A Very Simple Christmas

It's beginning to look a little bit like Christmas at our house again this year! Our wreath is hung on the front door... just a simple green wreath with a red bow. It feels welcoming to me. I hope it will make others feel welcomed to our home this season as well. 

Our artificial tree is assembled & fluffed & strung with lights. I miss the smell of fresh pine from a real tree, but this is a season in our married life when holidays mean traveling away from home. The twinkling lights are bright & cheerful. They give our home a festive feel. Sometime soon I'll carry down our boxes of ornaments from upstairs & add to the tree's sparkle... But for now, the simple, un-embellished tree makes me feel happy.

On top of the old piano in our dining room, I've arranged the Nativity scene... just a replica of someone's skilled hand carving. I love the folk art feel of it & its' rustic simplicity. It's a reminder to me that Jesus was born in the humblest of circumstances & laid in a feeding trough used for the stable animals... Amazing Grace!! God sent His only Son to live & walk among us. Who would have thought He could love us so much?

I took this picture from our deck last night... It reminded me of the carol, "Silent Night". This year I have found myself longing for peacefulness, for time to meditate on the true meaning of the Christmas season. My husband & I have scaled our gift-giving & holiday shopping back. In truth, I'm relieved not to be bustling about looking for 'who knows what to give to Uncle Harry.' I'm content to miss out on the crowds & glitz & commercialism so often a part of the Christmas season. I'm feeling more centered, less stressed & more joyous. Yes, the Merry feels like it's returned to Christmas for me this year!

Last Sunday at church, we sang the well-known French carol, "Angels We Have Heard On High." I know I must have sung this song thousands of times over the years. But somehow, the words of the third verse jumped out at me this time... so much so that I scribbled them down on the bulletin so I wouldn't forget. They really sum up what I long to do this Christmas season (& always!)...

Come to Bethlehem and see

Him whose birth the angels sing;

Come adore on bended knee

Christ, the Lord, the Newborn King.

~ Wayne Wold

May YOU be blessed in knowing the love
of Jesus, our Savior and Lord
this Christmas!

So Very Thankful!

As so many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To be honest, until recently that didn't have much meaning for me. At 57 years old, I had been blessed with good health & I was looking forward to enjoying middle age with my sweet husband, Joe. But all that suddenly changed for me...

The morning after my 'routine mammogram,' I got the phone call no woman ever wants to receive... "We want you to come back for a second screening. The radiologist found a problem on your X-ray."

So began several weeks of not knowing & waiting & trying not to think the worst. My husband & I prayed. We asked our family & friends for prayer. We believe the Lord wants us to bring our needs & our hearts before Him... and at the same time we believe, for better or for worse, God is in control.

I ended up needing to have a biopsy... and truthfully, I was afraid to go through that process almost as much as I feared learning about the test results. But the nurse & doctor who cared for me could not have been more compassionate. They listened to me & talked me through the entire procedure. I felt like I was treated as a person who mattered & not just another nameless patient... They helped put my heart at ease.

My story has a very HAPPY ending!... though now I know I could easily have received very different news.

And so today I am THANKFUL!...  Thankful for the love & support of my husband. Thankful for the prayerfulness of family & friends. Thankful for compassionate caregivers. And yes, thankful for the very good news I received... I don't take the gift of good health for granted any more.

Thank you Lord for caring for me in the midst of uncertainty & fear. Thank you for being my strength, my comfort, my rock. Thank you for your compassion & mercy on me. Please help me to remember that, no matter what I may face in this life, I can ALWAYS trust in You.