In the Waiting ~

A new year

waiting

to be

written
May yours hold
a
wonderful
story

Seasons ~

For everything

there

is

a season

be

encouraged

a way

will

come

even

in the most

daunting

one

Found ~

 
                       {ice crystal}

By Love ~    

Finding Him                                                                             
  in hidden
      obscure
      ordinary

Finding Him
  in still
      quiet                                                         
      waiting

Finding Him
  in love
    no longer
    hidden
  Love
  come down

Finding Him
  because
    by Him
      we
      weren’t
      unfound

 For more expressions on love see today's blog carnival hosted by Bridget.

Flight ~

"I knew a man in college who grew up in the inner city of Chicago and what he was doing in Iowa I never did figure out. But whenever he would see a jet trailing across the sky, he would stop everything he was doing and he would watch. Once, after a jet was gone and there was nothing left but the white line disappearing like a scar into the blue, he turned to me and said, 'An airplane is a miracle and I didn't give it much thought, but now and then, when I am ready to give up hope for human beings in general, and for one or two of them who are bugging me specifically, I will look to the sky and there will be one of those miracles and I will remember it's all about concentrating on the right thing.'"

Story People ~ Brian Andreas

Whatever is lovely, good, pure, honest, just, of good report

think
on these things

Philippians 4

The Gift ~

The heart

of

the giver

makes

the gift

dear and precious

Martin Luther

T'was The Night Before Christmas ~

and

all

through the house

not even a mouse

T'was The Night Before Christmas

Clement Moore

photo by my daughter-in-law

The Song III ~

May you know

the

peace

that passes

all

understanding

   

"Silent Night, Holy Night"

Parish Priest ~ 1818 

Josef Mohr

Frosty ~

A dusting

of 

hoar frost

this 

calm  December day

 

three of the photos

have an

antique finish

Socks ~

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.

James Herriot

May this day

find

you

wrapped 

in comfort and love

Taken by my

daughter-in-law

of 

their cat

Socks

The Winner ~

Sometimes

the one

with the most marbles

is

simply

the one

with

the most marbles

~~~

sometimes

one

is

simply

enough

When It's Not A Game ~

 

 

 

 

a

simple

heartfelt

word

might

just

clear things up

Star of Wonder ~

and

you
will be led
where
you
need to go

Gently ~

{click on photo for larger view}

No Brick ~

December  9 - Dagmar's blog, a comment left by Hope, a curious click … you know how it goes. Suddenly I found myself caught up in the words of a 14 year old girl, a girl recently diagnosed with cancer. Words of transparency, words needing to be shared, words wanting to be acknowledged. Words that led in a strange way to pondering another word. Church, the word of choice for the bi-weekly blog carnival. Do we “do” church? Do we “be” church? Do we “house” church? How does church come to this young girl in her unexpected journey? I was left with more questions than answers. But this I know. We have been given a commission. A commission to love, to go, to heal. So perhaps church may more accurately be a verb than a noun. Just a thought. While you are thinking, please take a moment to stop by Hope's blog and leave a word or two to brighten her day.

~ The Church ~

No brick

no mortar

just

a rolled away stone

the tomb

no longer needed

as

a home

for wounded flesh

for poured out

blood

a cry to Father

from His Son

requesting

unity

requesting

love

the church

His hands

His feet

His voice

His love

His work

complete

ours

just begun

Will you ~

December View

The Morning Moon ~

December View

The Song II ~

December View

"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing"

Charles Wesley ~ 1730

No Storm Here ~

December View ~

just major indecision

Alone ~

December View

Sometimes

alone

is 

just

alone

{will you share your smile, your word, your touch}

The Challenge ~

Can you

lend

a hand

of blessing

this Christmas?

If you like a challenge, whether big or small,

please check out

this link

or

click on the

$10 Dollar Challenge

button

on the sidebar.

We are

blessed

to be a blessing.

The Song ~

December View

"Joy to the World"

The Beater ~

December

views

patent

~ 1923 ~

December ~

Remember
This December,
That love weighs more than gold!
J Bacon

Her Warmth ~

purchased at an auction
three decades
ago
a
simple pitcher
symbol
of
her hospitality
cups
of

steaming hot coffee
for the adults
the aroma
of
warm homemade buns
fresh
from the oven
melted butter
floating over
their
golden tops
her
kitchen
always
open
welcoming
her arms open too
Gramma Bergman
as children
never knowing
she wasn’t
truly
Gramma
to all
who passed
through her door

The Riven Heart ~

I had decided to bypass the biweekly Blog Carnival this time around. Number 1, I’m not a writer, not a “real” one anyway; and number two, somehow the word “grief” didn’t seem to fit into the whole December, “Holly Jolly, Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Gentlemen,” scenario. But, yes, into December’s grand celebration it comes. Grief unwrapped, unsolicited, unplanned. Not on anyone’s Christmas list. Very much a reality this time of year, very often intensified this time of year. How grateful I am that we can celebrate the gift of a Savior that came to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free. Even in December.

Grief ~

written

spoken

lived

“out there”

for

all to see

so very difficult

to share

that

riven part

of me

that heart that

shattered

broke

betrayed

the image

of my imagined strength

grief

that brought

me to my knees

grief

that bore so

deep a wound

that words

in terror fled

grief

my riven heart

He holds

and sends

His Son

to make

me whole