"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld

His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,

full of grace and truth"

John 1:14



 

Wrapping It Up

(in an organized manner)

 

 

We have six people in this household who purchase and then wrap presents.

Of course, these people do not want others in the household to know

what they bought so lots of secrecy goes into this gift wrapping business.

So, the needed supplies are gathered and many rustlings take place

behind firmly closed bedroom doors.

 

Last year I decided that I was tired of missing supplies.

Scissors, tape, and wrapping paper had a way of getting lost in the bedrooms.

When I insisted that the wrapping take place in my bedroom,

then my bed was used as a handy place to cut paper.

I feared for the life of my comforter.

I knew there had to be a better way.

 

This year we have a Wrapping Station.

That is a very grand description of a simple table decked out with supplies.

 

This table fit right over the tea cart that sits in front of my bedroom window.

On it are all the necessary items such as: scissors, tape, curling ribbon, and gift labels.

On the tea cart is an assortment of small boxes waiting for gifts.

The storage containers sitting on the floor contain bows and wrapping paper.

 

It has been a wonderful and organized solution.

We are no longer missing supplies

and no one has to hear from me,

"Don't you dare make a hole in my comforter

when you are cutting that paper."

 

****************************

 

Tiana was wanting a Christmas Bible verse to go with a picture she was drawing

so she asked me for some suggestions.  I told her that there were so many verses

that could be for Christmas.  She replied, "Well, I was looking for one kind of like,

And He sat down and feasted."

I told her that was not exactly part of the Christmas story

but that she had a good understanding of American holiday life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Addressing the Crazy

 

 

I feel kind of guilty when I link words like "crazy"

to what should be a season of peace, joy, and good cheer.

Somehow it is too easy for the good to get lost and

the whole season to end up being overwhelming.

I often have to wonder how much pressure to perform comes

from others and how much comes from within.

 

 

 

We say we do it for Jesus

but does He really care about all the minute details,

that we find to be important,

or is He more interested in what is going on in our hearts?

 

 

 

This year our decorations are very simple.
The traditional has been put up and the rest left in the box.
Nothing here will make it onto Pinterest.
And that is perfectly fine with me.
What matters is the spirit we live in.
Is it a spirit of peace or a crazy spirit that Jesus never
meant for us to have?
 

 

 

 

Speaking of crazy: Our youngest is over-stimulated.

It's just been too much for her.

Me being away, then the awful flu, the schedules

that slipped away more and more each day,

the sporadic attempts at schooling,

her having too much control over her day,

Christmas decorations,

knowing we go to Grandma's for Christmas,

It's just too much for her system to handle.

 

So, we have retreated.

No more performances.

No more social events.

Even the good and uplifting events are too much.

Home is the best place to be.

It's secure.

It's structured.

It's safe.

 

Amen!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 15th Birthday,

Bethany

 

 

 

This post got lost in the crazy shuffle of life and
was never published.
So...despite being a month late...
Happy Belated Birthday, my sweet girl.

How Plans Go Awry

 

The Plan:

Dash away for an adult extended weekend in Pennsylvania

with our traveling buddies, Terry and Shari.

Return from said weekend,

and in one day unpack, wash clothes, and repack.

Then Tiana and I were to take up residence in southern California

in order to help my brother's family after his kidney donation surgery.
After returning from that, we had tossed around the idea of a trip to the
Pacific Northwest over Thanksgiving.
It was to be a very busy month
but the good kind of "very busy."

 

Reality:

The weekend in PA went great.

Travel was smooth; nothing went wrong.

Nothing that we knew of anyways.

 Our trip home was smooth despite a tight schedule.

There was a bit of unsettled feeling in some but that was attributed to the

flying, busy days, and crazy PA roads.

We returned home to our kids and I prepared to hit the road again.

 

On Monday, Terry ended up home from work sick.

Rudy felt great but had a sensitive stomach and continued to work.

Tiana and I headed down south having a great time

while we shared food and drink.

Our treat was taking care of a baby for a few days.

A very cute baby.

And we did take care of the baby...
until the stomach flu hit me hard in the middle of one night.

 While we were able to resume baby care,
things continued to spiral downward for me
until I eventually ended up in urgent care attached to an IV drip.

My stay at David's extended an additional week as I was unable to get home.
Despite my symptoms remaining, I was able to drive north to meet Wesley
who had traveled south on Amtrak.  He drove us home.
I slowly recuperated at home and regained my strength
so that this week I am finally back to a normal schedule.

In the midst of me being sick away from home,
Rudy spent a week sick at home.
To say the least, a trip over Thanksgiving was no longer considered.
Rest and recuperation were all that could be handled.

So, now we are in December and I feel like I have lost the
past three weeks.
School schedules, bedtime schedules, housekeeping schedules
have to be reestablished, which is not the easiest to do when
things have been allowed to lapse.

Despite all this, we are so thankful for a variety of blessings.
We are so glad the stomach problems did not hit while we were flying.
That would have been beyond miserable.
My prayer while down south was that the baby would not get sick,
that David's family would stay well,
and that my parents (who were headed to Africa) would not get sick.
Everyone stayed healthy,
 Praise the Lord!!