Monday, November 30, 2009

The Treasures

This week's focus is the Christmas party our church gives the Treasures.
Set-up is Thursday night and Friday afternoon is the party.

I have been so blessed to have our church come along side and support me
in ministering to the Treasures at two assisted livings. We partner together to be a blessing to those that many have forgotten...to those, that in the eyes of some, have out lived their usefulness to society.
What we have found is that they are a wealth of treasure. I do believe they bless us much more than we bless them. Because of these precious ones, my life is truly rich!

Our church is pulling together to decorate , set up tables and chairs, make delicious-
low sugar goodies, get little gifts and make sure that the afternoon will be a pure delight for them!

We also do other things throughout the year just to let them know that they are not forgotten as well as visit with them once a week.

I would encourage you to seek out "Treasures" of your own...ones you can love on and be a blessing to . Just be there for them...listening... laughing with them...hugging them...letting them know they are loved and still have much to offer!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

One more time ...for this year!

Last night was wonderful! I actually got to sit down some and wasn't totally exhausted!
We enjoyed all our kids, our Grands and Mike's side of the family minus one niece and one brother-in-law. We did miss them, though there were 26 of us!
We enjoyed our pizzas, salad, Duncan's Thomas the Train birthday cake and delicious desserts
Mike's mom had made.

Now this morning Mike and I are going into Charlotte to decorate...one more time this year...
my parents' house for Christmas! My sisters will be there and it will be a fun time for us all.

I love to decorate for Christmas and anyone who comes to our house can see that but believe it or not, I'm ready (after today) just to sit and enjoy it!

Friday, November 27, 2009

The day after....

Twas the day after Thanksgiving
and all through our home two creatures were stirring,
leaving nothing undone.

The halls, they were decked out in Christmas array
and visions of company gave naught to delay.

Another dinner is planned for tonight..the counting for pizza
and chairs , what a sight!

We'll put them in rooms, at tables and chairs...
we'll put them wherever and up on the stairs!

Our house seems so big when there's only a few
but oh so tiny when visited by slews!

They'll be aunts and uncles and cousins galore...
grand moms and grand dads and great-grands to adore.

The house will be shining thousands of lights by the color
and nothing no nothing will show something duller!

We'll visit, we'll chat, we'll hug and we'll kiss
and think of the many times and occasions we've missed

to be all together but one thing's for sure...we're glad we're all family,
and visit when we can and soon more occasions will be in our plans!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

This song has been on my heart for days now. It is so perfect for this special day of celebration!

"Now thank we all our God with heart and hand and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done, In Whom His world rejoices;
Who, from our mothers' arms, hath blessed us on our way
With countles gifts of love, and still is ours today.

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest heaven,
The One eternal God, Whom earth and heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, And shall be ever more."

I grew up singing this song as a small child...this one and "We Gather Together"
every Thanksgiving season. They have remained in my heart and in my memories
of a wonderful childhood with loving family and friends.

Join with me today in thanking our wonderful Father God and may we be thankful every day
and tell Him so!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

"A Christmas preview"

Mike's on vacation this week!!!! (however, he's still getting a few business calls, oh well)

We went into Charlotte yesterday and decorated his parents' house for Christmas.
April and two of our "grands" went with us to help. We decorated the tree, "made" villages
and a park...even a mini ski resort!
Mike's Dad always pulls out the Christmas CDs and we enjoy the songs as we decorate.

Now when Mike's sister and her husband and family come up from Florida this week they will get to enjoy a little bit of "Christmas"! We do this every year.

Mike and I are "readying" our house too....a little bit more each day. I can hardly wait for the fresh Balsam to grace our porch! We're decorating it in "Nature"...birds, a nest, deer, etc.
The ornaments are just waiting!

Christmas music plays in our cars, in our kitchen...all just bringing smiles and lots of Christmas memories.
Well...this morning I turned on one of the radio stations that is playing Christmas music 24/7
and then I heard this lady singing..."Where are you Christmas, why can't I find you?"

I actually answered her! Before I realized it, I was talking to her!
The words out of my mouth were this...."Christmas is a Person!" If it were not for this Person there would be NO Christmas! Oh, He has many names...Emmanuel, Bright Morning Star, Jeshua, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Jesus the CHRIST....

He alone IS Christmas!

Do we put up trees? Do we light candles? Do we use some santas and reindeer, snowmen, etc.?
Do we "deck the halls? Yes we do!
We have fun and enjoy all these but only He is really Christmas!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Thankful for family and friends!

This past weekend my sisters and their husbands along with Mike and I, hosted a 60th wedding anniversary party for our parents.
It couldn't have been better! Two hundred or more of their family and friends came to honor them. Some traveled from Ohio and Virginia...from South Carolina and other cities in North Carolina.

Ten grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren...and counting...all because two people fell in love!

It was especially nice for us! We saw cousins and friends that we had not seen in years...too many years and the love-filled hugs and kisses were like treasured gifts.

What a blessing!

It has made this Thanksgiving holiday even more special and we will continue to be with family and friends throughout the week!

May your Thanksgiving be a blessed one. May you "love "on those that God has so graciously
put in your lives to encourage you, teach you, share the joys and the trials of living.

May you love and appreciate them and may you first of all give a grateful heart to the One Who
has made us and blessed us with all good gifts...especially the gift of His precious Son, Jesus!

We are grateful Father God!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

So hard to believe.....

that next Thursday is THANKSGIVING!

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven;
we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God.

We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched
and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all
these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own."

Abraham Lincoln 1863
an excerpt from his Thanksgiving Proclamation

"Funny" how this could have been written today...2009

Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Dancing Leaf

While traveling on a wooded street,
another car I chanced to meet.

As we approached, fell from the sky a dancing leaf,
.......just dancing by.

He danced and twirled right off her hood
as she passed by in the other lane.

As if on cue he lept at me and danced upon MY hood,
y0u see!

I laughed and smiled at this delight and off he danced...
right out of sight!


Okay...yes it does seem that I'm in my second or is it my third childhood?
Simple things DO bring me such delight and this really did happen!

Why the memory came to me in the form of a juvenile poem, I really can't say...
but it really happened the other day! :)

Friday, November 13, 2009

Food for thought....

Faith is not belief without proof,
but trust without reservation.

Elton Trueblood

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Veterans Day

Today I put out our American flag in rememberance and thankfulness for all who served and gave their lives in order to obtain and preserve the freedoms we have had as a nation.

Throughout the day the Gospel Music Channel showed a clip thanking all who served and then
one particular program showed the many sides of the effects of war...on those who served, on their families. The show ended with a song and the lines that remain in my head...
"All gave some, some gave all..." And the phrase that we all know so very well..."freedom is not free."

I remembered my grandmother telling me of her brother who was in WWI. He's buried in Arlington Cemetary. My grandfather ran away to join the army in WWI only to be discharged
rather quickly when they had discovered that he had lied about his age. I think he was 16.
Mike lost an uncle in WWII.

I think of all those who fought in the wars before...the war that was hard-fought to establish this country...the war between the states where the deaths outnumbered the deaths of every war we have ever been in...people fighting for what they believe in...
fighting for our freedoms...fighting so our nation would be free from tyranny...fighting for the freedom of other countries...

What would those people think about the times we are living in...where it seems that "tyranny"
is on the rise...where leaders can tell some CEOs how much money they can make...possibly even telling everyone they must have health insurance and will fine them heavily if they do not...where huge taxes will be placed on the American people, on small businesses to make this happen...billions of dollars being added to our federal budget deficit...

"No taxation without representation!" That was the cry of our founding Fathers!

What has happened to our leaders? Who do they represent? Certainly not the majority of the American people! There is no one party that seems to really care about the American people...
very few in Congress do. What matters now is greed, power and control. Only our leaders could give themselves a raise when huge numbers of Americans were facing lay-offs! What does that say????

We are quickly losing many of the freedoms that cost so many lives so many years ago...even those today.

How sad.....

The word for the day is.....

BLUSTERY!

A great word to describe today in the words of that famous, timeless bear....
Winnie the Pooh!

It isn't so much cold as it is WINDY!!!!! WOW!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Getting ready....

When I was a little girl, my aunt and uncle gave me a book called "Over and Over Again".
I think that was the title. It was a book about all the holidays and how they came "over and over again", year after year. When the little girl in the book understood this, she was no longer sad
when one holiday ended for another was on its way. I think I still have that book somewhere,
probably packed away but it was always one of my very favorite books! The illustrations were remarkable!

Here we are, a few weeks before Thanksgiving. I've seen several houses decorated for Christmas already. I'm "chomping at the bits" a little myself. I decorate for Fall the first of September and enjoy those decorations for almost three months. We only have about a month to enjoy Christmas decorations so I start doing a little at a time...on the inside!
(I have been playing Christmas music in my car for quite sometime now and love the Christmas music weekends on 91.9!)

I am doing a little each day...upstairs...
Just getting ready...

We do have family coming from out of town for Thanksgiving and our Thanksgiving celebration
lasts two days every other year...this is the year!

Our family tradition has been to put up the tree on Thanksgiving night and light it. Then on the Friday after, we begin to decorate, inside and outside. It usually takes me days...

Well... this Saturday Mike and I will put up most of the outside lights but not turn them on except to test them. We're just getting ready...

I am toying with the idea of putting up the trees...(one is already up, undecorated in our bedroom)
but have them ready to turn on Thanksgiving night. I must admit the Christmas decorating bug is getting stronger by the minute!

I know some who think that all this early decorating takes away from Thanksgiving but I don't see it that way. Both of these holidays are about the same for me...the "colors" may be different but they are so steeped in God for us...they just blend together.
For us, it's all about God. Each holiday, whether it's Valentine's, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas...it's all about God's love and about the precious Gift He gave us...Jesus.

So, yes...if you come by our house you will begin to see glimpses of Christmas...before Thanksgiving...only on the inside (unless you happen to look closely in some of our trees and bushes and around our deck in the backyard).

We're "just getting ready!"

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

"Of Pirates and Princesses"

The other day the two youngest "Grand" girls spent the day with me.
These girls are always princesses....Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Cinderella and are always going to marry their Prince.

Well this day I saw very little "Princess" and more "Pirate"!
We colored , worked puzzles, made cookies, ate snacks,
watched a very little bit of Toy Story2, ...and then...

It was off to the swing set and then on the deck shooting the bad guys!
After that Emma's coloring sheet became a treasure map that only she could read!
She led us all over the woods and yards, pausing some to "read" her map.
We hunted treasure for an hour, only to discover that a squirrel had taken it!
Well that's how he sounded, kind of like he had won and we had lost!
Kylie and I took to walking up and down the driveway while Emma continued her search in the woods. (We kept a good eye on her lest the bad pirates appeared wanting her map!)

Then the Dad came and whisked the girls away!

It was a practically perfect day!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Just a little bit...

of what we have accomplished in our 35 years of marriage!
We have a wonderful family and yes, I am being quite prejudiced!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

November 2, 2009


Today's our 35th Wedding Anniversary!