OK, just have some fun this week, or be serious if you want. I’ll give some good reading material to start you off.
Here is interesting statement from Zosima in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. It relates to what we have been saying about truth and authenticity.
Above all, do not lie to yourself. A man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where he does not discern any truth either in himself or anywhere around him, and thus falls into disrespect towards himself and others. Not respecting anyone, he ceases to love, and having no love, he gives himself up to the passions and coarse pleasures, in order to occupy and amuse himself, and in his vices reaches complete bestiality, and it all comes from lying continually to others and to himself.
From Garrison Keillor (thanks to Mike Cope):
I love reading Christmas newsletters in which the writer bursts the bonds of modesty and comes forth with one gilt-edged paragraph after another: ‘Tara was top scorer on the Lady Cougars soccer team and won the lead role in the college production of Antigone, which by the way they are performing in the original Greek. Her essay on chaos theory as an investment strategy will be in the next issue of Fortune magazine, the same week she’ll appear as a model in Vogue. How she does what she does and still makes Phi Beta Kappa is a wonderment to us all. And, yes, she is still volunteering at the homeless shelter.’
This is rough on us whose children are not paragons. Most children aren’t. A great many teenage children go through periods when they loathe you and go around slamming doors and playing psychotic music and saying things like ‘I wish I had never been born,’ which is a red-hot needle stuck under your fingernail. One must be very selective, writing about them for the annual newsletter: ‘Sean is becoming very much his own person and is unafraid to express himself. He is a lively presence in our family and his love of music is a thing to behold.’
I come from Minnesota, where it’s considered shameful to be shameless, where modesty is always in fashion, where self-promotion is looked at askance. Give us a gold trophy and we will have it bronzed so you won’t think that we think we’re special. There are no Donald Trumps in Minnesota: We strangled them all in their cribs. A football player who likes to do his special dance after scoring a touchdown is something of a freak.
To read all of Keillor’s piece click HERE
So what do you think of Christmas Letters? Do you send them/get them?
Have any Christmas memories/stories you want to share this week?
Do you like Christmas? Why or Why not?
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
32 comments:
Here is a funny from Gary Pruett. It is funny because it reflects reality, in my opinion.
This is the time of year when we think back to the very
first Christmas, when the Three Wise Men -- Gaspar,
Balthazar, and Herb -- went to see the baby Jesus and,
according to the Book of Matthew, "presented unto Him gifts;
gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we
discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological
fact: there is no mention of wrapping paper.
If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said
so: "And lo, the gifts were inside 600 square cubits of
paper. And the paper was festooned with pictures of Frosty
the Snowman. And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but
Mary saideth unto him, she saideth, 'Holdeth it! That is
nice paper! Saveth it for next year!' And Joseph did rolleth
his eyeballs. And the baby Jesus was more interested in the
paper than the frankincense."
But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that
the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is
because the people giving those gifts had two important
characteristics:
1. They were wise.
2. They were men.
Men are not big gift wrappers. Men do not understand the
point of putting paper on a gift just so somebody else can
tear it off. This is not just my opinion, this is a
scientific fact based on a statistical survey of two guys I
know. One is Rob, who said the only time he ever wraps a
gift is "if it's such a poor gift that I don't want to be
there when the person opens it." The other is Gene, who told
me he does wrap gifts, but as a matter of principle never
takes more than 15 seconds per gift. "No one ever had to
wonder which presents daddy wrapped at Christmas," Gene
said. "They were the ones that looked like enormous
spitballs."
I also wrap gifts, but because of some defect in my motor
skills, I can never completely wrap them. I can take a gift
the size of a deck of cards and put it the exact center of a
piece of wrapping paper the size of a regulation volleyball
court, but when I am done folding and taping, you can still
see a sector of the gift peeking out. (Sometimes I
camouflage this sector with a marking pen.) If I had been an
ancient Egyptian in the field of mummies, the lower half of
the Pharaoh's body would be covered only by Scotch tape.
On the other hand, if you give my wife a 12-inch square of
wrapping paper, she can wrap a C-130 cargo plane. My wife,
like many women, actually likes wrapping things. If she
gives you a gift that requires batteries, she wraps the
batteries separately, which to me is very close to being a
symptom of mental illness. If it were possible, my wife
would wrap each individual volt.
My point is that gift-wrapping is one of those skills like
having babies that come more naturally to women than to men.
That is why today I am presenting:
Gift Wrapping Tips for Men:
* Whenever possible, buy gifts that are already wrapped. If,
when the recipient opens the gift, neither one of you
recognizes it, you can claim that it's myrrh.
* The editors of Woman's Day magazine recently ran an item
on how to make your own wrapping paper by printing a design
on it with an apple sliced in half horizontally and dipped
in a mixture of food coloring and liquid starch. They must
be smoking crack. If you're giving a hard-to-wrap gift, skip
the wrapping paper! Just put it inside a bag and stick one
of those little adhesive bows on it. This creates a festive
visual effect that is sure to delight the lucky recipient on
Christmas morning:
YOUR WIFE: Why is there a Hefty trash bag under the tree?
YOU: It's a gift! See? It has a bow!
YOUR WIFE (peering into the trash bag): It's a leaf blower.
YOU: Gas-powered! Five horsepower!
YOUR WIFE: I want a divorce.
YOU: I also got you some myrrh.
In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what
you give, or how you wrap it. The important thing, during
this very special time of year, is that you save the
receipt.
Ho Ho Ho
I want you to know
I had to work
and I missed you all so.
Merry Christmas!
I remember as a child hiding behind a big chair in the living room, waiting to catch santa, but I fell asleep waiting and woke up in my own bed.
I have always loved Christmas. Being a single mom most of my life and not being able to get my kids a lot of stuff during the year, I used Christmas time as a time to pour forth my love and get neat stuff the kids had done without most of the year. I only asked my mother over once to share watching the kids open presents...she thought it was too much and kind of ruined it. To me giving is the greatest thing. Picking out special gifts that people will like just does something for me. When I was a little younger, after I would put the kids to bed, I would get the presents out and spread them out on the bed and imagine how they were going to like them...silly huh?
Also, as a child, I still remember hearing the song 'what child is this' for the first time and how it made me want to cry. I still get a warm loving feeling when I hear it. Isn't it neat that when you are a little kid you can relate to baby Jesus and the whole Christmas story but when you get older you get the real gift of Jesus himself?
Can you tell I just woke up? Cause I sure did ramble...
Annette
Ramble on, sister. I enjoy reading it.
I came across THIS interesting article this morning. It presents a lot of things to think about.
It asked kids in the UK what the very best thing in the world is. Here are how their answers ranked: 1. Being a Celebrity 2. Good Looks 3. Being Rich 4. Being Healthy 5. Pop Music 6. Families 7. Friends 8. Nice Food 9. Watching Films 10. Heaven/God.
Meanwhile "killing" and "wars" head the list of the "very worst things in the world", followed by drunks, bullies, illness, smoking, stealing, divorce and being fat. Dying is in tenth place.
* * *
We had two flying squirrels in our backyard last night. My three crazy sons watched them for a while before terrorizing the poor little beasts in an effort to make them “fly.” A good time was had by all, except the squirrels. I guess they weren’t too terrified because they came back for more food from my bird feeders.
* * *
Since Christmas is soon upon us, are you working hard this week or hardly working?
Thanks, Diane. You are very kind. Wish I could live up to what God wants me to be. Thankful for His grace and mercy. I write personal hand written Christmas letters to friends I went all through school with and have been friends with ever since. There were a total of 19 of us who graduated together in our small school before consolidation and ten of us went all through school together and are still friends. We graduated together in 1963 so that tells you how old I am. I have resisted writing the 'Christmas Form Letter' because it is impersonal and does not address the person I am writing to directly. I have a cousin in Kankakee, IL that writes every year catching me up on her family and their health and what they have done the past year. A lifetime friend in Virginia wrote yesterday reminiscing about growing up together and how blessed we were to have each other as 'best friends'. Her family brought me to church for many years and I walked to meet my ride with them. They picked me up sometimes too. She retired from teaching in the Naval base in Norfolk, VA and they moved to the country as soon as they retired. Back to their roots. There was one Christmas I remember when we were little and still believed in Santa and as usual Daddy took Mother to pick up some Christmas the night before just before the stores closed. We each got one gift and one of Daddy's socks was filled with an orange, peanuts, chocolate haystacks and hard candy for each of us. As we waited at Grandma's house for them to return that night. We looked up at the sky and imagined Santa crossing over and watching and listening fervently for any sign of him. Grandma had a fireplace and the fire was lit that night and I remember feeling warm and safe at Grandma's that cold night on Christmas eve many years ago. With our own children Bill tells of the time when Brent still believed and was restless and hard to get down for the night. Bill was assembling something and he heard Brent and he took off his belt which jingled and he shook it and we heard his footsteps running back to bed. The year Bill sold a classic old truck in mint condition in order to buy Christmas in our lean years was probably the biggest sacrifice we ever made. We kept the the Atari game we bought with part of the money and the games but one of the kids has it now. We have been so blessed with our little family and I was so blessed growing up in my large one (we were similar to the Waltons) and Chistmas is a very special time of the year for me. The celebration of the birth of Christ and the memories of school plays depicting that birth. I got to play Mary one year and that was special. Time to quit. Have a great day and a beautiful season of love and family times.
For some reason, I just can't get into the holiday spirit..maybe its the weather but normally I am the one who has my X-mas tree up countin the days down. Did start a new tradition this year, went to the library got some books about X-mas, wrapped them and each day the kids will pick a book out counting the days down until Christmas. Helps with them wanting to open presents and we get to read a new book before bedtime. FUN FUN!! Anyway haven't posted for awhile and just wanted to know if anyone else was a scrooge like me :)
Joni Mathews
Joni, I think the weather is a big factor. I am hoping for snow on Christmas day; outside shot, according to my sources. Back when our kids were little Kedra figured out a way to control some of the excitement of anticipation. She instituted “day presents”: small gifts given each day, beginning one week before Christmas Day. The kids loved it. This year we suggested that maybe we could stop the tradition, but kids were strongly opposed. “Day presents” continue! They began today. We do an Advent candle for the whole month. I’ll share more of our Christmas traditions later in the week. I would like for others to share theirs as well.
* * *
Some photos from the trail marathon Tony and I ran on December 2nd are available by clicking HERE.
* * *
For those who want to send a card:
Marian Stephens Room 403
c/o Riverbend Assisted Living
2715 Charlestown Pike
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
* * *
Sherron, I love reading your stories. I want to encourage you to write more and more for the book you need to publish. What would be a good title for Sherron’s book?
* * *
I worked down at the ReGeneration Store today. Matthew is doing a great job, and store is doing very well. Thank God.
* * *
About time to go check on the flying squirrels...
we as children used to torment the flying squirrels. they made a home in a birdhouse next to my basketball court. we would shake the pole until they would fly out and land near the bottom of a tree about 25 feet away. this would drive my shepherd crazy trying to catch them. i always prodded him to catch one until finally he did and then i beat him until he released it, stupid kids!! once donny goldsberry caught one and ended up with about 30 cuts on two fingers, again stupid kids!! every year i am sad that i can't get my children all of the things that they want and don't need, and every year my kids pleasantly surprise me with immensely enjoying the cheapest gifts that we get them. i truly believe that my kids would understand if we couldn't buy them one gift as long as we could spend good time together as a family. me and trey spent a whole day hunting in the woods and we had such a great time. after quality time together it is amazing how affectionate the kids are. kids thrive on quality time spent together with parents, it has become evident to me how important this is for children, as well as parents. i love my kids tw
I enjoy reading everyones comments. It is about 12:30 in the morning and I am just finishing up some work and wanted to check out the blog. Brent & B.A. are staying at my brother, Kevin's in Linton tonight...He had a football party tonight because he has been a true Bengals fan ever since he was a little boy and he thought he was going to be able to rub in how they beat the Colts! I can't wait until tomorrow to call him...my team won and his lost! HaHa!! We are a very competitive bunch!
anyway, I wanted to let Joni know that she is not alone. This year is not as festive for us as it normally is...I do think the weather has some to do with it, but for the most part I feel sad for my brother Shad, he loves the Holidays and spending time with family. We are a close family and even though we like to compete and give each other a hard time and even argue some...we usually go out and play football or something crazy and see who gets hurt first or in a fight first...all in loving fun! we all love being together! I know that he is feeling very lonely and I wish he was here at home! This year my mom doesn't want to have Christmas with Shad gone and she still misses Stan(my step dad who passed away 5 years ago), so me & Kevin deceided, once again we would do something different this year. He has to work so we will get togehter New Year's and let the kids open gifts and we will probably have finger foods instead of our usual big meal. We have webcams so when Shad is able to get on-line we will here him knock and hopefully the webcams and speakers will all be working good and we will be able to see and hear him and he us! We tried at thanksgiving and the systems were not working well so he got to call us and talk with everyone. I'm very proud of my little brother, I know this has been hardest on him and we can't wait for his return home! I am very blessed with a wonderful husband, two wonderful boys
, mom, dad,brothers, nephews and a neice, and a loving church family! You can probably tell I have been up way too long and probably am not making any sense! So i'm going to go after I tell you all how very blessed I feel with the Church Family I have gotten to know! And I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all the prayers for Shad and his kids, and also for all the wonderful stuff that was sent from the church to Shad and his buddies. he wanted me to tell everyone THANK YOU and he will try to write soon with his own words of thanks! I love you all! God Bless and have a Merry Christmas.
LB
Like Joni, I just was thinking on the way in to work today, I am not in the Christmas spirit this year at all. Not sure what the reason and it may be the weather, but not a lot of Christmas spirit for me. Bret however, is so into it. She loves to give people stuff. Even though we let her buy things at the mall, etc. she absolutely loves to do the "secret Santa" at school where she buys gifts all on her own with no input from us. It is funny later that she tells us why she bought what she did for each person. She puts so much thought into each gift. I wish I had that insight and heart to the gifts I buy. It seems as adults we just look at the price and check that it is on the list and then hand over the $. Really that seems to miss the whole point.
TW, I watch your interaction with your kids and it is very obvious you adore them and they adore you!
Sherron, another great post. PLease write the book soon! Not sure what to call it. Maybe "Memories of raising Bill, Brent and Rod" ( Sorry, Jason is still Rod to me!)
Diane, if you think it is slow this week, wait until next week! About 75% of the people who are here next week bring their kids with them.
Annette I like your poem.
Laura, I truly feel for your family and for your brother who is serving abroad. What a big sacrifice.
Allen, who took the pictures?
Flying squirrels?
FLYING SQUIRREL
* * *
I don’t know who took the pictures of Tony and me, but clearly we are the best looking runners in the state. Does it surprise you that we would attract so much interest?
* * *
You deer hunters out there need THIS!
* * *
Good Kierkegaard quote:
Christianity did not come in order to develop the heroic virtues in the individual but rather to remove selfishness. It is not a matter of improving yourself up to a certain maximum. Why, this can so easily become nothing but selfishness and pride.
* * *
Saw Jack Cox today. He is doing better. He was thrilled that Deb Edwards brought some of her students by to sing Christmas carols. That warms my heart also.
* * *
Laura B., thanks for sharing what’s going on with you and your family. It helps me to be more empathetic and compassionate.
* * *
TW is one of the most interesting people I know.
Have any thoughts about Miss USA getting a "second chance"? HERE'S the story.
We have so many Christmas traditions it's not even funny!
Our biggest when i was little had to be going light looking on Christmas Eve! We would always leave the house around 5 and go pick up my Mamaw and step Grandpa and drive around the entire county looking at all the lights we could find. One year, we even got lost on the gravel roads of Martin county trying to find a house that won a rural light award. Later did we find out, Mom and Dad did it in an attempt to tire us out so they could put our presents from "Santa" out at a decent hour. Additionally, we also as a family watch the Grinch and a Charlie Brown Christmas.
As for me personally, i always look forward to Christmas Eve morning so i can go help my grandpa set up everything for our Christmas party for that side of the family. (The 23rd this year though) Besides my parents, my grandpa is the best guy in the world. After we set up the tables and chairs, clean the floor, and put get the room heated, we go over to the old Oolitic High School gym and shoot some hoops. He's up in his 80's now, but he can still hit about 95% of his free throws underhand style. He always tells me stories about his playing days back in the 30's and never tells the same story twice. What i love the most though is that he always tells me Christmas stories about my Grandma, whom i never got to meet. Even though she's been gone for 21 years now, he still loves her to death, and that's a great example for everyone, especially me as i look forward to getting married soon. I've rambled, but i really love my grandpa a lot, and i know we don't have many Christmas Eve's left to hang out and that saddens me, but i also cherish the memories i'll have for the rest of my life with him.
Chad
Chad, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for sharing.
A little more Kierkegaard for you this morning. This a another long book. I hope to be done in the next day or two. I am trying to decide what to read next. I have narrowed it to these two (no kidding): ZEN and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance or Lauren Winter's Real Sex - The Naked Truth about Chasity.
Oh yeah, back to Kierkegaard:
The birth of Christ is an event not only on earth but also in heaven. Our justification is likewise an event not only on earth but also in heaven.
* * *
Christ is not love, according to the human notion of love. He is the truth, absolute truth. Therefore he does not defend himself. He permits us to become guilty of his death which reveals the truth in the most radical way.
* * *
Anyone else want to share Christmas customs/traditions? I'll share ours later on.
First, I apologize for not adding my name last post I did. Most, I figure, know it was me.
Chad; great post man. Anytime you drive down in the area your dad and I grew up is an adventure!
Allen: Zen is an interesting book, but not one of my favorites. I would rate it there as one of those books just to add to your list of "I have read that". I suggest you read "The Bell Curve". That is one of my favorite books and Rhonna thinks I am a total geek because I read it in the first place and secondly because I think it was a good book. Oh well, the truth not only sets you free it hurts too! Ha
On the Miss USA thing, I think it is a big publicity stunt. Who cares really. Actually, Trump is just using it to get his name out there and make it look like he is a good person and has feelings etc. If he had of canned her it would have been "end of story". Now this way they can milk it for weeks and he can get a big amount of press. If she screws up and gets canned later, not Trump's fault and he looks like the hero. Win win for him.
I would like to pose a question I have been debating for a while. What do you all think about the lost mountain climbers on Mt. Hood? My question deals with putting yourself in a position of danger knowingly and especially in extreme danger. I have followed this story because mountain climbing absolutely fascinates me to the nth degree. A group of my buddies and I want to climb this mountain ( actually more of hike) in California, that they only allow a set number to attempt per year. I find the whole process absolutely stimulating. But back to my question. The climber they have found already is reported to have been a great father of four and a very strong Christian. I have been struggling though with the thought of him going out on this climb and others knowing the danger and that he may not return. In not returning he leaves a window and four fatherless kids. Is he not being selfish in going out to fill his own quest for excitment and is this not tempting God in some way? Is this wrong? One of my best friends, is training for an Ironman ( 2.5 open water swim, 26.2 mile run and 115 mile bike ride all in succession). He actually told his wife that if he did not train properly, this event could kill him and he totally believes it. He has two daughters the same age as mine as well. Is this selfish on his part and is he tempting God in believing that through his training and faith God will take care of him.
Just something I struggle with.
Interested in your thoughts.
Oh yeah, I just about forgot. Allen, TW is interesting. I love him becuase of that. TW is TW and that is what is so great about him. You get what you get and God loves him for that.
RR
OK...Laura and Chad thanks for making me cry!!! I really feel for you and your family Laura and I will keep praying for you all. Chad I think that is great to hear about you and your Grandpa...really neat you are so close. One of my favorite memories is of my Dad...he loved to dress up as Santa (even though he acted like he didn't). On
X-mas eve when we have our big family thing he would put on the costume and come in with a big red bag filled with toys for all the kids. What was so neat was the kids would ask him questions like..."What's my mom and dad's name"...and he would know the answer so they would keep asking about other members of their families and he could always answer their questions...this really fascinated them. It was so neat to watch the look on their faces and the amazement. Sadly now we have no one that wants to dress up as Santa...so this is one tradition that my kids will miss out on...they are also missing out on a great Grandpa...but they love to hear stories about him. I like the fact that my kids are finally starting to get the idea that it is not about what gifts you get..it is about spending time with family. The other day in the van they were talking about what
x-mas was really about...and Ally's answer was Jesus...and both the boys agreed...that really warmed my heart and things like that really put me in the Christmas spirit.
Has anyone else had trouble finding x-mas gifts for their kids this year? Man I have...it is harder to find things that really make their minds work...not just sitting in front of a tv with a video game or something of that nature.
I like Joni's idea of the books each day...we might have to try that one next year...I have been suprised my kids haven't really bothered me to be opening presents...maybe that is b/c I have none wrapped and under the tree yet...haha
I would also like to thank everyone that helped out and donated toys for the toy sale. It was a huge success and we couldn't have done it without all of you. We have such a great and loving church family here that always comes through...not matter what is asked of them. I feel very blessed to be a part of that. I love all of you and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!!
Melissa
I think the Miss American thing is a sad reflection of where our country is headed (do I sound old?). I can remember that there was a time when only the most upstanding and accomplished young ladies were allowed to represent their country with this honor. Were there no other representatives to choose from that had better values than this one. We treat alcoholism and drug abuse as diseases when it has more to do with values or the lack of them. True, they are addictions that have gone out of control but when you take that first drink or use that first drug as a young person, do you know if you can stop there? Noone knows if they have the propensity within them that will not let them stop at one. None of us do. So why try? We still need to treat those with these problems with compassion and respect but keep in mind it could have been us. Believe me it has touched our extended family and the problems it entails are enormous.
Being an overprotective mother, I think taking needless chances and knowing the results could harm your family and cause them to feel your loss the rest of their lives is a little on the selfish side. God gives us the grace and mercy and comfort to deal with loss but why tempt God and the risk of hurting our families. However, as the croc hunter said, life is dangerous and we do not know when we leave home what our destiny is and we should thank God for each safe journey we take, each car that saw us and stopped in time, safely crossing a street because none of us know when our time will come and we need to live thankfully and well each day. Can you tell I was the oldest child in a family of seven and was the one who got in trouble if one of the little ones got hurt. I was the 'guardian' of all the little ones. I guess I still feel that way. Have a great day everyone and have a very merry Christmas with your families. Love you all, Sherron
Thanks for your post Chad. It made me think about my grandpa, Paps, who passed away four years ago. He was cool man. Full of integrity, intelligent, a great storyteller, very warm and kind. He was a great family man and took his Christian faith very seriously. I appreciate his legacy so much. I also am thankful for his example of love and faithfulness to his wife. Even when they were 70, he would stand to greet and hug her when she returned home from an outing. Since I was small, we have always gone to their house for a Christmas Eve dinner of Papa John's AND Pizza Hut pizza, followed by opening our piles of presents. I have wonderful memories of this tradition. We still do this, but his absence is very felt. I wish my children could have known him! My nanny is a great example of strength and courage...she misses him so much. Spending time with her makes me more aware of the other people around me who miss loved ones at Christmastime. This is a bittersweet season for many people, isn't it?
Don't want to be a downer, so I'll end by saying this: I am so thankful for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and for our Father who sent Him. I am thankful for my wonderful husband, whom I love more every year, and for my sweet children, who are answers to many prayers. Celebrating Christmas with them is priceless. :)
"Christmas Spirit" has nothing to do with the weather. And, it can't be forced. I usually feel a little empty and sad until just a few days before Christmas, then something will happen to make things 'right.' It always does. Next year, tho, I'd like to look into a Christmas program for the kids, if it won't give the more conservative members of our congregation a collective case of the vapors! Something about little kids singing carols, with tinsel garland halos and costumes made out of old bedsheets seems very traditional and sweet.
Donna
" a case of the vapors"
Man, I have not heard that for ever. I almost spit coffee out my nose on that one! Thanks Donna!
Donna, I love your idea. Somehow though, the thought of the Boxcar children story of the Christmas Padgett comes to mind.
Great Christmas and memory story by all.
Hope my wife believes Christmas is not about what you get since I haven't bought her any present yet this year! What is today, the 21st? Great I still have a couple days to work on that. Maybe I can "regift". Ha ha.
Allen, I enjoyed the class last night. Interesting discussion.
RR
There are so many things to say about the previous posts that I have decided to say nothing. [You, however, should feel free to fire away at Ryan.] It would take too much space. I will say, “Thanks!” I thoroughly enjoy this method of communication/interaction and feel abundantly blessed by you sharing your thoughts.
One last Kierkegaard quote (finished the book this morning), which seems very appropriate for what we’re celebrating presently:
The more superior one person is to another whom he loves, the more he will feel tempted, humanly speaking, to draw the other up to himself. Divinely speaking, however, the more he will feel moved to come down to him. This is the logic of love. Strange that people have not seen this in Christianity.
Kinda reminds me of this (from Philippians 2):
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Everyone has such good insights! Chad, I can remember when i was little we use to do the same thing we would drive for hours looking at all the Christmas lights and each year we would know exactly which houses we would want to see first, because of how many lights they had from the year before. Even though we would be packed in our little junky car with my older brother and our two little brothers it is a great memory for me of all of us being together and I do mean close together! I can also remember getting lost...I will have to ask my parents if that was the reason, i just always thought my dad was trying to find new houses for us to look at and got lost...I'll check that out!
My whole family would meet at grandma Hale's for Christmas and she had a very tiny house and there would be anywhere from 15 to 20 people in her small house at the same time. It was Great!!! Her cooking was fantastic too! I miss her, she was a sweet loving grandma!
It is funny but most of my favorite memories are of us being PACKED together in the car or the house together!!!
On the Miss USA thing. The song that we sing ...can't thing of the whole thing just right now (It's been a long week) but the part about...forgive me for the things of my youth...comes to mind when I think about this topic!
Rhonna, Shad loved the letters from your class! and wanted me to be sure and tell you that he really appreciated the efforts and thoughts from you and the kids! Thanks to everyone he sent him something in his package and most of all thank you your prayers!
I hope you all have a wonderful CHRIST-mas!!! Love you all!
LB
Chad, you made me cry. I haven't known papaw as long as you and Michael but I love spending time with him and Lorene. I'm excited to experience the Mitchell Christmas for the first time this year! :O)
Like Joni, I dont feel like i'm in the christmas spirit. Maybe its a little bit of how busy work is and my utter excitement for the wedding next weekend. But i think its just hard for me to get in the spirit of something that is just so far from what christmas is really about. How has our culture moved so far away from christmas that its now a "december to remember?" I dont want to loose sight of why we have christmas!!
My parents started a tradition many years ago that we all only got 3 presents at christmas because thats how many presents Jesus got. For a few years we even got a brithday cake that said "Happy Birthday Jesus" I really enjoyed those times in truely celebrating the brith of Jesus. I'm hopeful that Michael and i can continue those traditions with our future children. One of my biggest fears of becoming a parent someday is that my children will miss out on what christmas really is.
This year I'm looking forward to new traditions! Michael and I are getting pizza on christmas eve and driving around looking at lights while eating our pizza. We're also planning to stay at Diana and Anthony's. (This is the tradition i'm looking forward to most, I think it will be really neat) We're also continuing a tradition of my parents were we get to open new p.j.'s on christmas eve. (my mom told me she did this so that our pictures on christmas morning would look nice because we were all in our new p.j.'s but I really like it!!)
I am a little sad that i wont see my parents this year for christmas, this is the first time ever. But I'll spend time with my new family and it will be great!!
Kedra typed out a long post for this thing, and somehow something went wrong to the point she lost it all. I've been there a couple of times. Anyway, she was going to tell you that one of our "day presents" (see above) is new pj's or sleep pants for everyone. It is a popular gift. Like Erin's folks, we started it out of concern for better looking Christmas morning photos! Is that pride? ha ha Unlike Diane and Bob, we don't wear them out in public! ha ha.
Here is a little bit of our Christmas tradition. My family of six is trying to carve out a family tradition on Christmas Eve. We’re doing pretty well so far. The highlight is Kedra’s famous fried chicken. It is the best stuff I have ever eaten. The meal is eaten by candlelight, with Christmas music playing in the background. We usually have a bottle of sparkling grape juice and/or the little bottles of coke. Following the meal we exchange some, not all, gifts. Before the meal we usually go to a movie. This is the only time all year we do this. (This year we are not going; not much to see, and we have church.) Following the movie Kedra and Rebecca go home to prepare the feast. The boys and I go on a driving adventure, exploring different parts of the county. This year we are headed out to the northwest section.
On Christmas morning we hold the kids off until 7 a.m. This is becoming less of an issue as they get older. When Lester and Luke were younger, they would start waking us up in the 4 o’clock hour, if I remember correctly. We still put a “Santa present” out for each child. The kids line up in the hall, donned in new pj’s, awaiting the camera man’s signal to enter the room. Stockings are also filled for each child, carefully placed next to the Santa gift. Following that frenzy other gifts are exchanged. My parents come up at 9 to have breakfast: sausage casserole, fruit, and other yummy stuff.
Later in the day we go to my parents and are joined by my sisters and their families. We exchange gifts and make fun of the slow unwrapping techniques employed by the women. Then, instead of the traditional Christmas meal, we have Dominoes Pizza. The store opens at 4 p.m. Later in the evening we watch Christmas Vacation. It has been my job for the last 10 years plus (how long we have been doing this) to use the remote to hit mute for the bad words and fast forward through a couple of bad parts. Well, the last few years my age and slow reflexes have caught up to me; not as quick as I used to be. Lester says he is taking over this year. Time to pass the remote torch.
I’m sure Kedra could give you a more accurate, meaningful description of what we do, but I think I am pretty close. I just enjoy it all.
Marriage Humor
The last fight was my fault. My wife asked, "What's on the TV?" I said, "Dust!"
In the beginning, God created earth and rested. Then God created man and rested. Then God created woman. Since then, neither God nor man has rested.
My wife and I are inseparable. In fact, last week it took four state troopers and a dog.
Do you know the punishment for bigamy? Two mothers-in-law.
A man inserted an ad in the classified: "Wife wanted." Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once.
First guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!" Second guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."
How do most men define marriage? An expensive way to get laundry done for free.
Just think, if it weren't for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no faults at all.
If you want your wife to listen and pay undivided attention to every word you say, talk in your sleep.
Then there was a man who said, "I never knew what real happiness was until I got married; and then it was too late."
A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?" And the father replied, "I don't know son, I'm still paying."
OH GINO! Man, may the Lord and the women have mercy on your soul! (And mine too for laughing so much.)
And I should say right here and now: I LOVE MY WONDERFUL WIFE!
Ok. Here goes for the second time I wrote all of what your about to read already and it was lost to the cyber devil who mysteriously steals your precious thoughts never to return them(I'll save them from now on) I know how you feel Kedra. O well there was a million mispelled words and probably bad grammar and punctuation and my wife will probably be imbarassed by my writing but here goes. I think Gary Pruett is crazy and we need more people like him. Allen I think the people at PAMOS(People aginst the mistreatment of squirrls) needs to here of your deavious activity. When I was young my parents would take us out looking at christmas lights. After we were done looking at light we would come home and santa would have undoubtably came. We never caught on that mom was the last one out of the house when we were leaving to go look at lights. I think this christmas is missing some of its past aura. I did'nt put up any christmas lights this year. Thats what it is. Next year I'm gonna put them darn lights, Landon was kinda sad when he came home from college and did'nt see the usual lights displays. Lauren and Liz felt the same way to. OH Allen that link you gave us of the hunters station wagon,it reminded me of the family truckster from Vacation.1. Also while I'm talking to you I want to shead some light on who took those pics of you at your woods run. My hat goes off to the talents of those blue screen dudes, they really can make things seen real can't they.HA! HA!. I really got to give my wife credit for picking out all of those christmas gifts for our kids. Its not like I don't like to go pick thing out but I just am not on her schedule. When I get home from work we try to be there when our kids get home,you know dinners together quality time. So she just has to do the shopping during the day.I think RR was right about those mountain climbers. A wise person(my wife) once told me when I try to live on the edge or make a fool out of myself,I'm not the only one it effects now that I have a family.I guess this is a good time to say what a great and smart wife I have, she is truly the christmas gift that keeps on giving(22yrs now). Melissa I think if you hav'nt gotten your kids any Lego's they are definatly missing out. Lego's are good for girls and boys alike. They have many building themes. AS for the Miss America or whatever the title is,let me say before I sound bashing. I am as sinful as anyone and know that with the measure I judge anyone is how I'll be judged. This is just my opinion. If she was made of what the pagent is looking for she would have already stepped down on her own. As for Donald Trump he had no other option but to give her another chance given his past. He is just where the buck stops since he owns/runs the pagent. RR you have plenty of time to get your wife a presents it is only now dec 23 you still have time. Just don't be like that guy on TV who gave his boy a pack of bologna and his girl a tub of protein powder. Well I'd better go so I can continue my eating marathon (see Allen your not the only on who competes in marathons). MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. T-roy.
Hey Allen, if you get a e-mail from follower_of_christ36 please do not toss it into the trash can cause it is mine.
SPOKANE, Wash. - A woman hopped aboard buses, greeted passengers with "Merry Christmas" and handed each an envelope containing a card and a $50 bill before stepping off and repeating the process on another bus.
She did it so quickly that descriptions of the woman varied among surprised Spokane Transit Authority passengers on several routes Thursday, The Spokesman-Review newspaper reported Friday.
"She kind of kept her head down. I don't remember ever seeing this lady before," said bus driver Max Clemons."I had a young man in the back of the bus. He looked like he was going to start crying. He said in broken English, 'She don't know how much this will mean to me at Christmas,'" Clemons said.
Transit authority spokesman Dan Kolbet said efforts to identify the gift-giver were unsuccessful. Her generosity didn't appear to be part of a marketing gimmick, he said.The woman gave envelopes to about 20 passengers, he said. Each was sealed with a sticker that said: "To a friend from a friend."
The woman, accompanied by one or two young boys, pulled the envelopes out of a cloth satchel. The buses were pulling away from stops before riders even knew what happened.
"There was a lot of excitement. People were making calls on their cell phones," said driver Terry Dobson, who had two of his trips visited by the mystery woman. "The people on those buses really needed the money." Hours after the impromptu gift-giving, Dobson was still giddy."It was just a neat thing," he said. "It makes you tingle all over."
Hope all have a wondeful Christmas
Hey, I am headed to Spokane to do some bus riding! Just kidding. Really, I am just kidding.
T-roy, not to be confused with T-dub or TW, that was a classic! Whatcha been drinking? Big Red?
Oh,last night we had the elders and few other leaders over. Later in the evening, after most had left, we checked on the fly squirrels. One was there! He put on quite a show. And now even as I write this the boys are calling out SQUIRREL!!. Back now. Had to draw the line at shooting bottle rockets at the little creature. Didn't want the PAMOS people after me.
See you in the morning! I will be the one up front in A SUIT AND TIE!
Hey Allen,I am a squirrel lover and if your kids harm one hair on the squirrel head,I am taking it out on your hide. Just kidding. Well God obviously did not want us going to Pittsburg because the truck broke down and we had to get someone to come out and tow the truck. So I guess we will see you in church tomorrow.
Post a Comment