Some Things Are Just Worth It...

   "Dad, you all did not really drive 8 hours for a 2 hour visit, did you?"

   "Why not? We had all day, and it was our only chance to see Sawyer".

   A conversation between Doug and myself as we were driving back from SC. He at home in Blacksburg and me in the car with Granny Lou somewhere on I-95 heading back south.

   Sawyer and Sydney were both home for Christmas. We had seen Syd when we drove through Charlotte on the way to VA for the adoption ceremony for David and Laken in early December, but Sawyer's appearances in the Southeast was rare nowadays, what with his job in San Francisco.

   So we went, left home at 8am, arrived in Kiawah at noon, left there at 2pm and got home at 6pm. That would be a 10 hour day, but we would say that it was well worth it.

   Not only was it great to see our NC family, but we got lunch around their table with great BBQ and lots of desserts.

   But it was family that we missed.

   When your 2 oldest grand children both spend their time in CA, you do what is needed to have some personal interaction. They have a job and a school to take care of, and we have nothing but time. I'd do it again today.

   Not only that, but we got back home in time to see the Hokies come back from 24 down in the second half to beat Arkansas 35-24.

   All in all, a very good day.

   And a welcome part of our Christmas, 2016.

   Blessed AGAIN...

It Was The Time...

   As I looked at Christmas posts on Facebook this morning, One thing stuck out in my mind. People posted pictures and thoughts, and the vast majority of these from "Facebook Friends" were of family.

   That just seemed to be the theme, and we were no exception.

   From the time the Christmas Cactus began to bloom, we looked forward to having some of our family with us on the Island.

   And our Virginia folks showed up to make the season bright.

   There came Doug and Dawn with theirs: The originals, Drew, Caroline and Lucy and the new additions David and Laken.

   The weather was great, outside beckoned, and the ocean cooperated..

   Christmas morning at the Cloister Chapel, the right place to be..

   But four days is not enough, and, too soon, it was time to go.

   They had stuff to pack, and bikes to strap on.

   And then it was on the road north.

   And what memories will we take out of this Christmas, 2016?

   What we did as a family…

   And what did we wish for?

   More of the same, with the Arkansas 4 and the Charlotte 4 added to the Virginia 7 making the Holiday truly spectacular.

   Maybe 2017

   We are blessed, and we know it...

 

 

Two Unexpected Gifts and Another...

   Two things have just appeared in the last day or so, things that I have not asked for nor really expected. Two tangible things that I can see and can touch.

   When I passed by the back of our car one recent day, there was a small magnetic sign attached to the trunk lid. It was nothing I had purchased or asked for, but it was a sign that represented to me the gist of this season.

   Without Christ in Christmas all we have left is "mas", and without the person of Jesus, celebrated this season, we have just a hollow shell of a holiday. I'm glad that someone, I don't know who, decided to put it on, and I have driven around town knowing that this declaration is one that I am proud to claim.

   Thanks, anonymous person, whoever you are…

   Then, yesterday, I opened the front door to go out, and there was a small package on the front mat. The UPS man must have left it after ringing a door bell that we did not hear.

   Opening it up, here is what we found, something that I had written about a few days earlier, something that had gone missing:

   The baby Jesus could be returned to the manger scene.

   A note on the inside mentioned that this was sent by a blog reader (and friend, no doubt). An unsolicited gift to make our Christmas complete, and we placed him in the empty manger.

   Caring people had made our lives brighter, and that was great..

   A Caring God had entered the world and brought us hope. The hope that we celebrate every Christmas, and that was the best gift ever.

   Thank You, Father, for the gift of Jesus, and thank you for friends (anonymous and reader) for helping us remember.

   Merry Christmas

A Helping Hand..Blessings on Both Giver and Receiver

   It is hard to sit in church, hear some stories about people who are hurting financially, and not get a rush when you know that you have been part of the helping.

   That happened to me this morning, as it has each of the last couple of Christmases, as the Great Give 2016 played out in front of me.

   For the past 3 years (including this one), our church has attempted to meet needs of our people who are struggling financially. Here is the way it has worked.

   On a Sunday in December, members have been asked to share with the leadership, needs that they as individuals or family have. The needs are researched and verified, and then stories are presented to the congregation the next Sunday. No names, just needs.

   The congregation knows in advance that they will be given a chance to participate at the end of that service, and they do, in a big way. It is heart warming to watch folks come down with their checks and cash. Each year we have met the needs that have been presented.

   It is hard for people to be willing to say "I need help". When you sit in a church service with 4,5 or 600 others, there are more people that you don't know than those you do. You see all the smiling people, well dressed, and think that you don't want to stand out as needy. You don't want to be needy anyway.

   But there are circumstances that may be beyond our control, job loss, health issues, divorce and single parenting times, and these can really pile on with a burden that saps your will and your joy.

   And people like to help. They might have been there before, or they might just have an open heart to help where needs are seen.

   A story was mentioned from the pulpit about a lady who had been involved in a group house for women who face addictions. She had completed her year and was ready to go back out on her own. Either she, or maybe someone who knew her situation, presented the need for help to get back on her feet again.

   As the story was given, I noticed a few rows in front of me, several women turning and looking toward one of their number and smiling with thumbs up. They were truly thankful, as she was, that the church, through its people, had seen fit to help her begin a new life.

   I thought, there she was, right there. A real person, not a number or a statistic, but a woman feeling the love of Jesus, because people cared.

   This is not to glorify a church, or congregation, it is to know thankfulness when folks who can use a leg up, receive one, and God gets the glory.

   It was a powerful day. One in the true spirit of Christmas.

   I liked it, and I believe God did, too.

   Amen

Jesus is Missing...

   My Mother was a crafty person. She seemed to always have a project going on at home. Ceramics to paint, tin to snip, and her most prolific hobby, one that lasted almost to her last days with us, a rug to hook.

   We have several of her rugs in our condo, and our kids have some too. It's a visible reminder of her and her love of life in its many facets.

   Then there is the magnet scene. The one that we take out each Christmas. Not only a reminder of her work, but a visible link to Christmases past, an enjoyment that we pass down to our kids and theirs.

   So yesterday, we got out the box that holds those ceramic figures and put it out in the living room. So many people had handled that set; we even used it in our church when we were a new congregation a few years back.

   Each figure put in its place on the burlap board, a colorful tradition in full view and ready for smaller hands to touch and feel and remember the meaning of the Holiday.

   But, mimicking a famous conversation, "Houston, we have a problem", Jesus was missing.

   Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, camels, a donkey, sheep, and a manger in the stall, but no baby was found for the manger. After a diligent search, nothing…

   Thinking about the situation, the thought hit me:

   You cannot have Christmas without Jesus. You can have all the shepherds you want, and wise men, too. You can have a flock of sheep and several camels, but it will not be right.

   We can give all the gifts, have all the pageants, sing all the carols and eat all the traditional meals, but
you don't have the real meaning.

   So, what to do?

   Right now we have a manger scene without a baby in the manger, but perhaps that is not so bad. We can leave it that way as a constant reminder of the real Christmas story.

   What we all need is not a ceramic baby in a manger, but a real, alive, savior reigning in our hearts and active in our lives.

   This is my reminder and my faith..

The Presents Just Keep on Coming..

   One of my pleasant Christmas memories from days of yore is the look of a Christmas tree with wrapped gifts piled around.

   I found this picture from one of our first married ones, way back in 1962 at my folk's home in Chattanooga.

   Now, of course, I can't begin to tell you what is in all the packages, and most, if not all, are long gone, not having survived in any meaningful way.

   But, they were great at the time, just not lasting.

   What do I remember about Christmas past, memories that survive all those years? Just the people in the pictures, and some of them are kinda fuzzy.

   Our kids back in 1976..Dwayne. Donna and an Indian (Doug I'm sure)

   This year, there are no presents under our tree. In fact, as of this date, there is no tree, but we are blessed with gifts, all wearing smiles and walking through our lives.

   Sawyer.. out of college and working in San Francisco

   Sydney..a junior at college in California, just back from a semester in Argentina

   Archer..in high school and singing in various choirs over there in Conway, AR

   Cady Gray..Conway's best middle schooler, also a budding musical talent

   Drew..a high schooler up in VA into mountain biking and growing taller every day

   Caroline..taking after her Great Grandmother with her art

   Lucy..growing up too fast, but still having fun and loving life

   Laken..our newest granddaughter, we welcomed her to the family just days ago

   David..our newest grandson, another new one that we have come to love.

   These are our greatest gifts for 2016, not coming in paper and bows, but in real life. We are proud of each and every one and feel blessed to call them our own, all nine…

   There is another special gift in my life, and she looks good in anything that I wrap for her.

   Some gifts are memorable, for sure...

 

Be a Winner, In Everything...

   What is my admonition for this morning?

   I have been watching football, college football, league championship games. Those games from yesterday are in the books, they have been decided by the score on the scoreboard.

   Some teams lost, others won.

   What about those who played? 

   Were all on the winning teams, winners? 

   Were all on the losing teams, losers?

   Were there winners on the losing teams and losers on the winning teams?

   Ever since we lived in Blacksburg, VA, back in the early days of this century, I have followed the Virginia Tech Hokies. Well, they had a game last night, and the score ended 42-35, and they were the 35.

   What designates who is a winner and who is a loser? Not a score at the end of 60 minutes of play.

   How many on a team gave it all they had, not only out there on the game field, but on the practice field day after day, all through a season? How many had done all they could in the classroom to make sure they were eligible to participate in the game?

   How many lived life, doing their best in all facets, so as to look back one day and be able to say, "I did all I could, to the best of my ability, to be he best I could be, and I look back with no regrets for any of my efforts"?

   And, when I think about those individuals on those teams yesterday, I have to reflect on my life. A life with so many opportunities to do my best. 

   Sometimes Pride, but sometimes Regret..

   On the field, in the game, in the classroom, in the business world, in the church, in the home…some good and some not so much.

   Perhaps today the field of opportunities is not filled as plentifully, but they exist nevertheless.

   In the community, in the church, in the home..

   The command in Scripture:

"And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

   Do your very best in all you do, with all your life, and live with no regrets.

   I can only wish that I had….all the time back then, but I can try my best in the rest of my time. 

   Opportunities still abound, every day.

   Do It Right