talking, laughing, and interacting while traveling from point A to point B and anywhere in-between.  I truly believe today's young people are severely lacking in the art of conversing and listening, and the information, truth, and history that can be gleaned from older people is not being passed on as in the past.

I remember traveling in cars with my family and friends, and we'd invent silly games to pass the time, such as looking for out-of-state license plates or a certain make and model of car.  As we got older, we'd even flirt wtih the young men in military convoys that traveled the highways.  We'd talk with my grandparents and interact with them.  I remember sitting on my dad's lap and 'driving' the car when I was a very small girl.  Granted, that was not wise of him to allow me to do that, but I survived and had a great time 'driving' and not knowing that his knees and one finger were on the steering wheel!  I vividly remember naming our grandparents' car; we called it "Old Nelly", and it took us, every time they visited us, to an ice cream parlor where we'd sit on stools at a counter and consume ice cream sundaes topped with whipped cream and a cherry.  My sisters and I were aware of the landscape we passed on every trip and would often point out things that we noticed to each other.  Cars were a place to spend time together.

Now when I get in the car with my older grandkids, they have their iPods or their other entertainment devices, including the portable television thingy.  As you can see, I'm not up to speed on these things, and I don't know if I will ever be.  Conversation is becoming a lost art; there's precious little that's being passed from the older generation to the younger one.  How will we save family histories?  How will the younger people learn what life is really like?  Will they be prepared for life?  Will they be ready to face real issues of integrity, truth, and compassion?  We watch violence and call it 'entertainment' while others live with violence daily and don't see anything entertaining about it at all.  Conversing with my soon-to-be-teenage grandson is difficult at best, and when the electronic devices are thrown in the mix, it's virtually impossible. 

I understand that technology is here to stay.  It's part of our daily lives, and it does make things better, much better.  However, I believe it needs to be used wisely and set aside at times for more intimate forms of communication, such as face-to-face in the car, at home sitting in the living room, or while sharing a meal around the dining table.  Let's not become a nation of people which communicate over screens and can't interact with each other face-to-face, which allows for so much more to be commnicated by way of facial expressions and body language.  I prefer that any old time to e-mail, texting, Facebook, or even the telephone.  Let's put technology in its place and not lose out on the important things in life. 

Relaxed Enough to Sleep!

The premier viewing of "North Carolina's WWII Experience" last Thursday proved to be relaxing, informative, and challenging -- in regard to staying awake!  I was so exhausted from too much work preparing for Christmas that, when we arrived at the theater and settled in for the documentary, there was absolutely nothing I could do to stay awake!  The seats were tall and comfy and reclined just enough to rest my head; the story was true, often gruesome, compelling and well-done, but when the brain screams for sleep, sleep it gets!  Even with the percussion of artillery and bombs exploding blasting through the theater speakers, I slept, not once, but three times!  Periodically I'd awaken to watch the documentary, picking up as if I'd not missed anything, and then before I knew it, my head would be nodding again and I'd rest it against the headrest and drift into oblivion.  My husband was so kind; he promised to nudge me if I started snoring, which I can do!  Thankfully, no such event occurred, and my final nap was interrupted by applause as the film ended.  Rousing myself, I stood with the other patrons and applauded the masterpiece just viewed, and no one was the wiser to me lapsing into restive sleep!
And it was a masterpiece -- at least as much of it as I watched.  Local people who had lived through WWII recounted their memories, which were interspersed with news clips and old photographs.  Even these many years later, one can still see the pain and trauma as the veterans recounted their war stories.
The walk to the car was cold.  Unseasonably cold weather had descended upon North Carolina, and it was biting, reminding me of my many years in Connecticut.  The cold remained, and on Saturday, we were surprised with snow, which had been predicted to be a light dusting, which began to fall in mid-afternoon.  It turned out to be 2 inches!  My husband and I were in the midst of preparing for a Christmas party for our church friends, a fun-loving group called Overdrive!  The snow was not supposed to stick, but it came down with such fury that it DID stick -- to everything BUT the roads.  Once the snow started to accumlate, I got on the computer and sent an e-mail announcing that a 22-pound turkey was in the oven, the presents were wrapped, the games were ready, and we were not cancelling for a few snowflakes that were not causing problems on the roadways!  As the afternoon progressed and the snow continued to fall, I was enthralled by the beauty it created as it clung to every branch, leaf, and structure.  I opened the door and listened to the snow whispering as it fell between the branches and splashed onto the ground; normal sounds were muffled.  Even the birds were quiet, taking shelter wherever they could as they waited for the storm to pass.
By the time the Christmas party guests started to arrive, the snow was winding down and the landscape was bathed in white.  Our Christmas lights on the shrubs were hidden beneath the heavy, wet snow, slightly muting their glow and making the evening enchanted.  We turned on the fireplace and enjoyed our friends, good food, games, singing, laughter, and gifts.  We probably will never have a snowfall again on the evening of our Overdrive Christmas party -- this is North Carolina! - and we felt privileged to be blessed with such beauty from the heavens!  I'm forever amazed at what God has designed into our world -- just the right conditions and temperatures, and water falling from the sky turns into snow and covers the world in a blanket of white!  Most of the snow is gone now, but I hope more comes our way this winter.  I know others won't agree with me there! 

Too Much To Do!

For me, the holiday season is a love/hate relationship.  Let me explain.  I love celebrating our Lord's birth, but the demands on my time run me ragged!  Do any of you feel the same way!?  We celebrated Thanksgiving as a family last Sunday due to all of our kids being at their in-laws, and the very next day, I was still putting stuff away from the day before, doing laundry (which never gets done on weekends anymore), and starting to decorate for Christmas, which is a mere three weeks from this Saturday!  The last three evenings have been spent pulling out Christmas decorations, trying to get deceased lights to revive, stringing the outdoor lights and wreaths, putting away household photos, and putting up all the Christmas things that I love so much.  And this weekend we're hosting a Christmas party for our friends at church, so I'll throw another turkey in the oven Saturday morning and get the house ready, but that shouldn't be too much work because it was ready last weekend for Thanksgiving.  Needless to say, I've lost my joy right now and seriously need to get it back.

I did something this morning that I don't ever think I've done before -- I drove away from the house with something on the roof of my car -- and realized it when I was half way to work.  That was what put me over the edge, so to speak, and I was almost in tears by the time I parked the car.  I had to literally collect myself before entering the building.  I called Bob before I arrived at work, and he found the new book a short distance from the house along a curve in the road, only slightly scathed.  Thank goodness it was in its protective cover!

My husband planned a relaxing evening at the movie theater tonight, and I'm doing my best not to get upset over the timing of the event.  There's so much to do at home!  But we're going to grab a bite to eat and hopefully do a little shopping before movie time at 7:30 PM.  Despite knowing that I could be doing work at home, I'm going to put aside all thoughts of what needs to be done, relax, and enjoy myself and my husband's company. 

I watched the sun set while at work today, and the sky was streaked with orange and pink and dotted with gray clouds that were rolling in.  I was reminded that God lights the sky to show that He loves me.  He knows my anxiety (which I really shouldn't have!) about all the demands on my time; He knows that I don't have the energy I used to; He knows my heart's desire; and He calls me to rest in Him.  So I'm taking this evening, soon to begin, to rest and put things in perspective.