FRIENDS

I've been back from CA for approximately 10 days now and life has been full of friends.

Shortly after my return we hosted our friends from our small group bible study here for a non-traditional Mexican dinner complete with candle light, linen tablecloths, china and silver, Christmas music softly playing in the background (with the kids at another house munching pizza with a baby sitter.)

The rest of Christmas week was filled with other friends in and out as well as some of our family...and family at this house rates as some of our best friends. Turkey and the trimmings too made their appearance along with the traditional excitement of gifts etc, and now with the New Year approaching we're hosting New Years Eve, again non-traditionally (unless you live in the South), this time with a Low Country Boil. LCB begins with a BIG pot of steaming water laced with Crab Boil and contains corn on the cob, red potatoes, shrimp, kielbasa. It's drained and spread out over butcher paper covered tablecloths, no silverware, individual paper saucebowls filled with melted butter and cocktail sauce and loaves of french bread.

The common denominator in it all ... FRIENDS. I'm so grateful for all of you whether I've seen you this Christmas season or not. You are a treasure to me.

One of the last scenes in the Christmas movie, It's A Wonderful Life contains a note written to George which says 'a man with friends will never be poor'. and a dear missionary friend of ours, now at home with the Lord, often said: God's two greatest gifts to us this side of heaven are our friends and our memories.

I'm looking forward to time spent with friends in the coming year; cultivating them, encouraging and being encouraged by them and adding some new ones along the way.

M.

The Hopes and Fears Of All The Years

Are you enjoying Christmas Carols as much as I am: in the stores, your radio, around the table (here at Sue and Dana's). I love them, am bringing home 3 new CD's of them, one I purchased at the Vineyard in Atlanta, one here in AG and one as a gift. A few years ago I began to really pay attention to the words of these beautiful carols and "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" has become a favorite in that respect. Just think about that line and how true it is "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight." How many hopes has he brought to pass in how many lives; how many fears has he stilled in so many lives!

And speaking of home tomorrow, Saturday, the 16th is when I fly home and the flights are crowded with paying holiday passengers plus a few hitchhikers like myself. Please pray that there'll be seats for me and I'll really get home Saturday.

Sue has had no negative symptoms from the spinal tap. Thanks for praying for her.

M.

Flu Bug Is Visiting

Hi

In the joy of my previous post, I forgot to ask for prayer for Dana who brought the flu back from CO..so that the rest of the family is spared. Have a blessed day; we have a great opportunity for joy based on the choices we make today.

M.

PERSPECTIVE

Thanks for praying for Sue yesterday, she's doing well even though the first 24 hrs aren't up yet we're trusting she'll be fine. Had a great doctor (the technician said we had the 'best of the best') and the whole experience was positive but made a long day for Sue and I.

An extra blessing at the hospital: we were in a 4 bed ward for outpatient surgery...quite close quarters when all four beds were in use and not as much privacy as preferred..conversations could be overheard etc. Anyway, I noticed a lady about my age (probably younger as I don't think of how old I am very often) had come in alone; a friend had dropped her off and was going shopping and then going to pick her up after her procedure. So she had no one to sit with her either before or after. Just as they were ready to wheel her out to OR I walked over and said a few words to her and ended with God Bless You while you're in there. (For those of you who know me, definitely out of my comfort zone.) She returned sometime I believe before or after Sue's LP but we had no further contact; she was being cared for post op etc. I did hear her tell the nurse how surprised she was at how well she felt.

When her friend came to pick her up she walked over to me and said good bye and with a smile said ' thank you, I feel good, it was the blessing that did it' to which I replied, 'yes, when God blesses, He does it well. That's why my title of Perspective. I was so grateful to see God lifted up in that Outpatient Room; it made me realize with all the 'stuff' I'm thinking and praying about these days HE IS!

INTEGRITY

INTEGRITY

It's Tuesday and Sue and I are off to do her spinal tap (unless she wakes up with the flubug that Dana brought home when they went to CO over the weekend.) It will happen somewhere between 10a and 2p EST so prayer for both results and recovery (we've heard horror stories of migraines) would be appreciated.

We've had rain for almost 3 days; not East Coast rain yet good for what this area needs which has been so without rain for crops etc.

My column title comes from thoughts about our message here at Grace Bible Church on Sunday. In a part of the message the pastor was talking about a USA Today article at the beginning of last year that lists the words most often looked up on Encarta..or whatever thesarsus used and the word at the top of the list was integrity. What a sign of our times that integrity is not in the mainstream's vocabulary.

We talked about it going home from church and about its meaning; my take to the kids was: 'it's doing what you know is right even if you don't want to do it, even if no one will ever know you did or didn't do it.

Actually, I like best what King David said about it in the 15th Psalm: 'He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.

'Wow, the waves were spectacular at Pismo on Saturday...big storm in Alaska brought 10-15 ft waves...we (the kids) had fun just playing in the foam that day..

M.

Need For Prayer

The following is what needs to be done next week. The are the things I know about. Sooooo please remember me in your prayers. (time is 3 hours difference for most of you)


Q-7th 9:15am-12:30pm A/K/N Caroling @ Convalescent Home; Dootys pickup
And return; Grandma: some cleaning and lotsa shopping.
1pm Lunch and kids pickup what Grandma cleaned around
2pm ish Michaelee will bring 400 letters to fold/stuff
3pm ish Alisha with Connie working on fence (or baby goats)
Dinner: Left Over Soup and Cornbread

6:30-9:30pm After Dishes: First 2 batches of Christmas cookie dough

F-8th 8:30-1:00 School
1:pm Lunch
2:30-5:00pm Drama practice at Kaufmans (I drive both ways)
Dinner: Pizza
7:30-11:30pm Karis and Nick to Community Center (211 Vernon Avenue
Off W. Branch near library) Call Bill Hart with any Questions Fri am or Lynn Jones, Youth Sec GBC (I drive Both ways)
Alisha and Grandma bake some of the cookies

J-9th 9:30am-12:30pm Oh shucks..nothing to do, guess we have to go to the beach!
Lunch: Grandma treats to Taco Bell
2:00-5:00 Two more batches of cookie dough and bake as many as Time allows.
Dinner: TBD
6:30-10:00pm Pick up Ben Miller (481-4806) and go to “Much Ado
About Nothing; He has our 4 tickets

S-10th 9:00-12:00am GBC – K/A Ultimate Frisbee if happening
1:00pm Nicko to Laser Tag Birthday Party; Dootys will pick up; no Birthday gift needed
Grandma and girls bake as many remaining cookies as Time allows.

4:46pm YAHOO! PICK UP MOM AND DAD…


M-11th School etc; grandma cooks turkey and knits like crazy

T-12th Sue:Sierra Vista w/Mom; 8:30am-1pm

Thanks M

Life Is Good!

Good Morning from California

I'm at Dana and Sue's looking out at orange trees loaded with fruit...doesn't that sound like CA?

But first, let me tell you about Atlanta. It was so worth taking the extra two days enroute to CA just to see those four Atlanta Ostbys and then to see the Christmas Program. Logan was great as part of the supporting cast, had all the choreography down pat, knew and sang every word of all the songs; I was proud of him. And Jordan stole the show, I didn't know how much 'ham' and stage presence she had but she was great.

My trip to CA was not without incident; I had a very helpful but not too knowledgeable AA counter agent who decided I wasn't going to make my original flights so rebooked me later. I did make the original flights but had to 'renegotiate' at each of 3 stops. I think God smiled and said 'you may have used a higher priority to fly but you didn't count on the counter agent YET I did and here you are'.

I heard an interesting radio commercial this morning on the way back from my walk on the beach. It was for a GPS sytem and one of the benefits was a guy saying 'wow, that means I won't have to deal with my road rage any longer because I'll never get lost again'. Funny isn't it, how we can easily shift responsibility for our actions; it wasn't sin, it's 'because I didn't have a GPS system!'

Good news today, Sue was set for spinal tap and Dana found that with flying to CO tomorrow they needed to postpone so it will happen next Tuesday instead. Sue's packed and ready to go so maybe today will be Christmas Tree day instead.

Life is busy here, as for all of you at this time. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be in CA but thanks to family and friends and bringing a few Christmas projects with me I'm still sane and calm (most of the time) and enjoying family time away from home yet looking forward to Christmas at home too, especially with my honey.

M.

My Walk

'I want you to be able always to recognize the highest and the best as you walk through life' Paul said many years ago in Philippians...I've paraphrased a bit..and I've looked at that over my long weekend realizing that sometimes it's easy to miss the highest and best because of where our focus is or where the world tells us it should be

So Friday night before heading out of NC I got to enjoy a delicious Indian Curry with Mark, Tam etc and then a sweet prayer time with my honey before he put me on a plane to Atlanta. Enroute from Dallas to Atlanta I was in the 10% of passengers who weren't Arkansaw Razorback fans enroute to the 'big game' at the GA dome. It was so much fun listening to the chants and cheers everytime a passenger got on with their logo...the great comraderie between fans who had never met before..and when our wheels touched down on the tarmac hearing them all do the whole 'hog calling cheer'.

Later, sitting in the beautiful Atrium in the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport I was thrilled as USO members escorted over 100 servicemen to their departing planes for Iraq while those of us waiting for our next destination stood and clapped for the entire 5+ minutes it took them to walk through. And speaking of walks, theirs will be far different than any of ours these next few weeks that we consider hectic but they will be considering much more.

My walk took me here to Marietta with my kids and grandkids welcoming and blessing me as we decorated the tree, watched a football game and today look forward to the play Jordan and Logan will be in.

And tomorrow it's off to CA to spend some good time with Dana, Sue and the kids. I'm sure there'll be more Chirstmas things to enjoy together and so my walk this last weekend has been blessed by getting to be with our six kids and eight grandkids.

Then last night at dinner Jordan led us through the family night for the 1st day of Advent (even though it was the 2nd) and one of the sharing questions was for each person to share when they had felt especially joyful during the past week and I remembered walking through last week and catching up with some 'close buds'...at a 4 yr old's birthday lunch..over lasagna in our 'almost Christmas decorated' home...over coffee on another friend's front porch.

While there is much more to Paul's admonition, I realize that friends...community..are some of the highest and best things that happen in my life. Jesus always took time for people; I've always been able to be counted on to take time for a project but reflecting on these walksabove shows me the higher and best is His way.

Have a great day!

M.

Thanksgiving Post

Yes, I know Thanksgiving happened last week but in view of my last 24 hours this seemed a great first post. Here are a few highlights that cause gratefulness in my heart this morning...even though it's 2:14 am and I should be sleeping for the busy day today will be.

• I flew to D.C. yesterday to have lunch with my sister and as we sat there enjoying a great lunch in Old Towne Alexandria she said 'do you ever stop to think about how fortunate we are to have been born in the U.S.?'

• Later, as we were taking off I, who usually yearn for an aisle seat was blessed with the window, and couldn't get enough of the view of the city. In one quick moment I could see the Capital, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and I stretched and looked as long as I could to hold the view. I suspect people around me thought 'ah, she's never been to Washington before and is straining for one final look.'

• Also there are some decisions I've been trying to figure out and I realized about an hour ago they're really choices I have to make and instead of being a burden I realized how blessed I am to have those choices to make...I can very directly impact how and what happens in my day.

• And, saving the best for last, I had a potentially 'sticky realtional' issue facing me yesterday and I had decided how to deal with it but didn't feel very peaceful with my choice so I spent some time in specific prayer and when the time came to address it God had shown me a much better approach and the resolution was great. But what makes it so great is the fact that we have an awesome God who cares enough about intimate details of our lives like strained relationships yet is the same creator God Twila Paris sings about as follows: "who told the sun where to stand in the morning, and who taught the ocean you can only come this far, and who showed the moon where to hide every evening, whose words alone can catch a falling star"

Thanks for listening, have a great day!

M.

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