What does Home look like at Christmastime?

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I still have a grown up Christmas list, and it's pretty close to Amy Grant's. But my personal bag of memories and wishes -- in no particular order -- looks like this...

Home. Warmth. Comfort. Good humor. Grace. Helpfulness. Hugs. Football. Movies. Shopping. Walks.

"Food, family and fun," which is John's and my motto for family get togethers!

John and I sneaking out last minute to buy stocking stuffers for each other, and watching our long-gone dog Princess pine jealously over the stuffed socks on Christmas morning!

Hearing stories from the older generation and dreams from the younger ones.

Tearing into presents with the nieces and nephews over the years, sometimes orderly, sometimes not.

My father, mother, brother and sister and I sitting around a Christmas tree in the smallest home we lived in. We were in Brazil where Christmastime takes place during the summer! Santa wears shorts! 

Richard and I getting matching red Caloi bicycles one year, knowing it was a luxury to have such gifts.

My paternal grandfather giving me a camera when I was six, which gave me my love of photography.

Every year my maternal grandparents gave us boxes of lifesavers with a five dollar bill tucked inside, something they saved up all year to give to their many grandchildren!

Teasing with my uncle Von, who is two years older than myself, and my playful cousins Kent and Kyle who can't resist finding the funny in everything!

Singing carols around the piano with my mother-in-law, and continuing into the new year as she likes to celebrate the twelve days of Christmas ending at epiphany.

Watching my sister Andreia read my parent's Christmas cards and catching up on where our friends are now.

Dad and Mom playing Christmas music softly in the background, and sometimes someone will join in singing along.

My sister-in-law Kim's green bean casserole.

Long walks and talks with John's sister ML that are more refreshing and upbuilding after being together.

Christmas in Boston when my family was a long way away, but I was welcomed by my northern family, Harry, Bev, Sarah and Andy. My memories of Brantwood Road grow more beautiful with each passing year! Thanks for including me on Harry's Hanukkah traditions where I could see them firsthand! What fun that was.

Everything is magnified at the holidays, including love, kindness and good humor. This is how I know I have a great family. There is more goodness among us when we come together. We do our best not to hide love from each other during the year; we express it as we can in little bits. It's magnified because we are saving it to give to each other in person.

So Home looks like Love. It is Love and Love leaves its stamp when everyone is gone.  

May your Christmas season be filled with love, comfort and joy!

This post is dedicated to my family whom I love! You have given me great love always. We are looking forward to making more memories this year!  

Two Short Reads

I read two wonderful pieces this morning and hope they bless you!

Link to A Christmas Version of 1 Corinthians 13 

Link to Why Give Christmas Back

This post is dedicated to the real meaning of Christmas - Christ! 

May the traffic part in front of you as you smile at everyone,

May store lines be short and your patience be grand,

May you be filled with good humor when offended,

And may this be your best Christmas yet!

Thanksong - My Favorite Family Vacation Memory

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It was late spring of 1983-ish. My brother Richard introduced our family to jazz singer Dave Grusin's album Mountain Dance. We were in New Mexico driving along a mountain road.



The cassette player was jumping to the beat of the album's songs. Rag Bag, Rondo and Mountain Dance among its many happy tunes. We rounded a corner and began driving along the most beautiful sight.

 

To our left stood a huge rock face darkened with trees reaching up so high we couldn't see the sky. But to the right, through the aspens we saw a peaceful mountain river flowing over rocks. If I recall, there were still patches of spring snow on the ground. The five of us were captivated by what happened next.

 

Thanksong played.



We were quiet, mesmerized watching the water dance over the rocks. Sunlight dappling among the breeze-touched golden leaves. Light sparkled.

 

There was a reverent silence. 



When life takes strange turns, memories like these stand out.

 

My loving family.

 

Quiet and at peace,

 

 navigating the beauty of created nature.

This post is dedicated to good memories, and may they come flooding in to you when you need them most. May they dispel any disjointed interpretations of life and keep you on the path of thanksgiving. Be blessed today!



The limitless that is borne from the limited

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 So many good gifts. So little time.

I am going to attend worship service at my local congregation shortly. We sing unaccompanied by instruments. But during the week I enjoy a plethora of accompanied music, Christian, lite jazz, lite classical, blue grass, folk, country classics, pop classics and too many other genres to mention. There is a world of music too grand to know, and there are tunes yet to be written.

What is amazing is each song is written from the basic building blocks of 8 notes.



 I have loved music since a child. At one point I panicked thinking that all the notes would run out and no more songs could be written. I also had the same feeling about the 26 letters of the alphabet; that at one point everything of value would be written and one day all written works would dry up, and the landscape of humanity would find itself sitting in a vast wasteland wondering what to do next.

 

Well, the wonderful thing about appreciating God's good gifts as a Christian are all the good gifts God has for us to create for His glory to uplift those created in His image. There is an eternity of songs, literature and innumerable other gifts waiting to be created from the finite and limited sources around us.

The builder with a good eye looks at wood and sees the home that will house others. The seamstress/clothing designer with clear vision looks at wool and cotton and sees the beautiful clothing made to honor the human body. The engineer looks with a sound mind at materials waiting to be forged into machines to better humanity. The teacher with a good heart sees the opportunity to create a more sound human being, who better fit into their families and society.

 

I think you get the picture.

So after a week's worth of work in my own arena using the materials God has given me to build up those around me, I go worship the God who gave me the gifts I have, leaving all at the door to focus on Him with the congregation, joining their hearts, minds and voices to mine. By myself with Christ in my heart, mind and voice I know my sacrifice of praise is worthy. But bound together with the congregation, the love poured to God is limitless and undefinable.

Does this sound strange and hypocritical? It is no more strange than the fact a couple shares their hearts, minds and bodies in proper intimacy that they may better serve humanity by bringing more humans into the world and being better equipped in heart, mind and body to do the work needed in the world.

 

I have come to learn that worshiping and beseeching Eternal God to help build up and steward His creation with limited resources is one of the recipes for happiness in good times and fuels steadfast joy in times of trial. This plays into health and ultimately holiness. I also believe these three work together and only Holy God can judge rightly how this all works out. Mine is to do what He asks of me and praise Him all the more for His good gifts, the first being His beautiful and perfect son, Jesus.

Thank you God that in seeking to obey You and reflect Your Son by the power of Your Most Holy Spirit I am relieved of playing God. May my finite plans be put in Your Eternal and most capable hands. When any kind of joy-stealing wall is put up, give me the grace to tear it down with Divine Love. May our limited resources always be used for Your unlimited pleasure and attract others to your Door, that we may help all enter who are looking. May we encourage all who need it, always blessing those who even reject You. For only You know the depths of cursing others in our minds and hearts and the damage it can do to our souls when we give in.

Amen.

May your limits be healed and you find unlimited joy in eternal God! The sun is rising and I am going to enjoy a walk among God's handiwork.

This post is dedicated to those whose limits have been reached, who don't know where to turn when energy and hope have run out. This is your day to find help and healing in God, one of whose many names is Jehovah Rapha, meaning The Lord that heals, and El Olam, meaning The Everlasting God. "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him" [Psalm 34:8] 



The Source of All Goodness

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I woke up with goodness flourishing in my soul, wanting to share this gift that has made me so wealthy.

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is up as usual despite being hidden behind the clouds. It has not missed a beat. It is good to be on planet earth. The Creator opens each morning with goodness, a chance to renew what yesterday couldn't complete. In each baby step we step closer to the day we meet our Creator, and reaffirm goodness with every thought and action we have.

There is goodness all around. I know the Biblical story and its weightiness and have seen too many sadnesses and injustices to count, but His plan is still working. His story continues to be played out. How can I not rejoice in that? This same Book lifts my load. Without it my spirit dries up. It refreshes like a clear spring, cleanses and redirects my path, pointing me towards Goodness.

When life does not go my way, even in the least little thing, there is still goodness out there. I can still offer genuine love and humor in all I do. I can make life easier for someone else in some little way. That alone makes my day. I am rich beyond belief when I get to share a piece of my day with others and hear about their day. Though I cannot solve another's problem entirely, I can lift their load, if even for a moment. Now that's wealth worth spreading.

I have a choice. I can let the unjust bring me down, or I can go to the source of all goodness and return goodness for disappointment. It's so freeing to give God's goodness to another in the name of Jesus, even if He is not recognized. He recognizes my efforts, which is why I seek to see that in others.

I also can list my blessings, recent goodnesses and see how others are giving their best to me in the smallest of details. I have a wonderful husband whom I can speak to about anything. I don't know the fear of saying the wrong thing to my husband. I have said the wrong thing to John and he has always honored me with an ear and correct judgment. It encourages me to grow more in goodness and the love that swallows up fear. Is he perfect? No. But he is perfect for me. He has a huge reserve of goodness for me!

I have friends of all ages whom I love hearing from, whether they are being pressed or being blessed. In turn, they are so kind to hear me out with the positives and the challenges of my life. They give me a cup of goodness in every communication. How can one not be counted as wealthy?

How rich is one who is not under the pressure to perform for their esteem and value. We are loved just because we draw breath. How I love giving this kind of love to others. I wish there were more of me, which is why I write. It's a way to give more of me without being there in person.

Caveat-I know there are more like me, and I always get happy when I meet others seeking to make anothers life better in their own little way. And truth be known, everyone has the seed of goodness in them. Someone either didn't help them cultivate it, or they are denying their own path to goodness for their own reasons. This is why I pray, that they be released from whatever ails their soul from offering goodness, as I know others have prayed for me when I too have felt tempted to not be or do good.

I pray you know how loved you are. There is One God who is Love, perfect, perfectly capable of judging the world and others where I cannot. I am free to simply love and offer the best work I can. And when I fail, or see where I could have done better, I have a place to go. How can one not be moved at such great Love from Above. He is the source of all goodness and fills me when my cup is low.

Humor is God smiling on my soul, and to give a cup of good humor, is to give a cup of goodness.

Who can I bless today with the goodness I have been given? I pray you have been blessed with this little journey down goodness lane. Have a terrific day and when life doesn't go your way, step outside, look at God's handiwork. His fingerprint is everywhere in nature, and among any person who is doing the right thing, whether they recognize their Creator or not. I am the beneficiary of goodness, even in the most severe of my trials. How good it is to have a computer, be able to write good things and press "Send" so others can be good and blessed!

This post is dedicated to all of my employers, past and present. They have given me good work, even if for a season. I have learned so much in each work situation. I am a better person today because of the lessons I have learned under your tutelage. Today I am blessed with two good work situations that not only pay me back monetarily, but also in so many other little ways.

Thanksgiving through the gift of music

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(Click video for wonderful background music as you read on...)

This song takes me back to my Oklahoma Christian years, a wonderful institution full of good memories, patient professors and the start of friendships that still linger. It's amazing how music has been a part of my life's walk.

We had a lot of music in our home growing up. Roger Miller, Peter Paul & Mary, Trini Lopez, the classics and some jazz. We enjoyed a capella music from Camp Yamhill, Oregon by some precious people who formed a mission team, later working in the city of Belo Horizonte concurrently with my parent's mission team in Sao Paulo.

My parents sang in the car nearly everywhere we went. In fact, my best friend Regina and I loved singing songs in the back of our Volkswagen Kombi; The Monkeys, The Beatles, The Partridge Family, The Osmonds and Jackson Five as well as songs from musicals like The Sound of Music.

Later I collected my own records, Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, ELO, some Styx albums, and yes, Debbie Boone. I played a little guitar and owned nearly every John Denver LP made. For the kids, an LP is short for Long Play vinyl records, the big black disks that look like plate chargers. I actually had the sound track to Star Wars, not knowing I would get to see John Williams perform in person as conductor of the Boston Pops years later when I moved to the Boston area.

While in Boston, as fortune would have it, I got to meet some wonderful singer song writers when I worked for a folk music producer named Harry Lipson, owner of Folk Tree Concertmakers. I took ticket orders over the phone for the concerts, and got to know some of the artists who wrote many of the songs I sang growing up. I worked with great people who taught me a lot about the good things in life through the art of music.

You could say music helped bring my husband and I together, as well as our faith, love of soccer and enjoyment of family. We loved listening to U2 and Sinead O'Connor. John took me to see U2's Achtung Baby and Zooropa concerts. Later John worked one job for Folk Tree, driving folk artist Nanci Griffith and her entourage around. We still have a hand written piece of paper from Nanci's band that was taped to the back seat of the van driver's seat that read, "Today's name is John." When we married, we chose to have dancing at our wedding with many of the songs we enjoyed growing up, including "Dancing Queen" from one of my favorite bands ABBA.

A caveat: The previous part of my post is not meant to offend anyone in my life who has chosen temperance and non-dancing as their expression of devotion to God. It's simply my own history that I am thankful for and enjoy sharing. My wish is you hear gratitude, and not bragging or sounding like I am better or smarter than my relatives, which may somehow be misconstrued. It's simply the generation I grew up in. I have sought to live out my life as a Christian against this background, although I have tremendous respect for the values of the 1950s. I have lived out those same values on a very different stage, post-Ozzy and Harriet America.

Then there have been times when I have reduced my song list to Christian music alone to help me cope through difficulties. But the truth is that Christian music and hymns are a part of a wider portfolio of music I credit God for using to help lift my spirits at opportune times.

Just this morning John and I reiterated our love of filling our own home with music and happiness on the road to doing life. It's been a wonderful gift to marry into a family that appreciates music as well. John's brother Pete, John and I would listen to music each summer on our treck to the annual family vacation spot at Lake Willoughby, VT. John's mother teaches piano and voice. She and I enjoy singing Christmas carols together as we did long ago at the piano with John's sister Cathy.

Today my favorite genres are still light jazz, light classical, Christian, folk, country classics, the best of popular '60s forward. I have barely gotten started as I think of so many more instances where music, family and life have intertwined.

Here is a '70s musical review by a funny man named Tim Hawkins. He is a modern-day Red Skelton. I hope my folks and their contemporaries enjoy this slice of silliness and not think we have strayed far from their path, but instead see the unique opportunities we have to live our faith, family and fun in our own world. I hope that the next generation enjoys the fact that their parents can have as much fun today as ever. I hope all three generations [or more] bond more this Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving my friends!

This post is dedicated to Harry Lipson of Folk Tree Concertmakers. Harry, thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with Folk Tree and your family for so many wonderful years. You are a class act, were a great boss and wonderful mentor in the art of customer service. Have a terrific Thanksgiving in beautiful New England!