Faith, Family and Friends

This time of year presents many opportunities to reflect. I usually start with my faith in God. My life would be so very empty without it and it has brought me such joy and helped me through some very difficult times as well. Next is my family. I am so very blessed to be married to the most amazing man. He is kind, patient, fun and loving. Our daughter and son arrived to make our family complete and over the years it has been our honor to watch them learn and grow. Now they are married as well and we have two additional children to love. Then come the grandchildren. What can I say? They are three of the most amazing and wonderful and loving children in the world. (and I am NOT exaggerating!) I could not have imagined how much we could love them and how I can have a physical yearning to just be with them. Finally, we have some wonderful friends. Some we have known for a long time, some not so long, some we see frequently and some not so much. Yet, they are a critical piece in our lives and bring such joy and happiness to us. Yes, we face challenges in our lives, sometimes daily. However we are so very blessed to have our faith, family and friends to support us. I give thanks to God each day for all of them.

Almost there...

Well, Christmas is just around the corner. 6 days away to be exact. (oops, I just remembered that I neglected to change the 'days to' count on my countdown calendar at home!) I have tried very hard this year to not miss Christmas. I have a tendency to get bogged down in the details, gifts, cards, etc., and not take time to reflect and remember that the true reason for the season is the birth of Jesus. I have taken time to listen to Christmas music, read various Christmas stories to our grandchildren and our 3 year old Sunday School class and finally taken time to thank God for the best gift ever! This is not to say that I have not had a few melt downs, maybe a temper tantrum and possibly wanted to 'run screaming from the building' occasionally, but I believe that I am better than I have been in years past and will continue to work to the ultimate goal of a truly stress free Christmas - one year in the future I am certain!

The true meaning...

I had to run out at lunch today to pick up an item for a craft that we will do with the 3 year olds that we teach in Sunday School. The traffic on the roads was nerve wracking and the stores were packed to the rafters. People were pushing and shoving and their baskets were overflowing with so many items that I observed more than one person having difficulty navigating the aisles. I could not help but wonder how many people were remembering the true reason that we should be celebrating - the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. It made me sad to see the obvious stress on people's faces. When I returned to my car, I took a minute to pray and to give thanks to God, once again, for sending His Son to Save all of us. I also prayed that more people would take the time to open their hearts and minds and reflect the true meaning of the season.

Thanksgiving and Boot Camp

During my last post, I mentioned a boot camp that my husband and I decided to try out. Well, tonight will be out 4th class and how can I put this? WE ARE STILL ALIVE! Each class has been comprised of different types of exercise or as my husband likes to refer to it as 'torture'. We are most certainly the oldest in the class and we just keep plugging away, trying to keep up and in some cases understand what we are supposed to be doing. I cannot say enough about our instructor who is caring and motivating and has not laughed at us yet! We will have another class on Thursday and then a break until the first of the year. Our challenge will be to do some things on our own during our 'off time' so that we will not pass out or collapse when the new classes begin. Strange as it might sound, we really do seem to like it or atleast we like the challenge. More to come...

Thanksgiving was so very wonderful. Our family was all here with the exception of our daughter in law and and grandson. They had gone to spend some time with her family. Our son not able to take the time off from work, so he was with us. I know he missed them, as we all did, but it was nice to have him home this year. The food was good and the company the best.

My sister and I spent the better part of the day on Saturday decorating the house for Christmas. It is so special to have her with us as we have begun to establish some new traditions. She spent extra time decorating the Christmas tree and it looks especially nice. I even wrapped some gifts so that I could take them out of hiding in my closet. Now, I don't have to hop, skip and jump to get to my clothes. I wonder if that would count as aerobic exercise? I will have to ask our boot camp instructor...

Boot Camp!

Last night my husband and I decided to try out a 'boot camp' exercise program that is offered at a local church. Mind you, neither of us have done any type of exercise, other than walking, for a long, long time. When we arrived at the class, a part of me ( a BIG part) started to wonder what in the wild, wild west I had been thinking? The instructor greeted us warmly and assured us that she would watch us closely to make any modifications that might be necessary so that we would not injure ourselves. When class started, she asked us to stay up front so that she could see us better. (did I mention that we had not exercised in a while and she wanted us UP FRONT?!) Once class started, we found the instructor to be warm, funny and very knowledgeable. She briefly explained what we would be doing and would then demonstrate. We worked hard and tried our best. She was so encouraging and inspirational. At the end of class she prayed for all of us and that was my favorite part. My husband and I (we are in our 50's) were very tired at the end but have decided to go again on Thursday. It was so nice to do something together, even if we could not do it just like the instructor and some of the rest of the class! I will share that I learned something new about my husband of almost 34 years. He is an excellent jump roper! I, on the other hand, am not too good! Ah well, time will tell! :-)

Thunder, Lightening, Rain and Explosions?

Well, most of us of a certain age know that rest of that little ditty concerning rain and wanting it to go away. We have had a dry summer and fall, so we are in need of some precipitation. It started at our house around 3 this morning. We almost always know when it rains and or storms during the night because our dogs come to wake us up. A number of years ago during a storm, a tree fell through our roof and house. My husband and our female dog were watching television and the tree landed about 6 feet from where they were sitting. No one was hurt, thank goodness. The same cannot be said for the house's outer wall, the roof and assorted items that were tossed about when the tree finally came to rest. Since that time, this dog is terrified of storms, rain and sometimes even loud trucks. We have had to get a prescription for tranquilizers for her to help calm her down. They do not work well if the storm just comes upon us suddenly (like last night), but usually will calm her down some if we are able to have about an hour before it arrives. I jumped out of bed when I heard the thunder, grabbed my pillows and a blanket and met the dogs in the hallway. (when it is like this, they want adult company!) They were already upset. (the male dog seems to get upset because the female is upset). I was able to get the male down onto his pillow and covered him up with his blanket. I set myself up on the couch and the female came to sit right next to me. I checked the radar on the television and did not see anything that alarmed me. I gave the female a tranquilizer and tried to get her settled so that I might catch some sleep. About 20 minutes later a sound occurred that could have been an explosion! Both dogs started barking, I jumped up to see if another tree had come to 'visit' and my husband ran out our bedroom where he had been sleeping and was oblivious to the storm. Thankfully, there was no tree inside our house and it seemed that it had only been a rather close bolt of lightening and its resulting 'sonic boom' thunder. We both got the dogs settled back down, he went back to bed so was not in the living room when a second, albeit not as scary, lightening/thunder occurred. At that point I was fully awake as were the dogs. Right now I am tired and it is still raining. I will be thankful for the rain and even more thankful that it is not cold outside because this could be ice if it was!

Comparing Oranges to Oranges?

This morning I was in need of an orange for a recipe that I am going to make next week. I dropped by the local Wal Mart Super Center on my way to work to purchase it. I was in for a couple of surprises. First off, I was going to purchase one orange. The price for one naval orange was 75 cents! After recovering from the sticker shock, I decided to buy a bag of oranges. I could purchase a bag, with about 7 or 8 medium oranges for around $3.98. Upon closer inspection, I read the sticker that said that these oranges were from SOUTH AFRICA! Next to these bags were a bag of 7 or 8 oranges that were from Edinburg, Texas. These oranges were $6.98! Now, my husband and I met in college in Edinburg, Texas. It is a lovely border town in Texas. You know, Texas which is part of the continuous states in America. I simply cannot understand how the oranges from South Africa are priced more affordably than the ones from Edinburg, Texas.
I am just wondering how this is possible?????

Sister time

I have been blessed since earlier this year to be able to spend more time with my little sister. She relocated to our state to begin the next chapter in her life. She is such an amazing woman who radiates love, kindness and helpfulness. We are learning to live together again, as adults, and that results in some give and take on both sides. I will admit that being the BIG (read OLDER) sister, I do not give as well as she does. She is just so ready to help and do just about anything that comes along. Recently, she spent hours helping me design and then create dinosaur tails and spikes and all dinosaur related items to turn my two granddaughters into the cutest dinosaurs for Halloween. When I thank God for all of my blessings, I really need to thank Him twice for my wonderful little sister!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

O.K. I am not going to panic. (or atleast I will try not to panic too much) THANKSGIVING IS COMING! I love, love, love Thanksgiving and all that it encompasses. The colors, the foods, the family, the foods. My husband and I were married the day before Thanksgiving and this year we will be celebrating our 34th anniversary. Each year of our marriage, I have made a big meal to feed our family. I am certain that my early endeavors were trial and error, (my first year's gravy was so awful and thick that I had trouble getting it to go down the garbage disposal!) but as the years have passed, I have prided myself on working diligently on planning the menu and then cooking and cooking and cooking. One of the joys of my life is to have my family all around, enjoying good food and spending time together. Here is to Thanksgiving and Family!

November Days

November is most likely my favorite month. The weather usually becomes more consistently cooler. The colors in nature begin their transformation to some of the most incredible melody of sights. Then there are the foods. Thanksgiving is around the corner and all of the traditional and possibly some new menu items will be enjoyed. The crock pot is pulled out from the bottom of the pantry to become a useful appliance while making soups, stews and chilis. All in all, it is a nice, comfortable time for lots of loving time with family and fellowship with friends.

Mondays can be nice!

Today is Columbus Day. It is a bank and post office holiday. My office is closed as well. I did not have anything special planned for today. Just working on a baby bib for the newest sibling of one of our Sunday School children. It is nice to just go with the day, not worry about deadlines or 'have to do's'. Our daughter and youngest granddaugter dropped by and we went out to do a bit of shopping and had lunch. The shopping was primarily comprised of finding materials to help turn both granddaughters into dinosaurs for Halloween. As I said, it was nice to spend time just doing something that I wanted to do as opposed to what has to be done day in and day out. As I grow older I find that what is most important is family - my wonderful husband, our grown children and of course, their children, our precious grandchildren. I have turned into 'one of those people' who truly thinks that their grandchildren are the most wonderful, brilliant and delightful children on earth. I feel so very Blessed every day to be able to be a part of their lives.

Faith

Faith. It is a simple 5 letter word and yet its meaning can be so very complicated. I consider myself to be a woman of strong faith. I believe that God is present in my life and that He is there to lead, guide and provide a place to rest.

Over the years, I have experienced many testaments and tests to my faith. I usually find that when the tests occur, it is best for me to step back, take a deep breath and know that whatever is happening, my faith in God will get me through. It is usually those steps that I take AFTER I have become upset, wrung my hands and tried to right whatever is happening. Every time though, letting my faith carry me through is consistently the best avenue to pursue. Now, if I can just start with that step I could avoid the 'Mimi craziness' that I endure. Hmmmm....

Appreciating the Blessings and Challenges

Do you ever wonder if you are really 'present' in your life? I sometimes wonder if life is what is happening while I am too busy to notice. I want to be able to learn and enjoy and remember something from each day. We cannot get our time back, so what we have is our memories. I want to try to be certain that the memories that I make and or are a part of are ones where I am truly present. It seems as though it is sometimes easier to remember or recall the good times. Life is not made up of only good times. I have found that it is usually through the challenges of life there are the greatest the opportunities to grow and learn. My prayer each morning thanks God for the Blessings and the Challenges as well. Going forward I want to be certain that I am more consistent in being as grateful for the challenges as I am for the Blessings.