it was a very good year

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NAS)

The sweetest moment of 2007 - June 29th, 2:32 am.

God’s grace blessed my life with Olivia Grace -
my beautiful, precious granddaughter.

My heart overflows with love.....

it was a very merry Christmas...

tagged

Sheila tagged me for a Holiday Hoopla!
The Random Christmas Hoopla! -

1.I loved the tradition of going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service. The Christmas carols and the pastor’s short message reminded me of the reverence of that night.
2.After the service, we’d get coffee and hot chocolate, hop into the car, and drive around looking at Christmas lights. I loved the fun!
3.I strive to give Christmas gifts from the heart.
4.Opening one gift each on Christmas Eve was a favorite tradition for me – the anticipation of the morning to come.
5.The Christmas program at church has always been meaningful to me. The production comes off like a professional job, especially since Mark is the narrator!
6.I love Mark’s reading of Luke 2:1-20 every Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.
7.“Silent Night” is my favorite old timey Christmas carol.
8.One of the newer Christmas songs I like is “Mary Did You Know”.
9.Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and Christmas music fill me with joy.
10.I would much rather give gifts than receive.
11.I normally decorate the tree by myself – that is, since Andrew left home.
12.I’m grateful I can celebrate Christmas with family.

I know of no one else to tag.

mj

Welcome into our lives, MJ! Don't look so unhappy, you have a large family who loves you very much!

MJ arrived today, Dec 19th, at 11:50 am in Kansas, weighing in at 7 lb 13 oz, 20" long. It appears he has a lot more hair than his Daddy! His Mommy is Cereasa and his Daddy is Michael. I love and miss each of you.

Michael, I salute you as a new daddy, and a member of the US Marines currently serving our country in Iraq.

God bless us all, everyone...

one line, two line, everywhere a line line...

If someone is too tired to give you a smile, leave one of your own, because no one needs a smile as much as those who have none to give.

Yesterday I went shopping. It’s not something I really enjoy doing these days.
Even so, I do enjoy choosing gifts for those I love. Anyway, by the end of this outing, I was dreadfully tired and my body was crying out for a couch. By the last store on my list, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it to the car, let alone finding the car in the first place.

In the last store, I was in line, a very long line, a line that reached past the display aisles, a line beside two other lines, the other lines looking just like my line. The people in the lines weren’t talking. The people in the lines weren't smiling. The people in the lines looked frazzled and harried and weary. The people in the lines looked as if they’d been in many other lines before. The lines were a pitiful sight.

Eventually, my line crept forward enough so that I reached the counter, paid for my purchases, and happily headed for the door. I heard a couple of voices from the lines calling “Ma’am!” “Ma’am!” I turned around to see I was the “Ma’am.” I had left my bag of goodies on the counter. Embarrassing, to say the least. Then, one lady said, “I did the same thing yesterday!” Someone else in the lines laughed and said, “I think we’ve shopped enough, already!” Soon, the lines were talking and laughing with each other. I smiled at the lines as I left the store, bag clutched tightly in hand.

I’m happy that I spread a little joy yesterday. Sometimes it pays to be wacky.

glory to God

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. Luke 2:13-14 NASB

Hubs and I finally got our decorations from the attic last night. He wrapped the tree with twinkling colorful lights. We are of the few who still prefer the multi-colored sparkles. While I was filling the tree with colorful and bright ornaments, I mused over what I had read about the history of our tree.

Why a Christmas tree? In the 7th century, the triangular shape of the fir tree was described as an illustration of the Holy Trinity of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas tree with candles, to show his children how the stars twinkled through that dark night. The early trees were biblically symbolic of the Paradise tree in the Garden of Eden. The adornments of food items were symbols of plenty, the paper flowers of red, for knowledge, and the paper flowers of white, for innocence.

And, we come to today. The Christmas tree has gradually changed over time. This year, I chose to stay simple with decorations, only choosing the sentimental and favorite ones. The tree is pretty, the wreath is hung, and a few decorations are placed around the house. I am satisfied. Happy birthday Jesus, I’m so glad its Christmas. All the tinsel and lights, and the presents are nice, but the real gift is You.

born to die

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 NIV

The performances of our church’s Christmas program were held Saturday and Sunday evenings. It was entitled “Jesus, You are Him”. The music was harmonious, the drama convincing, and the narration eloquent. The life of Jesus was portrayed from the cradle to the cross – illustrating how He was born to die. The program encouraged one to contemplate the poignant expressions of God’s unconditional love.

God’s little baby boy, so precious and pure, was born upon this earth to die upon this earth. The life of Jesus: He was born, He grew, He learned, He taught, He saved, He died, He rose, He lives. Jesus was killed by mankind, yet Jesus died for mankind. Jesus covers the sins of everyone - from the past, from the present, and from the future.

As I said before, the narration was eloquent. The words were sincerely spoken with expression and meaning. Mark becomes better with each passing year! He has been led to use his talents for the Lord, and he does a wonderful job. I’m proud of him!

Sunday morning, Mark and I finally had the opportunity to visit Sheila’s and Andrew’s church. The service was excellent and the people very friendly. The most wonderful thing happened to me at Westwood Baptist! A lady said to me, “I don’t believe I’ve met you. My name is (I don’t remember).” I said, “I’m Liz (Something), it’s nice to meet you.” She said, “Oh, you must be Andrew’s sister.” I said, “Oh, thank you so very much! I’m his mother!” Did you catch what you just read? She thought I was his SISTER! My heart jumped with joy, until a nearby mirror revealed the lines around my eyes, and around my....never mind. His SISTER! She said his SISTER! SISTER! SISTER! Ok, I'll calm down.

We had a delicious lunch prepared by some friends from the church. It was nice getting to know so many wonderful people from Westwood. After finishing the meal with a delectable piece of lemon pie, we had to leave and head home. Mark had a little bit of time to relax before the Christmas program.

is it “holiday”? or, is it Christmas?

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 NIV

Dictionary.com defines Christmas as: the annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus: celebrated on December 25 and now generally observed as a legal holiday and an occasion for exchanging gifts.

Merriam-Webster states: A Christian feast on December 25 or among some Eastern Orthodox Christians on January 7 that commemorates the birth of Christ and is usually observed as a legal holiday. Etc…

Please, instead of “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings”, it’s “Joyous Christmas!” “Merry Christmas!”, “Glorious Christmas!”, “Majestic Christmas!” - you see what I’m saying. Good tidings to all!

my friend

A friend loves at all times,
Pr 17:17 NIV

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Ps 95:1 NIV

I have a very dear friend. She unselfishly gives of her time and talents to help anyone who has a need. She has begged me more than once to let her clean my house. I think she was hurt when I said no to her offer to help paint the living room. It took me about two months to get it done by myself. I enjoy our visits, conversations over lunch, and email discussions. We talk about anything and everything. She is a true friend.

My friend is very active at church, often taking on more than she should (in my opinion). She fixes bulletin boards for the youth, teaches a group of children on Sunday nights, painted a wall mural in the new children’s wing, made props for Vacation Bible School, leads service projects in the Women on Missions group, and so much more. Once, she round up a few people to help with an emergency situation - there was a mother and daughter that desperately needed rescuing from an atrociously abusive home. She is an amazing woman.

My friend usually takes care of herself and tries not to get too overwhelmed. She has to vigilantly make certain her meds are working correctly and be carefully attuned to her mood. My friend is bi-polar. She lives with this challenging disease without having pity parties. I admire the manner in which she daily handles this lifetime illness.

My friend joyfully serves our Lord. She is always willing to lend a hand. She gladly cares for others. She has a happy smile. She loves as Jesus loves. She talks about our Lord. She is thankful for her salvation.

I am blessed to know my friend.