Contemplations of a Mommy "Monk"

Christmas exploded with a flurry of gifts, shiny paper, bows and giggles. Children tore into toys with enthusiasm matching the enjoyment of parents and grandparents together. Amidst the Christmas chaos, I found a girl hovering at my shoulder with a large wrapped gift. "Here's my present for you Mommy." Bright blue eyes peered over my shoulder as I gently tore the paper. "Be careful Mom. It's breakable." The box filled with tissue paper was light and I searched through the tissue to find the gift. Little hands reached in to help me unwrap a heart shaped peice of porcelain. "It's a jewelry box Mom. I picked it out just for you." Her eyes lit up with pleasure as I hugged her with thanksgiving. Tears pricked my eyes in appreciation for the greatest gift I received this Christmas - pure love and the joy of giving. This year marked the beginning of a new tradition for this little four year old girl: purchasing her own gifts for family memb...

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:4-7 May there always be room in our home for You, Jesus. Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (v.11) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (v. 14) We join the angels in glorifying Your name today. Merry Christmas!

I understand that it is a blogging tradition to post 100 things about yourself on your 100th post. That sounds like a lot of stuff. We'll see if I can come up with 100 interesting things. That's a daunting task. Well, maybe a few of them will be interesting at least! 1. I lived in Kentucky for 4 years. 2. I spoke in a lovely twang (making one syllable words in two) for a few more years. 3. Now I have a northern accent, complete with a long "o." 4. I have an uncanny ability to imitate the accent of those around me (even Russian). 5. I was born breech. They don't do that anymore. Feet first. 6. I weighed 5 pounds and a couple of ounces at birth. 7. My dad held me in the palm of his hand and Mom dressed me in doll clothes. 8. I sang "Sunshine on My Shoulders" word for word when I was five. It's still a favorite of mine. 9. I was baptized in my Southern twang days and have never turned away from walking hand in hand with Jesus. 10. My grandparents have ...

I've been kissed by mercy. It wasn't just an obligatory peck on the cheek, but a kiss filled with generous loving-kindness. Just like I smother my kids in kisses before bedtime, God has bent down from on high and smothered me, His child, with kiss after kiss after kiss of never ending mercy. This past week I made a big mistake which had serious consequences, and God reached down and extended mercy to me when I was greatly in need. He didn't erase all of the consequences, but He did grant me grace in eliminating some of them and no matter what happened, He has forgiven me. In His mercy , He has given me a reprieve from the war against micro-organisms . This battle is over and man has triumphed over germ (for now at least). I am filled with gratitude for the chance to rest from the battle. A broken de-humidifier and no receipt to be found (after hours of looking) left me in another scrape this week. Customer service was not helpful and I had resigned myself to dealing with o...

I have read so many good poems lately, I thought I would compile them all together here for everyone else to enjoy. Each one draws me back to the true meaning of Christmas and I think they would make a great Christmas program all put together. Enjoy! Micca Campbell's poem at Lysa Terkeurst's site is about the stress and hurry of the season. Renee Swope's poem reminds us to prepare room for the little one in the manger of our hearts. This 1 Corinthians 13 poem for Christmas at Holy Experience puts the focus back on Love, the true reason for Christmas. I also love this poem about How Martha had a Mary Christmas . Happy Reading!

My three kiddos have been home sick from school for the last five school days, so we have been entertaining ourselves with our own version of "homeschooling." First , we made salt dough ornaments : This is the recipe we used: 4 cups of flour 1 cup salt 1 1/2 cups hot tap water Mix together and knead until soft and smooth Roll out the dough and shape into designs or cut out figures - don't forget to make a hole if you plan to use these on the tree! Bake in 325 oven for 1 1/2 hours (I took mine out at 1 hour because they were thin). After they cool down and dry a bit, paint them with acrylic paint and sprinkle with glitter, etc. Now you can add string to hand them on the tree! IMPORTANT NOTE: To remain sane while allowing children to complete this project, I recommend making one or two yourself if you want some very beautiful ornaments and then let the kids make theirs however they want. Second , we made ice crystal star ornaments . Thanks to a friend who shared the r...

"Don't blame suffering in the world on the anger of God. He's not mad; he didn't mess up. Follow our troubles to their headwaters, and you won't find any angry or befuddled God. But you will find a sovereign God. Your pain has a purpose. Your problems, struggles, heartaches, and hassles cooperate toward one end -- the glory of God." ~Max Lucado, It's Not About Me~ This week has been filled with my own personal problems, struggles and hassles of the minute kind. If I were the narrator of my life story, I would describe myself as irritable and petulant in the midst of microscopic problems. It's easy for me to think about the big disappointments of life (from the outside looking in) and comment on the need to glorify God through troubles. But, now, from the inside looking out of a teeny tiny problem, I can't practice what I preach. I've gotten so caught up in the minutia of my problems that I have forgotten about the purpose of it all. Max Luca...