Fun- Family Weddings

Here we go!!!  Our oldest child is getting married!

Wow!  I guess that I have to get older sometime.  I am so excited to help our oldest child, Natalie, plan her wedding.  It was funny, I gave her my book, "The Brides Book on Etiquette" that I so carefully selected by going to the public library back in 1986 and checking out at least 20 books about weddings and planning.  I liked this one so much that I went to the book store and had to order it and wait for 3 weeks for it to come in.  Natalie said something like "Wow, this is old."  What's wrong with it?  It was new at the time as being last published in 1984.  Times have changed when you can see a whole book online.  Forget to book, there are so many magazines and websites for weddings that you can almost stay at home and purchase everything at the tip of your keyboard.  I was happy to see her carry it alongside her brides magazine.  One thing that is timeless is etiquette.  I'm sure there will be more exciting updates to come when I have to find a "Mother of the Bride" dress.  Yikes!

Family- Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

Jessica Joy Rees was such and inspiration to us all with her "NEGU", (never ever give up) attitude and her sweet caring spirit.  Jessie's parents, Erik and Stacey Rees, obeyed Jesus a long time ago and brought her to Him.  They raised her to love the Lord and to be as close to God as possible.  Jessie was the most unselfish 12 year old that I have ever known.  With each of her posts on Facebook she either shared her daily struggles, never complaining, or she asked everyone to pray for another of God's children who where also fighting cancer.  Her posts where always upbeat as she also posted photos of those children receiving a "Joy Jar" filled with love and fun to help them endure their pain just a little longer.  Even though it is always hard to see a child loose their battle with any illness, I feel comforted that she no longer feels pain and is dancing with Jesus.  She has experienced the Hope that we all can have in Jesus Christ.  Jessie has fulfilled God's purpose for her life and memories of her will continue to bless and encourage others to do the same.

Faith- I know that Our Hope has Arrived!

As I watch everyone during this time of year I see so much chaos.  People trying to get their holiday shopping done, going to holiday parties and decorating in holiday themes.  What I also see is the commercialization of the "holidays" in full force.  This year it seems to be especially noticeable.  The media are highlighting the stories of people that are upset because they feel intimidated to drive down a city street where a banner was hung across the road that read "Merry Christmas."  Complaining that the "Christmas" part was forcing Christian beliefs on them.  Some of our elected officials in certain states have forbidden anything that suggest "Christmas."  Our potential Presidential candidates are questioned about their Christian beliefs and made to look inadequate, even though our country was built on Christian beliefs and ethics.

I like to wait to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving.  The favorite part of my decor are my nativity scenes.  When I send out my Christmas cards, I want to share then message of Christ's birth.  It's funny how our the entire country, and other countries around the world, set this time aside to celebrate.  I am and they are also celebrating the fact that on Christmas Our Hope has arrived in Christ's birth. 

God loved us so much that he came down to Earth in human form so that we could relate to Him.  We were not getting it back then, as we aren't getting it now.  He came so that we could learn from Him and go out and tell everyone else about Him.  I await for the day the Christ comes back again and I can tell him that I tried my best as an imperfect human.  I want to tell him thank you for being relatable, for being forgiving and for reaching out to me.  For helping me to grow and learn from Him and for giving me the courage to share about Him to others.  It's so easy to give in to what is dishonest or just not good at all.  It's hard to do what is right and honest.  I struggle every day to do my best.  Sometimes I fail and sometimes I am victorious.  In the end I know that I have not denied that I am a Christian and that Christ has forgiven me and loved me.

So as I watch everyone run around during this Christmas time of year I can pray for them that they "get it" and share with then if they don't.

Have a Very Blessed Christmas!!       

Fun- The Fun and Madness of Family Get Togethers

Steve and I say this every Thanksgiving.  "Well, we pulled off another one."  I have had Thanksgiving at our home every year for the past several years.  For one reason, I have Wednesdays and Thursdays off work.  Another reason is that Christmas dinner and gift exchange is just too crazy with this crowd.  Really, I love this Holiday.  Thanksgiving has such a great historical meaning and message.  I love this time of year as the season changes, even in Southern California.  Even we get a glimpse of Liquid Amber trees in the neighborhood.  My home is in full Autumn bloom and I can start to wear my sweaters. 

(Dad, Mom and Bruce Thanksgiving 2010- This year is the first Thanksgiving without my dad.) 

I feel like the rest of society has almost forgotten what the true meaning is.  I heard so much talk of "Turkey Day."  I want to make sure that our family and friends remember that this is the time of year that we truly thank God for what he has given us and the blood that has been shed by those who fought for everything that we are thankful for.  We hear so much about how the rest of the world is suffering in poverty and that we who live in the United States of America are in the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the world.  And that number is based on the poorest in our great country.  Wow!  I am so thankful to God for putting me where I am and giving me the means to help others.  In a nutshell, if you are truly thankful, then you will give back.  Everything you have is indeed God's anyway.  How will you now give back as we enter the Christmas season? 

Food- Hot Tomato soup and Grilled Cheese sandwiches

The Minnis and Burgunder families recently lost their matriarch Gramma Tudie.  We all had many fond memories of her in her apron and always ready to feed the masses.  My husband Steve told the story of his brothers and him mounting their horses and riding over to her farm just a few miles away.  It was funny how it would always be near to breakfast time.  Now we are talking about a Midwest farm breakfast.  She was always prepared and willing to cook up a storm.  My own children said that they also remembered always being happy to go over to Grams when we made the plane trip to visit in Michigan.  We would stay in the basement, which was like our own apartment, and Gram would always make hot tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  My grilled cheese sandwiches never looked the same to them.  And don't forget the pies.  Oh, the pies!  There was no matching that when we got home.  I think my children also started measuring the backyard to dig a basement in California.  I guess that would actually be a bomb shelter.

Gramma would also send you things such as a rice/vegetable steamer if you didn't have one in your home when she came to visit.  I got mine and used it for several years, then passed it on to our college bound daughter to use at school.  I remember one visit when I started reading a very nice book by author Jan Karon.  This was the first book in the "At Home in Mitford" series.  I was hooked as my sister-in-law Joyce said that she was also.  Between Grams' and Joyce's books, I ended up taking the next books in the series home with me and mailing them back later.  She also sent me home one trip with a book from her favorite author, Rosamunde Pilcher, called "The End of Summer."  The book was a well worn paperback with the cover and pages all curled up from many years of repeated reading.  I told her that she loved it so much that she should keep it and that I would go find a copy for myself.  She replied, "No honey, you take it.  I liked it so much that I bought the hard copy.  Besides, the print is bigger and I can't read that one anymore."  I didn't really think about it at the time, but she truly wanted to share the wonderful stories that she read with me.  I think that I will be picking that book up and reading it right now as the summer itself is gone and I can transport myself into the warmth of her memories.

We will miss Gramma Tudie with all of our hearts, but we will always remember those fond memories on the farm and afterwards spent just having coffee and pie while shooting the breeze with her.

Family- Where did the time go?

I never thought that I would see the day when I would only see the back of my kids' heads as they run out the door.  Oh, the days when I could sleep in until noon.  I think those where the days when I had more hours in the day. Nowadays I am up before the sun and off to work.  My kids are up at noon and to their jobs until evening.  I see them when they are hungry after work as I am slipping into my PJ's.  They are back out as I am falling asleep on the couch watching TV or heading off to bed.  Have I become my mother?  You bet!  Someday they too will look back and say "I glad my mom was around."  Whether it be toiletries and food that magically appear in the cupboards or a leftover dinner scrounged from the fridge, I know that someday those times will be fond memories.

Faith-In God's Timing

I recently read an article titled, "Never Empty Nest."  I realized that my husband and I will also never have an empty nest since our nephew Joe, who has Down Syndrome, has come to live with us full time.  I could look at this two ways.  I will never have the retirement freedom that most people will have to travel and just relax and do what they want.  Or, I can find joy in the fact that I will always have family around, besides my husband, to talk with and travel with.  I will always have someone to care for and cook for, who always compliments me and my cooking.  God's timing is never what we think.  He always keeps us on our toes and sends us little clues.  The problem is that we don't always stay still and listen to or even recognize that it is God.

I found the below devotional that was so perfect for my day.  Joe is a welcome interruption.  I feel truly blessed that God has trusted my husband and I to care for Joe.

Today’s devotional: open to God’s timing

Are you so wrapped up in the “schedule” of your life, work, and ministry that you risk missing the unexpected opportunities God sends your way?
Blaine Smith describes following God’s timing as one of the great challenges of the Christian life. It’s easy for us to get so focused on what we think God has planned for us, that we aren’t prepared to take advantage of unplanned ministry openings. He points to Jesus’ ministry as an example of a life lived in accordance with God’s timing:

Much of Jesus’ ministry was a sanctified response to interruptions. Take a typical day: After teaching a large crowd for a long time, he breaks for time alone, only to have his disciples ask him to explain his parables (Mk 4:10). That evening, while traveling in a boat, they awake him to deal with an unruly storm (Mk 4:38), and when they arrive at the other side of the lake, Jesus is confronted by a man with multiple demons (Mk 5:1-13). In each of these cases, Jesus responds immediately to those who need his help.
Many opportunities, both for serving Christ and for experiencing his provision for our own needs, come packaged in unwelcome interruptions. We need to pray constantly for alertness to these openings when they confront us. Without such awareness, we’re likely to lag behind God’s timing.

Is there an “interruption” knocking at your door right now, threatening to divert you from the careful plan you’ve set for yourself? It’s worth asking yourself if it’s truly a diversion, or if God is presenting you with an unexpected opportunity to serve Him.