Happy Groundhog Day!

Don't you just love Groundhog Day? It's practically a perfect holiday. No social pressure to buy stuff, make appearances, or eat indulgently. No deep or controversial meanings. Nothing to defend or get an attitude over.

Just a cute, furry, little groundhog looking for his shadow, and some people looking forward to Spring. It's fun. It's whimsical.

I think we need more animal-themed holidays. Who's up for Moose Day?

Photos with Jesus

So there are two sides to Christmas - the spiritual "Jesus is born" Christmas, and the secular "Ho ho ho" Christmas. And you see all the malls have their Santas, and the kiddos line up to get their pictures taken with the big guy. And I'm thinking, "why don't we have photo ops with Jesus since it is His birthday after all?"

You might wonder how on earth that would be possible, given Jesus' current glorified state and all. But, really, is He here or not? Where is Jesus? Who would people get their picture taken with after waiting in the "Jesus line?"

The answer: Christians. Believers. The Church. Jesus lives in His people, right? We are not perfect, of course, but we are the way He chooses now to touch this world. We are the mask of God (as I read in a recent Forward in Christ). What a beautiful image! It's like a costume ball and God is there, and as He interacts with people, He puts on the mask of Traci... or Nancy... or Jon... or Mark... or you?

Are we perfect? Do we get everything right? Of course not! But His perfection is so much greater than our imperfection that He can use us anyway. And that's His glory.

So where's the line for "Photos with Jesus?"

The Lights of Christmas

Christmas is, appropriately, a time of lights. Small or large, there are beautiful light displays seemingly everywhere you look. Whether lights on your tree, candles in the windows, lights strung along the borders of your home, or a flashing multi-colored extravaganza... the light shines in the darkness. It beckons, captivates, calls out to some quiet, hopeful, expectant place within us.

Why light at this, the darkest, time of the year?

"Let there be light." He said it at the very beginning. And the light penetrated the primal darkness. It was his plan from the start.

There was a star, a great new light in the heavens. It was God's own birth announcement hung up in the sky for all to see, though few would understand it at the time. It led the wise kings to the King of kings.

There was the Word. "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

As the lights of Christmas twinkle in our eyes, may we hear his still, small voice calling to the depths of our darkness where only he can bring peace on earth. The darkness will not overcome the Light.

Being Thankful

Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for...

My family, of course. Everyone says that, right? So it's easy to skip over it kinda fast - it's such a given - but really that's what makes us humans tick. It's the source of our greatest joy (and heartache)... our relationships with others. I can't get over the richness my wonderful husband, my three kids, my parents, in-laws, and out-laws bring to my life.

For loving friends, good health, cozy home, good food and sufficient "stuff."

For our minivan that didn't need transmission work after all, a plentiful supply of multi-colored leaves for the kids to play in, crazy pooches that bring extra laughter (and sometimes aggravation) to our home.

For the smell of leaves in autumn, the rustling sound of wind in the trees, the contagious giggles of children.

For the peace that surpasses all understanding, for the hope of a better tomorrow, for this grace in which I stand.

And most of all, for the love of the Giver of Every Good and Perfect Gift, who fills my life and my heart in more ways than I can possibly comprehend. To God be the glory. Amen.

All I Needed Was a Pair of Jeans

I finally decided to buy myself some new jeans the other day. So, while all three kiddos were at their appropriate schools, I headed to the mall. Let me begin by saying that it's been a really long time since I bought jeans or have even had jeans that fit well, with the yo-yo-ing size of me thanks to the aforementioned three kiddos. Anyway...

So I'm in the first store, looking at the vast Wall O' Denim, and I'm thinking it can't be as bad as it looks. But I was wrong. There are like 20 different sizes, each available in S for short, R for regular, and L for long. There are six or eight different "fits" (low rise with straight leg, low rise with boot cut, mid rise straight, etc). And then there are the different washes or colorings and such. I wasn't too keen on the indigo dye that threatened to leave its mark permanently on the furniture if I didn't wash it just right (I don't need stress from my jeans, thank you). And I wasn't about to shell out good money on jeans with holes in them (after all, I need new jeans because my current jeans are growing holes of their own... the natural way). After trying on six pairs of jeans, I give up on store number one and move on.

I tried another little shop that didn't have many jeans, then proceeded to a large store that seemed to me to be a denim expert. But I couldn't even bring myself to try on any jeans due to sticker shock combined with an unintelligible sizing system that is either foreign, or an insider thing to make their followers feel cooler and "in the know." I was outta there!

I finally did manage to find one good pair of jeans for a reasonable price at my fourth store after trying on four pairs of jeans (and two pairs were mislabelled). All that work for one pair of jeans. This is why I hate clothes shopping sometimes!

Just a Day at the Beach

We spent the beautiful afternoon today at the beach, in part due to Anna's recent obsession with the movie Nim's Island (she wanted to run and play in the water like Nim does). It was nearly perfect... not too hot, not too crowded, nice little breeze, perfect blue sky, shells to be gathered, sand to play in, birds to chase, and even some dolphins passing by. I love the beach like that!

What I don't love is the part of going to the beach immediately preceding, and following, the good stuff. Preceding, there was fussing between siblings and whining about toys we forgot to bring along (where's the gratitude, guys?), along with the obligatory and time-consuming Application of Sunscreen. Following, there was grumbling that it was time to leave, changing of minds - and clothes - in the van, not to mention sand everywhere!

I don't know... maybe we're just not enough of a "beach" family to do it easily. Maybe if we went more often, the whole experience would flow more naturally and evolve into something holistically enjoyable. But I know some people with kids just love going to the beach all the time... do they have secrets or tricks they employ to make the entire process more pleasant? Or do they simply have easier-going personalities that can overlook the little annoyances? Maybe once our kids are bigger and can do more for themselves, it will be more fun overall. In the meantime, we will not go frequently, but I will always love the middle part of going to the beach!

Hoping Change is in the Cool Autumn Air

It's October and the weather has finally cooled off a bit around here! I was beginning to worry we'd be in the 80's and 90's forever (yes, I know this is south Georgia and the weather does this every year, but it does get old - although it is nice to still be in the pool in September)! Don't you just love the changing of seasons? A new chapter, a breath of fresh air, new opportunities, a new rhythm to life...

Now we're back into the swing of the schoolyear routine. Evan is attending a Parents' Morning Out now so I actually have two mornings a week all to myself! Just think what I could accomplish in that time! The list is long... finish painting some walls and trim in the house, sell stuff on eBay, exercise, write, organize the garage, and on and on. So much to do, so little time.

This week I will go and cast my vote since early voting is open now for the November election. It does seem a bit odd to vote so soon, but I am so ready to see some real change in DC that I jump at the chance to get the ball rolling. Plus, early voting is so convenient... no waiting in lines with small children fussing... and we all want convenience after all, don't we? So go out and vote (unless you're voting for the opposition, in which case you can do the rest of us a favor and just stay home - she said ever-so-sweetly)!   :)