Merry December

Hello Y'all!!!!     How is everyone doing this fine cool brisk December morning?     I hope and pray that wherever you are that you are enjoying this fine day.    I am loving the cooler weather for sure!!! For the cold natured folks, I really feel for you.     But for the hot natured folks, this is a wonderful relief!     When I got up yesterday morning, the ritual for me is to go to the back door and just peep out the window at the thermometer on the deck and just see what it looks like outside.   Well, the frost was so heavy that it looked like a dusting of snow.    I know that it wasn't, it was just frost, but it looked really beautiful.    Then Mr Sun came out and it was gone pretty quickly.    When I was thinking about that yesterday, I was reminded back a few years ago when my Dad was still alive, we got up on  a Saturday morning early and headed up to visit my parents.     It was really foggy at our house and below freezing and we got to noticing that the frost was actually frozen in the air and on the trees and on everything.    The frozen frost hung heavily in the air for the whole drive up to see my parents.  An hour or so and it was just beautiful!!!!    Everything was actually sparkling like diamond dust.    What was so upsetting to me was the fact that I was in the habit of picking up my camera and taking it with us and taking pictures where ever we went.   This particular morning, I left it at  HOME!!!!     Can you believe that!!!    I get so mad at me every time I think of it.    That was the only time in my life I have every seen that weather anomaly.    And I sure haven't seen it sense.   But I remember it was one of the most wonderful sights I had seen.    Hubby and I just loved it!!!    We still talk about it.    It wasn't but just a few years ago, but it was before I had a good cell phone with a good camera.    If we ever see it again, we both have better cell phones that take great pictures.    So, I keep hoping and praying we can see it again.

I hope that everyone had a great and Happy Thanksgiving!    We finished up the 30 Days of praise at church, but I know that we all still have lots to praise Yahweh about everyday.    I do hope and pray that our praise can carry on well after December and into the tradition of celebrating the birth of Yeshua, Jesus Christ.     We are lighting the Advent candles on Sunday mornings.    We had the Hanging of the Greens at church the last Sunday night in November and it was a most lovely event!!! Lots of wonderful singing and then the placing of the greenery over the sanctuary.    Then one Sunday night we had our night of caroling we went out in teams of 6 or 8 to the local nursing homes and to the homes of shut-ins singing Christmas Carols.    We always look forward to that.   With finger foods upon arriving back at church.    On a Tuesday here back my church hosted the Associational Senior Christmas Luncheon.    That was  a fun time.    Then one Sunday we had our Christmas cantata at church.   We are a relatively small church, but the quality of music that comes from the choir is mind blowing!!!    Also that same Sunday we had our White Christmas, where everyone brings canned goods and non perishables wrapped in white paper or white bags and then all foods collected will go the local United Ministries to help feed the hungry here in our local area.    Plus, we took up our Lottie Moon Christmas offering.    That is always a special time too.    I hope that sometime amid the busyness that I get to have lunch with a friend or two also.    I also hope to go up to visit with my Mom again sometime soon.    She has had some fun stuff to do and even more in the coming days, so we have to coordinate our calendars.   hahaha

There is always a lot of good stuff to do around the holidays and it's very easy to get worn out.     I do believe that we need to do as much as we feel like doing, BUT, we need to do it with a joy filled heart.     When we get to busy that we forget about the JOY, then we are doing too much and for the wrong reason.     I recently heard someone say, "It's not about the do, it's about the WHO"!     Sometimes we take the Who out of all that we are doing and it just ends up being the big "do"!     I just have to believe that being busy for the sake of being busy is not pleasing to Yeshua, Jesus Christ.    Some times, we have to just let some stuff go.     I can't possibly do everything that I would love to do, so I have to pick and choose wisely.    I think most of us do, but some are unwilling to admit they can't do it all.     Jesus Christ set the example for us by doing only that which was pleasing to His Father.

One year ago on December 11th one of my best friends went home to be with the Lord.    It was heartbreaking then and still just as heartbreaking.    It's been a difficult year with out her laughter and fun that she always brought to whatever situation.    She loved the Lord with all her heart and shared her love with everyone she came in contact with.    Everyone loved her.    I have picked up my phone many times over the past year to call her or text her with something I seen read or heard and would feel terrible when I realized that I can't do that anymore.     I just know that this will be her second Christmas with her Lord and Savior, Yeshua, Jesus Christ and there is no other place she wanted to be than with her Savior.     So, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, she is happy where she is.    And I also know that she wants family and friends to be happy for her.    As I type this, I think of the legacy of love that surrounded her and I try to make sure that those in some of the same circles we was in know and keep her memory and legacy alive.    I know that her husband and son and daughter in law miss her terribly.    Jamie, just know that we love you and miss you and hold your memory close in our hearts.     You were a true blessing, gift and friend and I will forever miss you.     I am truly sad for all the people that will live lives never having known you.

She could crack me up quicker than lightening.     But she was also very quick to take someones hand and pray for them.     We went to Hobby Lobby one day and was walking and looking at everything there was to see and I wanted to go to the craft and paper craft area and all of a sudden she wasn't anywhere around.    I went looking for her and I found her at the fabric cutting table and she was right there praying for the lady that cut fabric.    Jamie had asked her how she was and the lady told her she wasn't feeling well and Jamie just grabbed her and started praying over her and then I joined in and we just had a little time of prayer, praise, and celebration time right there in Hobby Lobby!!!!     The market place truly was her place of ministry and it should be ours too.     We never sat down to eat but what we always prayed over our server and said prayers of blessing for the establishment we were eating in.     She was always sharing about her time well spent in prayer and just being at the feet of Jesus and just seeing how she always beamed and glowed when she spoke of how God had made Himself real to her in a time of need.     Her legacy of love continues to live on in the hearts of those who knew her.    It's hard to believe it's been a year, but it has.     Just know that I love you my friend, and I miss you fiercely.    We all do!!!!     Enjoy this Christmas in heaven Jamie!!!!!    Your memory makes me smile!!!

I hope and pray that where ever you are today that you have someone in your life that represents the love of Christ in a very real way.    We never know the influence that we may have on someones life. We all have the possibility of being a legacy of love to those around us.    We all have the possibility of being a blessing in the lives of those we come in contact with.    We all have the possibility of being a blessing in our circle of influence.    I hope and pray that when the opportunity comes before each of us, every time the opportunity comes before us, that we will take hold of those opportunities and walk them out as Yeshua, Christ Jesus would have us do.   We never know when God is setting us up for a tremendous blessing, we just need to be ready to claim that blessing.    And the way we claim those blessings is by walking in obedience of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, Jesus Christ.   God has people just ready to be a blessing to us and us to be a blessing to them.    We never know how that will come about.     It could be as simple as going to a car wash and while setting in line, looking around you and seeing a house and praying for the people in that house and then taking the step to go to that house and find out that the house is actually a Crisis Pregnancy Center.    That's how Jamie came into my life.    I was volunteering there and if she had not come to the house, I would never have met her and I can't even imagine my life without her as that blessing.     That's how she changed the lives of many people that I know and call my sisters in Christ.     So, if you feel God has impressed upon your heart to do something, be obedient to Him, you just never know what God has in store, but we can know that it is always good!!!!!!

I hope that everyone is busy making cherished memories this Christmas season.    I hope and pray that most of those cherished memories involve the birth of Jesus.    I pray that we can get back to the real reason for the season and that is Yeshua, Jesus Christ!!!    If you have ever done the Rick Warren Bible Study about The real reason for Christmas, you know that there are at least 3 reasons to be joyous this Christmas.   Read Luke's account of the birth of Christ.    That is such a beautiful passage. One of those reasons is the celebration.    The angels celebrated when they appeared before the shepherds.    That must have been one awesome sight!!!!!     The shepherds celebrated too, they were so excited they left the field and went and found this baby that the angels told them about and worshiped Him and then went and told everyone about this thing they had seen and witnessed.   How awesome is that!!!!    Another reason is salvation.     The angels announced a Savior was born for ALL people!!!     In order for salvation to take place, there has to be Savior, and that is who Jesus is, our salvation.      I am so thankful that I was included in the ALL!!!    Guess what, you are included in ALL too!!!!     Everyone, past present and future are included in that one little word, ALL!!!!     If that isn't enough to be thankful for, there's one more reason, reconciliation.   Peace on Earth!    It is only thru Jesus Christ that we will have peace.    Peace within ourselves and peace with one another.   Jesus Christ is the only One that could have taken my sin, bare the burden and pay the price for my sin, therefore reconciling me with my heavenly Father, Yahweh.    God can not look upon sin, since Christ covered the price of my sin, when my Father, Yahweh looks at me, He sees the blood of His Only Begotten covering me.     Praises, praises, praises!!!!!     If you can say the same thing, then my friends, we have so much to be thankful for this Christmas.     You may not have two pennies to rub together in your pocket, but if you know Christ as your Savior and Lord, you have the best gift anyone will ever give you.     That is something that we can all give and share with those we come in contact with when we are out in market place.   Say Merry Christmas!!!    Say Happy Hanukkah!!!   Give the gift of love this year, it doesn't cost you and I a thing, because it's already paid for, by the Babe born of Christmas Day!!!

As we celebrate Christmas, lets remember to keep love and thanksgiving in our hearts also.   Love and thankfulness looks beautiful on everyone; it's one size fits all; and they are garments of praise to be worn year round, not just at one particular time of the year.    So put your love and thankfulness on and go out into the marketplace and share it.

Ladybug, it was great to see you today.    Sweetpea loves you!!!!

I hope you read something here that you can relate to and that you will share it with someone that you know who could use a lift.    I know there are a lot of people that don't deal well with this time of the year.    Just know that it's not about how much money you spend; it's not about stressing yourself out; it's not even about Santa Clause.    It's not about the "do", it's about the "WHO"!     Jesus is the "Who"!!!     I hope and pray that every one has a wonderful Merry Christmas!!!  

Hopefully the next time, I will have a craft item or two to share.     I started to this time, but I decided I wanted to just share what was on my heart.     Always remember that God loves y'all and I do too!!!
hugs and love, Patty