Thursday, January 29, 2009

The Real Deal

Crazy day, Crazy week, Crazy life...
After 16 years with the same company, my hubby is officially laid off as of tomorrow. Today we cleaned out the company car for one final time. We will be loading up all of his home office supplies, electronics, files, etc. into the car. Tomorrow morning, he meets his bosses (who are driving in from 2 1/2 hours east of here) for breakfast at the Farmhouse (one of our favorite restaurants!). He will hand over the keys and that will be it. So weird. I will pick him up from the restaurant.
Will we laugh or will we cry? Maybe a bit of both. We know we will be taken care of. We know the Lord is taking care of us. This is where the rubber hits the road with our faith. Lord, we believe.....help our unbelief!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Should I Shudder or Shout?




As the Inauguration approaches I am asking myself some questions: Am I cracked? Am I betraying my Republican roots? Am I wrong to be excited that we have elected an African-American to the White House? Am I going against everything I've learned from Rush Limbaugh's E.I.B. Network? Don't get me wrong...I'd much rather it was Clarence Thomas or even Herman Cain getting inaugurated next week. But I think that we have come a long way from our shameful past of slavery, bigotry, & racial repression (Not that we don't have a whole heck of a long way to go: one of our close relatives still uses the 'n' word. I just hate that.) And I wish some of us on the right would acknowledge that.

But the values that President-elect Obama seems to represent are at the very least, troubling to me. I am concerned and tempted to be so worried regarding the path down which he will lead us. I'm finding myself easily consumed with apprehension over the Change he has made his theme. It's not like I don't know there is a GREAT divide between what President Obama has promised to do and what I believe is right for our country...

As I watch the images of our outgoing President Bush, a president I have such great affection for, I'm sad that I feel no such great devotion to our incoming leader.


Not because I feel like it, but because it is right, I am asking God to bless President-elect Obama and his family. I am asking the Lord to be their Protection. I am asking the Lord to give him dreams and visions. I am thankful that the Word of the Lord says that, "The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; He guides it wherever He pleases." (Proverbs 21:1 New Living Translation)

I need to be careful. I do not want to be guilty of disrespecting the office of our President. I don't have to agree with him, but I DO have to "request, pray, intercede and give thanks for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (I Timothy 2:1-4 N.I.V.) I won't love anyone to the Truth by dissing our President.

Jesus is Lord. He is the same yesterday, today, forever. His Love will never change. He deserves our praise and our worship. He has allowed Barack Obama to be elected President of the United States. He can do whatever He pleases, whatever brings about His Kingdom. My heart is trusting in Him.

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His.

He changes times and seasons;
He sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;

He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him." Daniel 2: 20-22 N.I.V.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Candy Cane Disposal




Bree and I are taking down the tree today...I like to leave it up until Christmas vacation is officially over: that's today. I just love having it up. I love awakening in the dark, walking down the hall and switching on the tree's soft light to welcome the morning. I enjoy arising early and getting some tea and having my quiet time with God next to the tree. Some years I've left it up so long that I've been tempted to take down the Christmas decor and put up Valentines on it.
We traditionally put up the (artificial) tree the day after Thanksgiving...it is a big production. Every year lately, I say that I want to get a pre-lit tree...the lights take so long to apply and it is a job I greatly dislike. This year, Bree put about 2/3 of the lights on and I actually enjoyed doing the rest! I like so many lights on the tree, that if we did get a pre-lit tree, I'd most likely add more anyway.
Stringing popcorn is a tradition that I just love...we strung popcorn when I was young: a happy memory! It really doesn't take THAT long to string it and I like having something to do with my hands when we are watching all of those Christmas specials on tv! There is just no garland that looks so adorable...kind of rustic. Sometimes we add cranberries. This year we did just the popcorn. Because we have two rather large dogs, we cannot put the popcorn all the way to the bottom of the tree, otherwise the pups would help themselves to the handy snack. This morning, the strings of popcorn have been removed from the tree and are hanging on our squirrel feeder out in the yard. Hopefully our squirrels will help themselves before our next batch of snow falls and turns the popcorn into mush.
We buy our kiddos each an ornament each year, so that when they fly the coop, they'll have some ornaments for their tree in their own homes. In years of late, they have delighted in going to a local store called 'Hobby Lobby' and picking out their own. Our tree is not a themed one...it is a hodge-podge of memories...very casual and just fun. We just pile everyone's ornaments on and reminisce and enjoy them. For now, as we are taking down the tree, we just piled everyone's ornaments in the same containers together. Soon it will be time to separate them and for each to go his or her own way. (sigh)
After taking down our tree today, we have a few dozen candy canes leftover. At the beginning of the Christmas season, I could not buy candy canes fast enough to keep them on the tree 'cause everyone was chowing down on them. I guess the novelty wore off...the candy cane consumption has slowed considerably. But I found this website that should help us out: http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/item/33_candy_canes/ These suggestions will make it easy to utilize the leftovers, but might make it tough to stick to our healthier eating resolutions!