New Beginning

It looks like my thirty day challenge sort of went by the wayside. I just wasn't around much over the Thanksgiving holiday, and I wasn't on the computer much when I was. I think I'll modify my original challenge, and rather than a post every day for thirty days, I'll use Roaming Chile's suggestion and make it three or four times a week instead for say, ten weeks, and see how that goes. That will help me out a lot on the days where I have extra meetings, or if I am studying, or preaching or something, and can't squeeze everything in.

It would be silly to add stress to my life right now. It would be silly to add stress to my life at all, especially something self-inflicted, and as totally avoidable as this. I am already having a bit of a hard time managing things some days, why would I add something more? It would make me dread blogging. That would be absolutely counter productive. I want to blog for fun as much as anything, and it wasn't feeling like fun to me anymore. So allow me to back up and take a deep breath and start over.

3... 2... 1...

On that note, I would like to say that Thanksgiving 2009 was wonderful! My husband had a few extra days off and we spent Thanksgiving day with the family out at the 'big house'. We had food, food, and more food! It was a long, leisurely, lazy, and refreshing time, almost like a vacation for us. My mother in law, Judy, had the house fixed up so nice and pretty with fall colors and lights and candles that I just wanted to stay on and on. Everything was peaceful and calm. It seems like there's precious little of that in our day to day life, and I absorbed every wisp of it that I could while we were there. We talked for hours and had a great time. Even the kids enjoyed it without an x-box, and without arguing. That says a lot!

Judy still had leftovers from Thanksgiving, so she called and asked us to come back out for supper on Saturday. This was the second visit we got to have out there with the family this holiday. I almost said no, because I didn't want to put her to the trouble, but you know, she really liked having us, and I really wanted to go. So, go we did, and I'm glad. Once again we had a wonderful visit. Their house is so cozy and with the weather finally turning cool, and the leaves having fallen, it seemed like just the place to be. It seems like winter has been a long time coming this year. Maybe not, but I was ready for it. I love the cooler months.

My father in law, Jerry, built a fire outside in the fire pit on his front porch to just take the chill off a little. His fire pit looks sort of like the one I found a picture of and posted here. It's pretty. I really liked it. It kept us all mesmerized. Once the flames would die back a bit, we could still watch the fire through the cut-outs in the sides. We sat and stared into it, and out across the valley for a long time, hours probably, until the wind started to blow too cold to enjoy it any longer. We actually got a rare, and pretty decent cloud burst later on into the evening. I can't resist rain any better than I can fire, so I went back outside. Next thing you know I had another log or two in the fire and my husband came back out to sit with me and stare into it with me some more. Before we were done, grampa was back, too. We probably shouldn't have stayed out so long. Grampa told us later that it was way up into the night before his legs ever warmed back up.

Granny, who might have used her smarts a little more than the rest of us, stayed in with the coffee. When we all went back inside, we found she'd saved us a cup or two, and we sat and talked and laughed together. We've really had a good time going out there lately and hesitate to leave when the time comes. If you're reading this, granny and grampa, thanks a bunch! We love you both.

"Oh Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!" ~ William Shakespeare

So, Thanksgiving has passed for 2009, and we're heading into what is going to be a very different Christmas season for us. I will attempt to post throughout the season about the things we're doing and not doing this year. Change comes hard for me during a time of such traditions. I'm sure it will be good... different, but good. Maybe this is where some new traditions will begin. Through it all I want the focus to be on Jesus. I want to be mindful of His presence, and to be a light for Him in a place and time where most would forget Him.

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." ~ Joshua 24:15

Be blessed this Christmas season. Be a blessing.

Good night. See you soon.

Sundays ar Great Around Here.

Today was a nice day. I got to hear two really great sermons this morning. Nothing unusual about that at my church, though. We are really blessed. I tell you, my pastors are the greatest! I feel like everyone else is just plain missing out, especially the local folks who don't attend my church and could. They just don't know what they're missing. kingmanfoursquare.com , people. It's available. Nothing is quite like being there, but take it where you can get it!

We had my husband's folks in for lunch. We've been spending more time together since they moved up here, and it's been really great, I think. It seems like we're making up for lost time. We're going to be joining them for Thanksgiving out at their house this year, too. For most of our married life we've lived away from family and spent a lot of our holidays with just us, no extended family, so this is really exciting. I'm planning on a long, lazy day and an evening of leftoverture and maybe a movie.

Then this evening, back to church. I preached tonight. I'm not real pleased with the way it went this time, actually. It felt a little disjointed, but I think I pulled it together in the end. I think I tend to over prepare, that's what my husband tells me, and that makes it difficult to connect all the points. I'm working on that, but it's tough. I almost always try to cram too much into one message. My son liked it, though. That was encouraging. I'd like to just ask my pastors out right, but I don't want to look like I'm fishing for compliments, or seem insecure. Actually, I just want them to tell me where it needs work. If I'm going to learn someone has to correct me.

Now, we're home, and I'm just about pooped out. I think I'll hit the hay early tonight. Tomorrow starts a new week and I'd like to get a fresh start, a better start than I had to the last one.