An Echo of Christmas Joys

As the bedding has been stripped once more, towels are on a pile in the laundry room, toys are cleaned up and books put away . . . I sit here and feel the need to reflect on the whirlwind of experiences of these last few days. From past experience, I expect to find the odd tiny sock, soother or little girl’s hair clip to remind me that they have been here. Am I getting used to this life? I don’t know if I ever will . . . but I’m still savoring Natalie’s lovingly spoken “I love you so much” and Landon’s ever ready smiles!

We've spent days sharing meals, gifts, movies and time together! Big boy smiles and excitement about the snow, jubilant expressions about candy apple scent, a personally recorded CD with a beautiful 'familiar' face on it ... and knowing that the ones not here would love to be ... all speak of family ties and making memories.
Some of my favorite things began with receiving pictures of smiling faces via email from those who’d opened their parcels in Indonesia. Then our Vegas family arrived and I enjoyed listening to songs like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, when she didn’t know anyone was listening ... and reading one story after another...

mostly to prolong the Sweet Pea's bedtime.

Oh, and have I mentioned the snow? Funny how having a little child in the bunch, makes everyone a child again!

The first time everyone went out, we didn’t build a snowman. Later on Natalie kept reminding us, "we didn’t build a snowman " so Papa kept his promise and what a happy little girl we had!So this was Christmas . . . it always sounds like it’s such short lived joy! So much anticipation and it all comes to a sudden end. In our case, if you read between the lines, there was a sadness attached in that the grandkids couldn’t make memories together this time. My tears came when no one saw. I can’t help but remember a German Christmas song from my childhood which speaks of joys that soon pass by, yet Jesus being the only one who can give us joy that will never end! This is so true . . . and it’s because we wish for everyone to know this wonderful truth that we can smile and say we had a wonderful Christmas and know that the joy of the Lord and His daily presence and provision will continue to be our reason to rejoice.

Papa snowman & Natie snowman keeping watch at night

Snowed In

Just a quick update today. I have Trish's bread pudding in the oven and we will enjoy that with a fruit salad for breakfast. It's been so much fun to be cocooned in the snow. I absolutely love the feel of not "being able" to go anywhere but to just enjoy being together. It helps when you have men in the house who enjoy proving that they can still get out with their trucks to rescue a damsel in distress. They will pick up anything I need and so the world's good.

This is a winter that I'm sure our kids will be talking about for many years to come. Come to think of it, there's actually one part of the global warming I don't understand. It's the part that sounds like it's the whole world. Let me know if you feel it.

I guess I should tell you that there are cars in this picture. They are completely burried on the street in front of the house. In the meantime we are nice and warm inside. It's empty under the tree, the grandbabies are enjoying their toys. The big kids will be enjoying theirs too, I think.

I will be posting more, but for now I need to go. Happy Christmas Break!

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas

My wish for everyone this Christmas is to know the hope we have because God gave His Son. Christmas itself is such a wonderful time of year, but when normal pain doesnt' go away, it is a reminder of why God gave. No better gift can we receive than the peace that He offers. I tried every which way to add music to this slide show, but I had to finally settle with a 'silent movie'.

Now, to work on my heart being just as ready. I love this song by Steven Curtis Chapman. Listen to it on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHlbnNUHQGI

Six Years Ago

On this day I want to wish this very special couple a Happy Anniversary!! How fun it is to look back to that beautiful day when you thought you couldn't love each other more . . . and now to see that your love has grown even stronger! Thank you for keeping your promises to each other through the good and bad times. Thank you for allowing God to work in and through you as you grow ever closer to Him and each other.

We love you guys and soo look forward to seeing you soon! Have a wonderful day!

MOM

The word “mom” brings with it a special kind of fondness for someone has known me and loved me since before I was born. In my earliest memories she has more of a caregiver, provider image. This changed to someone who cared about who I would become as a person. It wasn’t until I got older that I came to realize how much I needed her and during this time we became special friends.
I don’t quite know when the next stage began. When does the person who takes the wheel change? When does the daughter become the mother? It seems to me that another stage has crept up on me and slowly the time is coming where my Mom needs me. I want to fight this because I don’t want to be the one that’s needed. It seems to me that she wants to fight it just as much. I pray that I will have the grace to allow her the privilege to be needed, but also to rise up to the challenge of being there for her as we change roles.

There is a season for everything.
A time to hold your baby close
A time to hold her hand
A time to keep
And a time to let go.

There is a time to take
A time to laugh
A time to cry
A time to learn
And a time to give.

There is a time to speak
A time to remember
A time to ponder
A time to cherish
Before there is no time.

anneliese

Today my sister and I are taking our mom shopping and out for lunch for her birthday. I hope she feels as special as she is; the one who I can call on anytime to pray, to laugh or to cry with me. The one who knows me so well, but always believes the best of me. I thank God for a mother who has never grown tired of serving her family and to whom I owe more than I can ever repay.

Seven Christmas Memories

After reading Judy and Charlotte’s Seven Christmas memories, I started thinking about what I remember about earlier Christmases and decided to take them up on their “volunteering” kind of tag. I like that better.

(1) In Uruguay we didn’t put up the tree until Christmas Eve. Our family of five lived in a one bedroom house. This is my earliest Christmas memory and I have some questions about it. For some reason I remember sleeping in the living room on this particular Christmas Eve. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a rocking horse by the tree. I don’t remember the morning excitement or anything else, but I do have a picture of the horse and so something about it must be true. Still now in my memory, this horse looked nicer than almost any I’ve seen. It had real hide and fur on it. I don’t know why it’s outside on the photo, but I am about 3 ½ years old on this picture.
(2) I was maybe 5 or 6 when I got a big doll. I think it was for Christmas. I have a vague memory of the tree on a table against the wall and a doll beside it. She was the size of a real baby, but not a baby, rather a little girl. I had an “adopted” aunt in our church who croched some clothes for this doll.

The reason I mention this is because, the sentimental little girl that I was, I ended up taking the clothes along with me to Brazil and then to Canada. (I wasn’t allowed to take the doll to Canada because she was too big – maybe my Mom thought I was as well.) When my girls were little, I let them play with the clothes and when they became moms, some of the grandbabies got to wear the little sweater. (nothing to do with Christmas here . . . but I’m going with the flow)(3) We moved to Brazil when I was 6 and my memories of Christmas are mostly about how exciting the day before Christmas was. All the kids in the community would go to church during the day to practice for the Christmas Eve program. After the practice we all received goodie bags and the most special treat in there was an apple. Apples were imported and expensive, so we hardly ever got them. I remember just smelling the bag was a treat!

(4) One of the most special Christmases that I remember is when we flew to Paraguay to visit my Mom’s family. That’s where our uncles, aunts, cousins and Oma and Opa lived. That is the only “real family” gathering I remember as a young girl and it felt wonderful to be with family even though I didn’t really know them. They felt pretty special because they were sooo excited to see us!

(5) When I was 10 years old we celebrated our first Christmas in Canada and we were invited to an extended family gathering at my Mom’s uncle’s house. It felt pretty strange and exciting to be included in a family gathering of people who had all grown up in Canada, spoke mostly English and almost treated us like poor orphans. They were very kind and we were totally overwhelmed with the way that they included us as though we were also their grandchildren. I know my great aunt shopped at "Woodwards $1.49 day sales" for her Christmas gifts, but to us they were the most treasured gifts!!
(6) Christmas Eve our whole family attended the Sunday School Christmas Eve program in which small and big kids were involved in songs, poems and acting out the Christmas story. My dad was always proud of us when we had memorized our poem and had recited it loud and clear. After the program we went home and opened gifts. How much more fun could an evening be?

(7) When I was 16, my boyfriend (now husband) brought me the most beautiful bouquet of roses and a jewelry box on Christmas Eve. I kid you not, I have never again smelled such sweet roses! That’s what I remember about them, and my mom being very shocked, but excited for me. I was left with an overwhelming feeling of being spoiled and treated like a princess!

Thirteen years of childhood memories . . . now as I look back . . . come and gone so quickly! Yet, it was a time when waiting for Christmas seemed like an eternity.