Author: admin

Good Morning!

I was 12 years old the year I saw my mother at midnight on a cold, cold Christmas Eve all wrapped up in her sweater and scarf over her pajamas unloading something from the trunk of her car. My mother’s usual bedtime was 8PM. I was old enough to know something was up. And up until then, I believed with every ounce of my being that it was Santa who brought all those wonderful gifts my sister and I always found on Christmas morning. I didn’t know HOW he did it……I just believed he did! It was magic!

Realizing the gifts came from the trunk of Mother’s car rather than a sleigh pulled by reindeer was a terrible yet a wonderful time for me.  Terrible in that I had to let go of a little bit of childhood magic and that was hard. But wonderful in that I saw in a more grown up way the love my mother had for me, the sacrifice she and my dad must have made to afford all those sweet gifts under the tree and all those stockings stuffed with goodies.

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Afternoon Everyone!

On Sunday we will light the third candle on the Advent wreath – the candle of joy! And Christmas is a time of joy, isn’t it? The birth of Jesus brought a joy to the world that humankind could never have imagined. And we have not been the same since!

I’ve been decorating the house today and have been finding great joy in getting reacquainted with all the Santas who have been packed up in our lonely old garage all year. I love Santa Claus!! Except for the wonderful corn husk Nativity that Jim bought me in Kentucky, my Santas are getting a place of honor this year. Things have been a little crazy lately – a little stressful.  It’s easy to feel blue. Maybe we all need to seek some good old-fashioned joy this Christmas! Some Santa memory of childhood and what it means to BELIEVE!  To REALLY BELIEVE!!

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Good Morning!

Thanksgiving is over – the last of the pumpkin pie is gone and Christmas wreaths are replacing the pumpkins and mums on our porches. The church is beautifully decorated and we are quickly getting in the Christmas spirit. But like everything else, the Christmas spirit can be deceiving. So we all need to be cautious of how we spend it.

We could spend our time and energy on buying and impressing and working overtime in the kitchen. We could accept every invitation and exhaust ourselves with an overbooked calendar. We could fill every day with activities and cooking and wrapping gifts. Those are all good things. But, have you noticed that too much of a good thing turns out to take your joy away rather than add to it?

And joy is the goal of Christmas……. not to miss one tiny second of the miracle of the birth of Christ is the goal. And a beautiful goal it is!

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Good Morning!

When I was a kid I never liked it when at Thanksgiving, before we got to dig into the cornbread dressing and the sweet potato casserole and the turkey and cranberry sauce, we had to take a minute to go around the family circle and say what we were thankful for. It took some thinking on your feet, especially when they said, “now, don’t just say my family. Or my friends. Or my dog.” I must admit that those, along with my latest doll or stuffed animal were my standbys. Thinking any more deeply about my level of gratitude was always a challenge.

If I could go back now, and stand around that table, I know what I would say. I would say,  “I am grateful for my mother’s blue eyes that look at me and teach me what love is. I am grateful for this little house that keeps me safe and warm on a cold winter night. I am grateful for my friend the crow that wakes me up every morning and reminds me that his too is the voice of God.  I am thankful for all the scary times in life when I must pull up all my courage so that I can learn what it means to be fully me. I am thankful for each tomorrow because I know that God is there waiting.”

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