My Beautiful Daughter

My daughter, Carrie, left today for Guatemala.
This is her second year as a teacher in an English Immersion School there, and will be gone for about 11 months. I am going to miss her so much.

Carrie has been home since the Friday before Thanksgiving. We had the best times together- shopping, watching movies, scrapbooking, baking, talking, just being together. I consider her to be my very best friend. I am so thankful that we had this time together.

I am so very proud of Carrie. She has had a love in her heart for Guatemala for several years now, and she is so courageous to move to another country, learn the language, and make relationships there. She is trusting God to take care of her, and to show her the path that He has for her life. I know it was hard for her to leave this time, but I also know that she will have a good year in Guatemala.

Carrie, I love you so much! Seize the day, every moment, to live the life that God is calling you to live. Cherish your memories of your time here at home, but enjoy today, each day. Don't look back. This Bible verse is for you today:
Zephaniah 3:17
"The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He takes great delight in you.
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."

The 12 Best Memories of Christmas

1. Making Christmas cookies with Carrie.
2. Having Stephanie and Izzy here for girls' night.
3. Izzy singing Christmas carols with Carrie as Carrie played them on the piano.
4. Shopping with Carrie.
5. Going to church the Sunday before Christmas.
6. Playing Sequence with Aaron, Jeff, Carrie, Rick & Lynn, Marcy and Craig on Christmas Eve.
7. Getting hugs from all the kids and grandkids on Christmas Day.
8. All 10 of us around the table for lunch on Christmas.
9. Brenton organizing the family service project; the grandkids passing out supplies and helping whoever needed help.
10. Watching Drew use a little screwdriver with Craig to put batteries in his new train.
11. Aaron playing with Jake and Izzy.
12. Craig and the boys laughing as we all played cards.

Are you looking for a good book?

This week I have been reading Mark Batterson's new book, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity. You can read my review at my other blog - Once Upon A Book. This book would be an awesome gift for anyone on your Christmas list!

A gift for Jesus

My husband listens every day to a radio program with Pastor Jim Woods from Wears Valley Ranch. This week Pastor Woods talked about giving a gift to Jesus for Christmas. He and his wife have decided not to watch TV this year as their gift. He said that the gift could be as simple as being kind to those around you, helping someone in need, cleaning your church, etc.
Craig and I really like the idea of giving a gift to Jesus at Christmas, the season of giving.
A lot of people use Lent, the time before Easter, as a time of sacrifice or giving to God. Christmas, however, seems a much more appropriate time. The whole world focuses on giving gifts during the Christmas season. The magi brought gifts to baby Jesus. The song about the Little Drummer Boy focuses on giving something to Jesus. And John 3:16 talks about God giving His only Son to us.
We are going to spend some time this week talking about what we can give to Him. How about you? Do have a gift for Him?

Girls' Night

Last night my daughter in law and granddaughter came to stay with my daughter and me, and we had a sleepover. We went out for supper first, and then came home to bake Christmas cookies. We watched Mamma Mia, played cards and Yahtzee, and just had fun being together. Isabelle is growing up so fast. She just turned 5 last week, but she's so smart. She can spell her last name, knows how to count and how to write numbers. She definitely wanted to stay up as late as the rest of us - didn't want to miss anything!

I am sure that this is just the first of many Girls' Nights for us.

Silent Night, Holy Night

This morning we listened to Moody Church and Pastor Lutzer talked about the manger, and how Jesus came quietly into this world. Noone (other than His parents) celebrated His birth.
I thought about how the world celebrates Christmas and wonder - would Jesus be happy with how we celebrate His birthday now? Do we really celebrate His birth, or has it just become a huge retail opportunity?
Somehow, this Chrsitmas, I want to spend time with my family celebrating God's great gift of love in giving His Son. I want to make sure that we don't get swallowed up in the retail holiday. Does it mean that I won't give gifts? No, I am going to give gifts - but I want my children and grandchildren to know that the gifts I give are because of the gift God gave us through the birth, death and resurrection of His Son, and because of the gifts God continues to give us - health, family, love, jobs, etc.

It's hard to be the Newbie

I am a school secretary. After working at one school, in various positions, for 13 years the school was closed. So I found a new position in a new school district. After one year there that school was closed - again due to budget cuts. So here I am, in a new district one more time - 3 schools in three different districts in three years. I am getting good at being the newbie.
Add to that the fact that 3 1/2 years ago my husband and I moved into a new neighborhood - we're the newbies on the block. We have been looking for a new church to attend, either here in town or up be our cabin. Again, we're the newbies. So, I have a few obsevations about being the newbie.

• As the new person, I have had to be the one to reach out to those around me. People will say hello, but they don't really include me in conversations or events.
• I have been to a couple of places where I was greeted by too many people. It was a bit overwhelming. However, after the initial greeting I was often left completely alone. I would have appreciated one person staying by me.
• Few have followed up with a phone call, note or invitation.
• As I have persevered, I have gotten to know the people I work with. I put out pictures of my family on my desk, and coworkers have stopped to look at the pictures. That gives me a chance to ask about their families.
• When I extend an invitation, the person I invite is usually really happy about it.

So, I have concluded that if I wait for others to reach out to me and include me, I will be waiting for a while and I will be lonely and sad. But if I reach out to someone else, it makes both of us happy. Really, this is what God teaches us in His Word - to think of others, not just ourselves; to love others as He has loved us; to meet the needs of those around us.