Giving Gifts

Today the subject of the holidays came up at work. Since my boss and I are both new to our building this year, we asked about the traditions in the office. We were told that the last day before Winter Break there was:
1) a breakfast in the media center, complete with decorations and candles,for all staff - put on by the prinicpal.
2) appetizer potluck in the conference room for non-licensed staff
3) everyone in the office gave gifts to each other, and took turns opening gifts and seeing what eveyone else got.
This led to a discussion about what we should do this year, and people's opinoins about gift giving to colleagues. Two people thought we should exchange names. One thought we really shouldn't exhange gifts at all.
I feel that gift giving should be an individual decision. I don't really like drawing names because it limits who I give to, and sometimes I get someone's name that I really wouldn't give a gift to. I would rather set a limit on the amount to spend on gifts.
I have learned that it is easier to give gifts than to graciously accept gifts. So when someone gives me a gift I say thank you and accept the gift. I allow them to experience the joy of giving.I don't try to give a gift to everyone I think will give me a gift. This defeats the purpose of giving - it adds stress by trying to give enough gifts, trying to guess who might be giving me something.
Gift giving should be an expression of love and thankfulness for another person. It shouldn't be a chore, or a burden. The amount of money spent on a gift isn't important. Some of the best gifts cost little or no money.
I don't know what we will be doing in our office this holiday season, but I do know that I will try to find ways to express my thankfulness to the people I work with.

House Repairs are finally finished!

Last May our house recieved hail damage. And finally, after five months, the repairs are finished! Hurray!

We needed a new roof and new siding. It was so hard to pick out colors from the tiny samples that our contractor had. It was Craig's idea to put the shingles on the garage. We drove through many neighborhoods, looking at styles of siding, colors and roofs. Our contractor was Don from Two Studz Contracting Inc. We are very happy with the work that Two Studz did on our house, and we love the new look. We are one of the only ones in our neighorhood with the shingles. Thanks, Don!

My Mother's Wish - (and my first give away!)

I just read a brand new book, My Mother's Wish, by Jerry Camery-Hoggatt.It's a short book full of humor, twists and turns, and a powerful message of love. The book explores the relationship between mother and daughter in a delightful way. Eleanor Crumb McKutcheon, she likes to be called Ellee,is a young teenager who feels that her mother just doesn't know her or love her. Read this book and find out how she and her mom get along.

Here's a summary of the story from the publisher:
A grandfather’s song turns a diner into hallowed ground, like a church. A contrary girl with a gypsy heart feels the tug of home. A mother, far away, confronts impossible expectations. And a truck driver named Jedidah keeps his foot on the gas to sweep you into an unforgettable story of belonging and grace.
Readers looking for a meaningful, powerful read on a winter’s evening or with the family will love the rich 1960s nostalgia captured in the Midwest of Jedidiah’s and Ellee’s story; the peace found when family strife boils over, and the gentle reminders of the influence and effect every life has on another.
My Mother’s Wish is an unforgettable, powerful tale that ends on a memorable Christmastime note, but will be cherished and reread year-round for its bold message of grand hopes, impossible expectations, and the gift of grace that comes in between.

I remember some rocky times when I was a teenager. I didn't think my mom understood me at all, but I always did know how much she loved me.

And so I offer a give away - please leave me a comment about the relationship you had with your mother as you were growing up or a funny story about you and your mom. I'll put the names in a hat on Thanksgiving Day and the lucky one who's name is drawn will receive a copy of this special book.

If you would like to purchase the book, go to:
- www.Amazon.com
- www.ChristianBook.com
- www.FamilyChristian.com

Judging a book by its cover

I have found this fall that it is very hard not to judge a person by how he/she looks. Now I don't mean the color of their skin or even their hair style. I am talking about the way a person dresses, whether they are clean/neat in appearance, how they carry themself, and how they look at me. God must be working in me in this area.
I know that this is something I need to pray about, confess, and work hard to overcome. After all, God doesn't look at the outward appearance - He looks at the heart. If I want to be more like Him, and I do, then I too must look past the outward appearance to the heart.

Pebbles in your shoes?

Yesterday I heard a talk on KTIS radio by Dennis Rainey on his program, Family Life. He said that we are worn down less by the mountains we climb than by the small pebbles in our shoes.
I started thinking about what the pebbles might be in my life... bad drivers, leaving the bed unmade, people at work who do things a different way than me... I realized that I have fewer pebbles now that my children have grown up and are off on their own, my husband is gone all week and I am often alone ... my list from years ago might have included chores undone, dirty dishes or laundry, lights left on, etc.
Dennis Rainey suggests that we apply the Bible verse, "In everything give thanks" (1 Thess. 5:18, Eph. 5:20) to every pebble in our lives. We need to start praying whenever we are feeling frustrated and look for God to help us deal with the irritating pebbles.
It's really a matter of focus, isn't it? If we take our eyes of the summit, the top of the mountain, the finish line... if we take our eyes off God and focus on the pebbles, we will always be frustrated and discouraged.
What are the pebbles in your life? Lift your eyes to the hills where your help will come from (Psalm 121).

Thank you, veterans!

Happy Veteran's Day!
I am so thankful for the men and women who have served in the armed forces. They have given up so much to protect and defend the United States of America, and to fight so that others can have the freedoms that we so often take for granted.
We have the freedom to make our own decisions about what kind of life we want to live. We can decide what kind of job to have, how much education we want, where we want to live. We have the freedom to move around our great country whenever we want. We have the freedom to decide how many children to have, what books we want to read, what religion we want to participate in. We have the freedom to vote and have a say in our government.
There is no greater country in the world than the USA.
Thanks again, veterans and your families, for continuing to stand on the line to preserve my freedom and the freedom of the United States of America.

A Long Week

It's Sunday night, and Craig is on his way to Los Angeles with a load of potato bugs. I am trying to trust the Lord to keep him safe, and to help me through the next week and a half without him. If I concentrate only on Craig being gone, I can hardly stop the tears. So instead I will concentrate on my blessings. God will help me enjoy this week. I am sure of it.

50 Things You May Not Know About Me

Finally! Here's my list. (see my earlier post for more background on this)
50 Things You May Not Know About Me (in random order)
1. I play the piano. I don’t play very often anymore, but I do like to play once in a while.
2. I would like to learn how to dance – couples dances.
3. I am an introvert.
4. I have always wanted to live on Puget Sound in Washington state.
5. I want a new bike – a Raleigh Gruv – so that I can bike longer distances without getting a backache.
6. I wish I was an interior designer. I love to watch HGTV, and would like my house to be perfectly arranged and decorated.
7. I started kindergarten when I was 4 years old.
8. I have a bachelor of arts degree in Math.
9. When I was young I wanted to be a librarian when I grew up.
10. My favorite kind of pie is blueberry.
11. If I didn’t have to leave my kids, I would love to try moving to a new state.
12. I love to make cards and to scrapbook.
13. I can’t draw a straight line.
14. I can’t walk a very straight line either.
15. My favorite place to be is at our cabin.
16. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:7-8
17. I absolutely love chocolates with cream fillings, but I’m not a fan of truffles.
18. I love green olives on my pizza. The best is Canadian bacon, pineapple, onion and green olive.
19. This is something my family knows about me – I love to read! (I prefer fiction to non-fiction.)
20. I am afraid of heights. It has gotten worse as I have gotten older.
21. One of my favorite childhood memories is of taking the bus downtown with my grandma to go shopping for the day.
22. My favorite vacation spot has always been Bellingham, Washington. I went there 12 times for vacations when I was growing up. I love the mountains, the ocean, taking ferry trips, etc.
23. I love to read maps.
24. I like dogs but not cats.
25. I had a canary for a pet when I was growing up.
26. I love working on the computer. I would like to take classes to learn more about creating websites, working with photoshop, etc.
27. When I was in college I had to have surgery on my feet because of plantar warts. The doctor told me he stopped counting them at 200. Yuck!
28. I never was asked to be a bridesmaid.
29. Whenever I went to one of my brother’s little league baseball games I had a frozen milkshake candy bar.
30. My favorite Sunday School teacher was Wanda Franczak, in 6th grade. She encouraged me to memorize scripture, and gave me a charm bracelet at the end of the year. I still have the charms, but now they’re on a charm necklace.
31. I sang in the Augsburg College choir, and in the University of MN chorus when I was in college.
32. I am a night owl.
33. I love jigsaw puzzles, although it’s been over a year since I’ve done one.
34. I also love logic puzzles.
35. I like having a clean house, but I don’t like to clean.
36. I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was five, in my bedroom with my mom.
37. I was baptized on Easter Sunday when I was in sixth grade. Let’s see, that would have been in 1969. I wonder what the date was for Easter that year?
38. Easter Sunday in 1969 was on April 6. I should have been a reference librarian. I like trying to find the answers to things.
39. I like to watch people. One of the best places for that is at the State Fair. My dad is the one who taught me to enjoy observing the world around me.
40. I like to watch sports – and I think that’s because my dad and my brother always watched them. My dad answered all my questions about what was going on, and explained the games to me. This was good training as I ended up having three boys of my own who are all into sports. My daughter also tried several sports as she was growing up, and I like to think I was a good cheerleader for all my kids.
41. My favorite sport to watch is probably hockey, with football being a close second.
42. I am not the most confident person. When I was growing up my mom would say to me, Try, don’t cry.”
43. I think I would have liked being a carpenter, if I could have drawn a straight line. I love using power tools, especially a compound mitre saw.
44. I love pasta!
45. I am terrible at listening to a song and being able to identify the singer.
46. When I was growing up I went through a stage where I wrote poetry. Then there was the stage where I tried my hand at drawing with special artist chalk.
47. When I was in 9th grade I helped develop a pre-school Sunday School program at my church.
48. When I was the children’s director at Maple Grove Assembly of God church I wrote a Vacation Bible School curriculum for three years.
49. I love diet cherry coke and cherry coke zero.
50. I was a candy striper at St. Barnabas Hospital when I was in junior high.

You must like to read too, if you made it all the way to the end of the list!

Notes from Mark Batterson

Today I read a sermon (The Political Elephant) by Mark Batterson, the pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC. I found his comments about politics particularly encouraging on the day after a historic Election Day. You really should read, or listen to, or watch the whole sermon. But here's just a tiny exerpt:

Listen, if you’re anything like me. Sometimes you’re astounded at the simple fact that not everybody sees the world the way you do. They just don’t get it. But you have to remember. They have the right be wrong!
Let me share an email I got from an NCCer because I think it captures this well.

When I first came to DC, I really struggled with the fact that people I cared about and respected could have such different perspectives – especially when we shared the same core convictions in Christ! But I had a revelation one day when I realized, most Christ-followers want the same outcomes (health care for people, jobs for families, education opportunities, etc.) but we just have very different perspectives on how to get there!! Once I realized this, I felt so much more at peace. My friends were not evil after all!

Here’s what I’m getting at. We need to be the solution. We need to be the church. We need to be the blessing. We need to be going into our schools and say: how can we be a blessing? We need to be walking into our council member’s offices and asking: how can we be a blessing? We need to be volunteering our time.

Isn't technology great?

With my daughter moving to Guatemala, I am so glad that my new computer has a webcam. Carrie and I have been looking into Skype. With skype we will be able to make free video phone calls using our computers. I will be able to see her and she will see me. Her computer doesn't have a webcam built in, so we are planning to buy one for her for graduation or Christmas.
So then I got to thinking, "I wonder if Brenton has a webcam." Brenton and his family live about 1 1/2 hours away. That's just a little too far away to stop in for a short visit, or to take the grandchildren to the park. So, wouldn't it be cool to have webcams and be able to see and talk to my grandchildren?

The sweetest sounds in the world

Tonight our oldest son called just to say hi. After talking to him we got to talk with our grandsons. The sweetest sounds in the world are the voices of our children and grandchildren especially when they say "I love you."

A New Way to Watch Football

Today we went over to our sons' apartment to watch the MN Vikings football game. Aaron, Jeff and Graham plus two friends were there. We ordered pizza from Papa John's and it seemed like old times - until the boys got on their computers to keep track of their fantasy football teams. We had three laptops going, and the boys would keep telling all of us how other players and other teams were doing. It was crazy! They all seemed to know which players were on each of the fantasy teams,which teams they actually play for, and the standings in both the fantasy league and the NFL. I can hardly keep up with who plays for the Vikings. They were monitoring several different web sites while also watching the TV. It's a new era . . .

Saturday

Today was a beautiful day so here's what I did:

• washed clothes
• dusted
• raked leaves
• watered trees
• put hoses away for the winter
• put everything back on the walls that I had taken down before our new siding was put on (the hammering outside would have knocked stuff off the walls)
• washed windows
• studied my Bible study lesson
• vacuumed
• went to Carrie's scholarship dinner

It was a good day!