Matthew 21:21-22

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl         I think this is the secular way of saying have faith.  My Dad was a preacher.  He studied it in college and his whole life long.  He spoke it, believed it and lived it.  I have never met another pastor like him.  My Dad held a full time job for the government with benefits and regular paycheck mostly because he was just a very responsible man and wanted to make sure his family was provided for but his heart was preaching and serving God.  Taking care of his family, friends, neighbors anyone that needed a helping hand seemed to be how Dad lived each day.  We were always active church members in the denomination he was ordained in.  I guess it was about the time I got into junior high a small country church, in a town about 50 miles away, he had helped to establish as a young seminary student, asked him to return.  The original pastor was ready to retire.  The congregation was small so attracting a full time pastor was probably not gonna happen.  They needed someone to care about them, preach on Sunday, visit the homebound, hold a hand and pray before surgery, funerals, weddings, a shoulder to lean on, someone with encouraging words and wise counsel all for pretty much gas money and maybe a little extra when they could manage it.  My Dad was ecstatic.  Convincing my Mom was another thing.  She never liked sharing my Dad’s time.  I was not ever quite sure what she thought being a pastor’s wife was all about but I guess that was between them.  I just know for the next 6 years or so I went with my Dad every Sunday to the little country church while my Mom continued to go, taking my little brother and sister with her, to the local church we used to attend as a family.  My Dad saw ‘magic’ and happiness in everything.  If it bothered him that Mom divided our family on Sundays, I never heard him verbalize it.  I just know he and I had the best times ever.  I loved those people and they sure did love my Dad.  He had the kind of faith that could move mountains.  I hope I will always have his glittering eyes.  kisses 

I feel fine

Good Morning, Good Morning.  It is the day after the end of the world.  “It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine”, as made famous by Skeeter Davis in the hippie 60’s & later REM in the hair band 80’s, keeps ringing in my head. Holy Cow, more has happened to me in the last 2 years than in my whole life put together.  So if the world had really ended like the Mayan calendar, well, I suppose that would have been okay; not really, but I guess no choice.  I have kinda pondered how the leap to the end of the world happened anyway.  Just because the Mayan’s stopped counting or ran out of room or time to calculate or whatever; why is it supposed that it means the end of the world?  I just feel that thinking is quite a leap or huge drawing of conclusions.  I have heard there are whole documentaries on the subject explaining somewhat plausible scenarios to the end of the world as it relates to the Mayan calendar.  So I guess I will repeat a part of the song… ‘I feel fine’.  I hope you feel fine too and have a very Merry weekend.  kisses 

Granny's Christmas

My Granny loved making Christmas special for her grandchildren.  Each year from the time we were tall enough to stand on a chair in the kitchen Granny would show me, and my little sister how to make sugar cookie dough from scratch.  Granny’s kitchen utensils were each a story in themselves and I will save that for another day.  I loved rolling out the dough on wax paper.  I thought wax paper was just the most amazing invention. Using just the right amount of flour so the dough would not stick to her special wooden rolling pin, the one with the spinning handles, the aluminum cookie cutters wrapped in Christmas red tissue paper, were taken from the place in the kitchen drawer where they hibernated all the other days of the year.    Let’s see, there was a Christmas tree, a reindeer in flight, a star, and a Santa Clause face.  My Granny was an accomplished colored icing maker.  She took those little bottles of food coloring and made a flesh tone for Santa’s face, different colored ornaments that stood out on the deep green of the Christmas trees and a nice brown fur color for the reindeer in flight with a bright red color spot for the nose.  The icing was of course made from scratch with powered sugar and always the perfect consistency. I have never in my adult life been able to stir up Granny’s home made icing and have it come out just like hers. My sister and I thought those were the best Christmas cookies in the wide world and Granny made us feel like she could not do it without us.  Adorning Granny & PawPaw’s house with treasured traditional decorations was just the greatest fun.  Our favorite was a golden colored bell with a string to pull for it to play a medley of Christmas carols.  Granny would have Paw Paw tie it to the chandelier that hung in the center of their living room.  We would take turns having PawPaw lift us up to pull the string.  My Mother still has this bell but the string has long since broken and so my kids do not get to hear the music but I still can.  kisses 

'the holidays'

It is a beautiful sunshine breezy November Tuesday after Thanksgiving day.  So now it’s ‘the holidays’.  Never have I looked it up in the dictionary but this seems to be how we refer to those days from Thanksgiving, Christmas Day in the middle to the New Year’s Day finale.  The news channels over the weekend were busy with stories of shoppers gone wild.  Retailers in an attempt to boost end of year sales drop prices on select apparently desirable products inspiring working class consumers to pitch tents to ensure taking home what would otherwise be unaffordable.  There is nothing I can think of offhand that I want that bad.  I guess for those in the lines the payoff is worth it and I guess you have to admire their determination.  Gotta get those Christmas cards started.  I am making a list and checking it twice.  Have a super duper holiday week.  kisses  

Eve's

I love December.  I think December is the most amazing month of the year after all it has the two most wonderful, amazing Eve’s, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.  I always thought the best part of Christmas is the Eve.  My childhood is filled with memories of Christmas lights, presents under the Christmas tree, and going to bed to dream of how Santa would find a way into our home without a chimney.  Christmas Day everything would be a mess of wrapping paper and a mad rush to get to relatives house for Christmas Dinner. Gathering with those you see once a year I suppose is a good thing but I always found it uncomfortable. Christmas Eve is like the calm before the storm.  The last time to enjoy the tree and decorations before the Christmas morning chaos.  New Year’s Eve is a night I start thinking of months in advance. Sure will not be the same this year without Dick Clark.  I still want to spend a New Year’s Eve in New York so I can see the ball drop in person.  Whatever plans I cannot phantom sleeping thru that magical moment when one year ends and the next begins. I hope your Eve’s are simply wonderful this year.  It is a beautiful December day and I getting outside.  kisses