He comes for YOU!

the only reason for the season

God

 

the Father

Jesus

 

the Son

 

and the

 

Holy Spirit

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is coming but let's not forget

Easter is coming too!

Merry Christmas from my home to yours

weary with illness of several family members, we are still finding much to celebrate and be thankful for....share your blessings today and every day till next year

a time for reality checks

Twenty days till Christmas
are your ready
it doesn't matter how much you have to decorate
it doesn't matter how much you have to buy and wrap
it doesn't matter how much you have to bake and cook
it doesn't matter how much is expected of you
it doesn't matter how much you think is expected of you
it doesn't matter how much you expect of yourself
BUT
it does matter that
YOUR HEART is filled with the
TRUE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
Christ was here
Christ comes again
Christ is always with every
TRUE BELIEVER

you can't

have a big enough heart to love this Christmas season

the mad race begins...keep it simple

 

I learned many years ago that Christmas is about people not gifts, decorations or parties. I advise anyone to keep things simple and just enjoy the love, peace and people in your life.

Clearance

Clearance sale means all sales final.

I walk down the aisles of Any Store USA.

Christmas is 75% off.

Valentines are available.

Better choose quickly.

Easter eggs lay by the check out.

I'm flustered, confused, and somewhat ready to walk out.

 

When did we stop celebrating and start shopping sales?

When did we stop realizing the truth of a season and start finding a deal?

When did we stop being Christian and start being consumers?

When will we see a sign that says:

 

Clearance Sale:

Grace is free

Accept it

Share it

Give it

Take it

One size fits all

I challenge you

Yesterday was a pleasant day. I found true Christmas joy.  A funny man in a Santa beard and hat sang very badly I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS while ringing a bell for Salvation Army. A couple dressed in Hawaiian shirts shared Mele Kalikimaka and rang their bells for Salvation Army. I dropped off goodies at Carillon Assisted Living and visited some folks needing a lift. I was lifted more. I visited Terry’s aunt, in the bed worn out from the previous day’s doctor appointment. I saw shoppers at Walmart with buggies full of toys and food they probably couldn’t afford trying to make a Merry Christmas for their family. I saw a woman in a motorized chair crossing a busy intersection at that same Walmart.

 

Every year I want a simple Christmas, a true Christmas, with joy and love and peace and harmony. Every year I get too much. Every year I buy too much, not as much as once but still too much. I give to charities and food banks and toy drives but it’s just not enough. I watch wonderful Christmas movies with wholesome stories. I listen to Christmas music. I send Christmas cards I hand make and print myself. It’s still not enough.

 

I want to have a Christmas like it is meant to be. I want to truly celebrate Jesus’ birth. I want to have peace and joy in my heart and extend it to everyone else. I want to spend time with family and friends harboring no ill against anyone. I want to feel the simple bliss of God’s presence. I want to not put myself above anyone or anything.

 

This year for the first time my husband and I both are orphans. Our parents are in heaven. They will rejoice with God and the angels and all the other friends and family there. We will have our time together with our son and his wife. It will be sweet and quiet. We will exchange gifts, watch a Christmas movie or two, and share our meals.

 

We will pray and be earnest in our heart that everyone has a day with no illness, hunger, fear or need. Christmas will pass and lives will move forward in routine and thought. Will we carry the Christmas spirit into the New Year? Will we continue to share our bounty? Will we forget to smile and say a kind greeting? Will we forget to extend our faith and blessings? Will we give selflessly to all? Will we worship and pray? Will we remember how important a faith based life is to a world hurting?

 

I challenge you to think on this. Don’t let another 365 days go by without a thought of Peace on Earth.

Believe in the meaning of Christmas!

a star led them

they followed a star

brightly shining in the night

leading to a family of three

where love was born and

peace was found

Christmas Beckons as Fall subsides

Acorns tap dance on the neighbor’s tin roof

Leaves of red and gold waltz against a blue sky

Autumn’s dance contest is always a winner

 

Bon fire smoke drifts through the air

Pumpkin pie spice is everywhere

Autumn scents create wondrous perfumery

 

Crows caucus in the nearby field

Mocking birds mimic the current hits

Autumn jingles serenade waiting fans

 

Hope’s lullaby gives comfort to loss

Faith’s sonnet lends contentment to mourners

Autumn concludes a season of grief

Share the LOVE of Christmas today and every day!

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

Keep Christ in CHRISTmas

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. Luke 2:6-7

may we be as faithful

Hope your Christmas was as special as mine

front row: me, my wonderful daughter-in-law, Molly, her sweet mother, Lisa
back row: Stacey, her dear father, my darling husband, Terry, our loving son, Matthew, and his fun brother-in-law, Ben.

 

my dear sweet Mother, Vember

Christmas countdown

my own countdown to finding CHRISTMAS SPIRIT


1. Be tolerant.

2. Pursue the reason for the season.

3. Accept the peace that passes all understanding.

4. Remember that Christmas is about others.

5. Acknowledge the grace freely given.

6. Give and have mercy for all.

7. Trust the creator for all needs.

8. Follow your heart.

9. Love the unlovable.

10. Bear the unbearable.

11. Seek the light in darkness.

12. Indulge the needs of others.

13. Grant wishes.

14. Pray stronger.

15. Smile when your down (Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. Thich Nhat Hanh)

16. Believe like a child.

17. Dig deep in your soul.

18. Experience true joy.

19. Sing along with Christmas.

20. Deny your self-pity.

21. Stop watching the clocks and calendars.

22. Put aside troubles.

23. Keep it simply “Christmas.”

24. Christmas is more than what you see; it’s what you feel and hear and what you taste and smell and what you give and share.

25. Make Christmas last another 365, 24/7, and always.

if...

if a tiny babe born in a stable can change the world...believing in him can change a hurting world
if his grace can make a lost soul an eternal optimist...sharing that message can lead a world to eternal hope
if a single star can shine brightly enough to lead seekers to that stable...that same light can shine into the lives of a dark world
if three wise men can look for that babe....then we should be as wise to look for him
if christmas can be such big business in the secular world....then it should be as big in the life of each person in that world

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is a time to…

Seek a child’s vision

Follow a shepherd’s star

Listen for angels’ hymns

Travel far in faith as the Wise Men

Accept a life of service and selflessness

As the parents and child in that Nativity long ago.

Choosing what's best for Christmas!

It’s Christmas Eve!

Time to choose:

Others over self

Hope over doubt

Faith rather than worry

Joy instead of sadness

Peace not despair