BBQ Anyone?

The funny thing (or not so funny thing) is that this picture was taken before it really started snowing hard!

Gift or Present?

Now that Thanksgiving is over, thoughts immediately turn to Christmas. (How can they not with the way it is thrown at you like a 90mph fast ball?) This weekend my Mom, Sister-in-Law, and I had a conversation about Christmas lists. I wouldn’t call it a debate, because we were all requesting lists from each other. However, I commented that it felt funny writing out a list of things I wanted. It felt sort of like saying, “Here’s what I want…get it for me”. My Mom, on the other hand, argued that it’s nice to get a Christmas list from someone and get them something they would really love and enjoy, rather than making an attempt (albeit, a sincere one) to pick something out for them that they might not need or want. On a side note, it’s funny to hear my Mom say this, because she, more than any other person I know, has the knack for picking out the PERFECT gift for anyone! Anyway, the topic brings up the bigger issue of gifts versus presents. My husband uses his pulpit to speak to this subject at least once a year at Christmas and sometimes more often than that. To buy someone a present, all that is required is that you go to the store, get something and give it. No forethought, no idea or even care if the person would like it. A gift, however, comes from the heart and has thought put behind it. A gift giver knows the receiver well enough to know what he/she might like, what their hobbies are, what their favorite color is, etc… But as I think about this, it seems to put tremendous pressure on me when buying gifts. I had better know my family and friends well enough to know exactly what they would or wouldn’t like. Yikes. So at the same time that I feel funny about writing out a Christmas list, I have to admit, I love getting them from all the members of my family. But all the while, I feel slightly saddened and guilty at what Christmas has become in terms of materialism. How about you? Do you have a vote for Christmas lists or no Christmas lists, how about a comment on the commercialism or materialism of Christmas? Click on the comment link below this post to add your remark or opinion. In the mean time, if you vote “yes” for lists, you can checkout http://www.wishlist.com/. For a cool site for creating those holiday wish lists.

True Thankfulness

On Thanksgiving morning I was up while the house was quiet and everyone was still sleeping. As I sat in my overstuffed chair with my hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee, I began to think about the things I’m thankful for. It was half in the form of a prayer and half just letting my mind ponder. It went something like this…”Lord, I’m so thankful for the blessings that you’ve given me that I don’t deserve. I’m so thankful for my family and the relationship that we have. Family, family, hmmm, I wonder what I should get my Dad for Christmas, maybe clothes….Hmmm, my son really needs some new clothes too, Hmmm, JC Penney is having a huge sale tomorrow….Hmmm, I really need some new clothes. Gee, I could get myself those pants I’ve been needing and I’m sure they would have some great shirts and sweaters, ooh, and a new belt...” You can see where this went. What started as thankfulness very quickly turned into a “me-centered” deluge of thoughts and a list of things I wanted. Ouch. Luckily I caught myself. My next round of thinking went something like this…”What a scumbag I am. How could I be so selfish? Why am I so easily distracted that I can’t even focus on what I’m thankful for for 5 minutes without it becoming about me? I’m not worthy to be called a Christian, let alone a Pastor’s Wife.” And then it struck me. God’s mercies to me (and you) are new every morning. He wipes our slate clean and sees us that way each and every day. Now THAT’S really something to be thankful for.

Dark Day For Showers Everywhere

This morning at 5:45 (yes, I WAS up...don't look so surprised) we were having a big wind storm. It had snowed a couple of inches during the night and then warmed up and now was raining on top of the snow, creating gross slush. Anyway, at 5:45, the power went out. Probably a result of heavy, wet snow or a tree taking out the main line somewhere. Of course power outages mean not only losing power, but water, as well. After finding and lighting candles (a huge task because who knows where all my candles are since we just moved), I gathered my clothes and my makeup, and my myriads of hair care products (and my son and his clothes, etc...) and headed to my best friends house (in my pajamas) at 6:45 for a shower. (thank goodness for best friends).

Her and her husband graciously cleared out of the bathroom and master bedroom. I dropped my heap of stuff, got situated and started peeling my clothes off to jump in the shower. zzzzztttt, zzzzzttttt......darkness. Her power went out. Definitely not funny. So today I'm wearing extra deodorant and yesterday's hairdo. It's good thing that posting pictures on blogs is optional.

Where Do We Meet God?

I was feeling strange about following a serious post about Women of Faith with something as lighthearted as a sick kid on Halloween night. But when you think about it, and specifically for the Christian, isn’t that what life is really all about…merging the serious, deep issues of faith and your relationship with God with the mundane everyday tasks that make up our lives. Even when your life may contain sick kids, stacks of dirty dishes and laundry, a job or boss you’re disillusioned with… That is where we meet God on an everyday basis and it’s in those mundane and sometimes gross moments that we encounter the almighty God of the universe. He loves us so much that He’s willing to step into our disgusting world just to pursue relationship with us. It’s a sobering thought. So I suppose when I rethink my feelings of uneasiness at mixing blog posts about God and puke, it really drives me to thankfulness and a deeper relationship with Him.

Spook & Puke

As do all kids, my son had a wonderful Halloween. He was the cutest pirate in town. We Trick-or-treated with friends for a short time (it was VERY cold) and then went to McDonald's and had dinner (if you can call it that). I, of course, did the good parent thing and only let him have a piece or two of candy. Then we headed home to settle in for the night. In the middle of the night he crawled in bed with us and at 3:30 in the morning, right next to my head, I heard, "BLEH". You have never seen a woman jump out of bed so fast. He puked right next to my pillow. Ew. Turns out that when he told me earlier that night that his stomach hurt...he wasn't kidding. Happy Halloween...or not.