Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas…

It’s almost Christmas Eve.

I won’t be posting the next couple of days but I wanted to tell you that my prayer for you is that you will all have the merriest Christmas ever!  I pray that you and yours will be overwhelmed at the reality of God’s great love for you.

For those of you going through a difficult season I pray that the peace of God will rule your mind and heart,  that in your spirit you would sense His strength and that beneath your feet you would feel the Solid Rock that cannot be shaken by any circumstance. 

Merry Christmas!

Elizabeth

A wee bonnie lass…

Here is youngest granddaughter in her Stewart tartan pjs.

Her Grandpa Stewart, now in heaven, would have been so proud!

Every year, our family has a Christmas tradition that the little ones help dip pretzels in melted almond bark…some in vanilla and some in chocolate.  Before we had grandbabies we would have some of the kids from church over to help.  Then the two oldest grandbabies came along and it was their turn to join in the tradition.  With them in South Carolina this Christmas, it was youngest granddaughter’s turn.

 

Lovin’ the season, but most of all the Reason!

Elizabeth

Longing…

Anticipation, longing, waiting, excitement…those were the emotions of the Christmases of my childhood.  Back then a big thick Christmas catalog came from Sears, Montgomery Wards or J.C. Penneys and us kids would have such fun looking, dreaming, longing.  Toys, gifts, and candy were not common and ordinary, but were rare and precious.  They were a luxury seen at our house only on holidays. 

On Christmas Eve we hung Daddy’s big woolen work socks.  I remember going to bed and tossing and turning, my tummy so full of butterflies that I nearly felt sick with excitement.

Before dawn we would wake up, to find that “Santa” had filled our stocking with an orange in the toe, some nuts, and a few candies.  Under the tree would be little trinket gifts that us seven kids had bought for each other with our pennies, nickels and dimes at the little variety store up the street.  My big gift from Mama and Daddy might be a doll or some toy dishes.  I remember best the year it was a fancy, lace trimmed nightie and matching robe that Mama had sewn for me.

I am sad that today we have so much excess that we, that our children, no longer know what it is to long for, to wish for, to anticipate, to be happy and excited with a simple woolen sock filled with fruit, nuts, and a few candies.  We have forgotten what it means to wait with our stomach full of butterflies.  We are so overly full, we have forgotten how wonderful something is when you are actually hungry.

It is three days before Christmas.  I find myself full of longing, hoping, wishing, anticipating.  Once again I have been pouring over pages, my fingers caressing the thing I want, the present I am hoping to receive.  He is an expert at building the suspense, at making me long for it until I think I’ll burst, and then just when I don’t think I can stand it anymore, He comes. He reveals Himself in the Word, or in the worship, in the meeting of the congregation, or in my quiet place alone with Him.  He understands that to taste something and see that it is oh so good there must first be a hunger.  I’m hungry for some Living Bread this Christmas.

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

 

Four days and counting…

We drove baby granddaughter by some houses in our neighborhood that go all out with the Christmas lights.  I love that when I snapped this shot I happened to catch a little of the bluehour sky and also how the lights are reflected in the mud puddle.

Today I head to the mall to finish up buying the last two gifts on my list.  Tonight we have our annual Christmas gathering with the Hub’s side of the family.  I have the best sister-in-law in the world…with my mama sick she did my Christmas baking for me and baked a Rubbermaid tote full of Christmas goodies for our family!  She is one of the most giving people I know.

Youngest daughter is home from Missouri. Yay!  I miss my South Carolina daughter, son-in-law and grandbabies so much it hurts.  This is our very first Christmas without them here.

What are you doing today with only four days left ‘til Christmas?

I would love for you to comment and tell me!

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Mama’s gift…

Mama never was one who expressed her feelings easily.  She showed us her love by doing-by hours and hours stooped over the sewing machine, or in the kitchen making loaves of bread and dozens of cookies.

She didn’t show us her faith easily either.  She took us to church, I saw her read her Bible in bed at night, we prayed together before meals, but she wasn’t what I would call a passionate Jesus follower.  As I grew older, this caused a hurt in my heart.  Sometimes you just need to know your mama is in your corner storming heaven’s gate in prayer on your behalf. 

When Mama, now 85, fell and broke her hip on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, it caused a snowball of other medical complications resulting in three hospitalizations.  She was finally able to return to her little apartment in assisted living with a lot of extra assistance from the staff there.  One evening my brother, my sister, and I asked her what she wanted us to do if she got sick again.  She expressed the desire to go on hospice, to be cared for by hospice nurses in her little apartment there, no more hospitalizations, no more heroic lifesaving measures.  She said she wanted to go home to be with Jesus, and she wanted us kids to let her go.  After much discussion, lots of tears and hugs, my mama prayed over us.  She thanked God for all of her blessings.  She boldly asked Him that every one of her descendants would know Him, that not one would be lost.  She prayed a blessing over us. She prayed boldly, beautifully, passionately.  I left her little room that night my heart at peace.  God, and Mama, had given me a great gift.

continuing to count His gifts…

#806-#822

-my Mama’s prayer

-God’s sweet presence

-Christmas shopping and Thai food with the Hubs

-a sunny December day and a wonderful walk

-an afternoon with youngest granddaughter

-phone calls and skype visits with my other grandbabies

-a sweet Saturday

-baking cinnamon cranberry bread

-pre-Christmas house cleaning done!

-listening to Christmas carols

-the Hubs in his home office studying for Sunday, listening to worship music

-a late afternoon walk

-gathering holly and greens for the house

-Truelife Church kid’s Christmas presentation

-sweet cards and gifts from our Truelife Church family

 

Gratefully yours,

Elizabeth

join the gratitude gatherers here~

A gift from God…

 

So thankful for His great gift!

Elizabeth

Santa, is that you?

Here’s my oldest granddaughter and only grandson with Santa.

They are currently living in South Carolina.

Oh I miss them!

Here is my cutie pie youngest granddaughter with Santa this morning.

She lives here in Portland.

Looks like Santa just broke the news to her that she’s on the naughty list this year.

Come on Santa, give the girl a break!

Does anyone but me think that South Carolina Santa and

Portland, Oregon Santa look strangely similar?

Hmmmm….

 

Elizabeth