may the peace
of His coming keep
and guard your heart always
wishing you a
most blessed Christmas
* * *
"The heart of the giver
makes the gift dear and precious."
Martin Luther
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Monday, December 23, 2013
God Blessed Us ~
the glory of the Lord
shone
'round about them
and the angels brought them
glad tidings
... unto to you ...
is born
A Savior
who is Christ the Lord
Immanuel
God with us
Immanuel
God with us
* * *
Luke
* * *
wishing you a
most blessed Christmas
Monday, December 16, 2013
The Touch Of Christmas ~
"I'll hold out my hand and my heart will be in it."
Nat King Cole
* * *
"Have a heart that never hardens,
and a temper that never tires,
and a touch that never hurts."
Charles Dickens
* * *
Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/touch.html#KiutBXff2zAtAqbH.99
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/touch.html#KiutBXff2zAtAqbH.99
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Good Gifts ~
He has filled the hungry
with good things.
Luke 1:53a
* * *
Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
Oren Arnold
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
Oren Arnold
quote seen at
* * *
Sunday, December 23, 2012
This Day ~
For unto to you
is born this day
a Savior
who is
Christ the Lord
* * *
Blessings for a wonder-filled
holiday season
Monday, November 12, 2012
Letters Home IV ~
The next correspondence I find
is written in
The writing is small and cramped
as he crowds his thoughts onto a penny postcard.
“Dear Folks,
I received your letter this morning Mom
“Dear Folks,
I received your letter this morning Mom
and was very glad to get it.
I know you have been expecting me home every day
and I should have written to let you know how I was.
It looks now as though I won’t be able
to get home for Christmas.
I still can’t keep any food or liquids down,
so until I do they won’t let me out of here.
So I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas
So I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas
and please go ahead and have a very good time
even though I don’t get home.
I’ll be thinking about you.
If I should suddenly get better,
If I should suddenly get better,
Ilene said she’d be willing to wait
and come home with me on the train
on Sunday morning.
Otherwise she’ll be home on the train
on Saturday night.
It seems to me the doctors haven’t been doing
It seems to me the doctors haven’t been doing
very much to try to cure me.
Their idea seems to be that my stomach
ought to get better by itself.
I’m tempted to come home and see
what Dr. Olson can do about it,
but probably that would be foolish.
It would mean a lot of inconvenience
when I did get home.
Well, I hope the old stomach
Well, I hope the old stomach
straightens out pretty soon.
And I hope to be able to see you soon."
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Sincerely,
Gordon
* * *
His parents will travel to be with him
His parents will travel to be with him
for Christmas this year.
Their youngest daughter will join them.
His oldest sister and two brothers will remain on the farm.
* * *
Spring will come, then summer,
and with summer will come Gordon’s passing.
Spring will come, then summer,
and with summer will come Gordon’s passing.
Cancer will have claimed his young life at the age of 22.
Sincerely, Gordon
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Letters Home III ~
In November of 1936, Gordon will observe his 20th birthday.
His letter home begins with thanks for a birthday gift.
He also expresses appreciation for the gift
his two sisters have sent him.
"They sent me a swell desk set for my birthday.
It is colored red and all the pieces are
made with a leather covering. The set consists
of an ink container, a nice little desk calendar
of the perpetual type,
and then there is a pad of blotters with a
leather covering, and a container for
pencils, etc., and a desk pad.
It's a swell set."
All of his letters, with the exception of one, have been
All of his letters, with the exception of one, have been
written with a fountain pen.
It is the year of a national election,
It is the year of a national election,
and he closes his letter with the following words:
“Well be sure and vote for the right man next Tuesday
“Well be sure and vote for the right man next Tuesday
so that the money will start flowing into everyone’s pocket.
I don’t know which is the right man
but perhaps you do.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt will receive 98.49% of the electoral vote;
Franklin D. Roosevelt will receive 98.49% of the electoral vote;
it is the eighth year of the Great Depression.
Gordon was unable to make it home for Thanksgiving that year.
“Well we managed to get by Thanksgiving
Gordon was unable to make it home for Thanksgiving that year.
“Well we managed to get by Thanksgiving
without overeating or anything,
but I had all I wanted to eat and then some.
We went down to Jacobson’s boarding club for our dinner.
It cost 50 cents, but we had a swell meal.
Turkey, sweet potatoes, two pieces of pie and then
a lot of other stuff.
We all ate until we felt uncomfortable for a while,
but we wanted to be sure and get our money’s worth.”
December approaches, and with it,
December approaches, and with it,
hopes for a trip home for the Christmas holiday.
“The going home for Christmas spirit has gotten in the air
“The going home for Christmas spirit has gotten in the air
and we already have it all planned out how we will get home.
We’re going to rent my roommate’s car
and then take all the kids from Wheaton home with us.
We can get the car for $5 round trip. It’s an old car but it has a heater in it and runs well.
There will be about six of us, so including gas and oil
and the rent on the car,
we figure that we can get home and back here
to school again for two dollars a piece.
Of course if there happens to be a lot of snow by that time
so there is danger of our not being able to get through,
we’ll have to find some other way to get home.
Otherwise I think this is about the cheapest way possible.”
Sincerely, Gordon
* * *
It will be a memorable Christmas.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Prettying Up Jesus ~
I added no
essence of stable
no fetid straw
no birthing cloths
or soiled infant linens
piled in a corner
no travel-weary
no travel-weary
or labor pain lines to
mar her sweet face
no hair damp
from the the rigor of birthing
to mat at the nape
only cleanliness and beauty
arranged just so
: : :
somehow
it seems important
to remember
that He was birthed
in the midst
of life's
messiness
and meets us
in the midst of ours
even though our creches
might say otherwise
even though our creches
might say otherwise
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Cradled ~
His love
humbled for us
in
a cradle
~ ~ ~
may that mess
with
your heart
in
a most wonderful way
today
and
everyday
Monday, December 20, 2010
Father's Hands ~
Cradled in my hands
I soak in
once again
the warmth
of
his heart and life
Large
they were
Gentle
carving, creating, crafting
Hands
that labored
soothed
guided
helped
Father’s hands
I feel them
warmly
Embracing
wood, forest
quietness
family
friend
My father’s hands
instruments of love
~ ~ ~
my father took up the hobby
of carving
the
last ten years
of
his life
~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~
This is a repost from December of 2009
in
memory
of him
of him
and
his quiet gentleness
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Hope ~
For those who live with loss and pain of any kind, the Christmas season can be a difficult one. It's been on my heart to share this letter with those of you who are reaching out in hope in your difficult circumstances. It is a letter that I had written to a friend a couple of Decembers ago when we were discussing hope and what it entails. I apologize for its length ... it is my hope that in some way you will be blessed.
~ ~ ~
Dear Friend,
Being neither a writer nor a teacher, I can only offer these thoughts and trust that in some way you can integrate them into your revelation on hope and faith.
There is a family story that has been recounted on various Christmas Eves throughout the years. The story involves my brother, who was about 7 at the time, and a much longed-for bicycle. He had it in his mind that he wanted a bicycle for Christmas that year. He wanted it with his whole heart, but he also knew finances were short and that there was a good possibility there would be no bicycle under the tree. There were many practical reasons for him not to hope. But still, he hoped.
It was the custom in our family to go to church on Christmas Eve where my brother and I would participate in the children’s Christmas program. Afterward, the church people would hand out stockings to the children. The stockings were usually filled with oranges, apples, peppermints and peanuts. These were a real treat in the late 40’s and early 50’s. When we arrived home, we would have a special supper of ham, rice pudding and various other goodies. Then, and only then, the gifts that were under the tree could be opened. On this particular Christmas night, my father had put that longed-for bicycle under the tree between the time we left for church and the time we arrived home. Parents do those things, you know. Here was the bicycle that my brother so desired. Could he see it? No, for some reason, the object of his expectant longing was hidden from his eyes until that moment, that fullness-of-time moment (gift opening time) came. And then, the joy of seeing the object of his hope! It had been there all along. Such excitement ... he wanted to take that bicycle out on that cold December night and ride it immediately.
So, why this story. According to one definition hope means: To trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future. We ask in faith - hoping, believing, expecting - for that which we do not see. The answer is there - just as the bicycle was there. But we don’t see the answer until the time is right. The man that sat by the Gate Beautiful had been sitting there for quite some time. Why at this particular moment did he hear those life-giving words, “Such as I have, give I thee. Rise up and walk!” And immediately ... imagine the thrill of that moment, the thrill of not just hearing but actually seeing, the wonder of the strength that flowed into his body and raised him upright on his feet. He was asking, begging as it were, for alms - how much more he received instead. The word “beautiful” that is used in this particular verse means “the fullness of time.” It probably didn’t seem immediate to him, he had been sitting there for what seemed like forever. And consider God’s beloved Daniel. He had been praying, seeking, asking, and finally the angel showed up, only to tell him his prayers had been heard right from the start.
I get excited when I read Romans 15:13 in the Message Bible - “Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!” The color green denotes life and growth. So it should be with hope ... continually growing, producing more life.
Let’s look forward with hope, with eager anticipation to the manifestation of those things that we pray for. Let’s be thankful as we wait on the Lord and see the working out of Romans 5:1-6 “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us - set us right with him, make us fit for him - we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. 2 And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand - out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. 3 There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, 4 and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. 5 In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary - we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! 6 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway.” Message Bible
Faith, hope, love. These three - a threefold cord can’t easily be broken. Don’t throw away your faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God. Don’t throw away your hope, for it has great reward. Don’t throw away your love, for it is the greatest of these. And perfect love casts out fear.
Being neither a writer nor a teacher, I can only offer these thoughts and trust that in some way you can integrate them into your revelation on hope and faith.
There is a family story that has been recounted on various Christmas Eves throughout the years. The story involves my brother, who was about 7 at the time, and a much longed-for bicycle. He had it in his mind that he wanted a bicycle for Christmas that year. He wanted it with his whole heart, but he also knew finances were short and that there was a good possibility there would be no bicycle under the tree. There were many practical reasons for him not to hope. But still, he hoped.
It was the custom in our family to go to church on Christmas Eve where my brother and I would participate in the children’s Christmas program. Afterward, the church people would hand out stockings to the children. The stockings were usually filled with oranges, apples, peppermints and peanuts. These were a real treat in the late 40’s and early 50’s. When we arrived home, we would have a special supper of ham, rice pudding and various other goodies. Then, and only then, the gifts that were under the tree could be opened. On this particular Christmas night, my father had put that longed-for bicycle under the tree between the time we left for church and the time we arrived home. Parents do those things, you know. Here was the bicycle that my brother so desired. Could he see it? No, for some reason, the object of his expectant longing was hidden from his eyes until that moment, that fullness-of-time moment (gift opening time) came. And then, the joy of seeing the object of his hope! It had been there all along. Such excitement ... he wanted to take that bicycle out on that cold December night and ride it immediately.
So, why this story. According to one definition hope means: To trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future. We ask in faith - hoping, believing, expecting - for that which we do not see. The answer is there - just as the bicycle was there. But we don’t see the answer until the time is right. The man that sat by the Gate Beautiful had been sitting there for quite some time. Why at this particular moment did he hear those life-giving words, “Such as I have, give I thee. Rise up and walk!” And immediately ... imagine the thrill of that moment, the thrill of not just hearing but actually seeing, the wonder of the strength that flowed into his body and raised him upright on his feet. He was asking, begging as it were, for alms - how much more he received instead. The word “beautiful” that is used in this particular verse means “the fullness of time.” It probably didn’t seem immediate to him, he had been sitting there for what seemed like forever. And consider God’s beloved Daniel. He had been praying, seeking, asking, and finally the angel showed up, only to tell him his prayers had been heard right from the start.
I get excited when I read Romans 15:13 in the Message Bible - “Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!” The color green denotes life and growth. So it should be with hope ... continually growing, producing more life.
Let’s look forward with hope, with eager anticipation to the manifestation of those things that we pray for. Let’s be thankful as we wait on the Lord and see the working out of Romans 5:1-6 “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us - set us right with him, make us fit for him - we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. 2 And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand - out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. 3 There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, 4 and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. 5 In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary - we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! 6 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway.” Message Bible
Faith, hope, love. These three - a threefold cord can’t easily be broken. Don’t throw away your faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God. Don’t throw away your hope, for it has great reward. Don’t throw away your love, for it is the greatest of these. And perfect love casts out fear.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
T'was The Night Before Christmas ~
and
all
through the house
not even a mouse
Clement Moore
photo by my daughter-in-law
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
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