As a child, I remember how at Christmas time there was a distinct atmosphere, in our home, at school, church, and when you went shopping.  Everyone had the Spirit of the Season.  It made you believe there was a Santa Claus.  He watched to see who was naughty or nice.  My sister Jacquie and I shared a bed until we were in JR High.  I remember all those Christmas Eves lying in bed, and we could not go to sleep.  Excitement of the next day was overwhelming.   

One Christmas I remember more so than others.  We had our annual school Pageant, singing the Christmas songs.  At that time, there was not a worry if a song could or could not be sung.  You could sing about the birth of Jesus and no one questioned it.  It was the first time we wore lipstick.  All the girls wore white blouses and a big red bow.  It was really big, hung down to almost our waist and the bow was very wide, almost the width of our shoulders.  They put a little bit of red lipstick on our lips.  Can you imagine a Christmas Pageant in this day with songs about our Lord’s birth?  Can you imagine putting lipstick on all the girls from one school from the same tube?  For one Health, reasons it would never happen and parents would not allow it.  They would put their own lipstick on their own child/children.  However, I do remember seeing pictures taken of all the girls on the bleachers singing with white blouses and big red bows.  The lipstick added just the right touch.   It made for a beautiful picture.  Wish I had one to look at today. 

The Christmas Pageant at our church each year was an extravagant display of what Christmas was really about, from the Wise men ~ the three Kings of the Orient, to the manger scene with Angels on high.  The main Angle by the Star of Bethlehem was standing on a high ladder with special riggings so she would not fall.  She looked just like she was an Angel on high with the big star glowing and the special lights on her.  It was perfect.  They had special lighting and all kinds of special affects galore.  Unique type bleachers were made for the other Angels to stand on.  All the costumes were done down to the precise trims.  One of the members of our church who did Mural painting at some of the buildings at the capital of Missouri volunteered her painting skills.  She painted the animals that were at the stable, I remember they looked so real.  The Stable was perfect and it had real straw.  Everyone had his or her part.  Jacquie and I were the two Angels on the right side of the Stable.  Our costumes were beautiful; we had several very gifted tailors in our church including our Mom.  The long robes of white with long flowing sleeves and we worn special halo’s that just glittered with the lights.  We did look just like Angels.  The Ladies Aide group provided the funds each year for our Christmas Pageant.  It was a real production to put this on each year.

Back then, a Christmas tree was called a Christmas tree.  There was a huge Nativity Scene in the twin parks.  No one ever stole baby Jesus.  The whole town and all the light poles were all decorated with real boughs of tree trimmings and pinecones and ribbons made into bows everything was covered in lights.  You could hear the music playing in the air. 

As we got a little older the spirit of Christmas changed, but our excitement was what we could do for others that could not do for themselves.  This fed our enter spirit.  It was such a soulful filling to get gift baskets ready for the elderly, disabled, and for those who could not do for themselves for one reason or another.  Each Church had a list to work from, so no one would be left out during this special time of year.  The Boys Scouts, Girls Scouts and just about every organization in our small rural area all pulled together to get everything done and delivered on time.  It taught us a valuable lesson, that Santa and the spirit of the season were one, in which Santa did live on; he just had plenty of helpers.  The true spirit was shown to all the people in our area, including the rural communities, that spirit touched so many this special time of year. 

My sister and I carried most of these traditions on.  We knew the excitement our children felt and as the parents, we had fun building up their anticipation  which probably made them even more high strung, that and the sugar they were not use to eating.  They too had their Musical Pageants at school; but now some songs were not allowed to be sung.  They too had the Pageant at church and they played different parts each year.  I had them from first grade on helping with the gifts baskets and I sat up a gift-wrapping service at each end of the local Mall.  The stores were all happy to donate the wrapping paper, bows, and boxes, tape anything we needed.  It started the day after Thanksgiving and ended Christmas Eve.  There was a lot of work involved in doing this.  I started weeks ahead getting everything into place and setting up schedules for the hundreds of volunteers that would help.  It was so worth it.  The monies made went to the local food bank.  We also collected food and had all the schools take a challenge on whoever collected the most food would have their picture in the local paper Newspaper. 

We had a lot of wonderful souls that would bring a gift have it wrapped and then pay and said to donate it to a little boy or girl, by whatever the gift had been.  It is so miraculous to me just how much generosity is given when it is done out in the open, it makes it easier for people to be reminded, they do not have to go out of the way to give money, food or gifts.  This was a tradition that went on for five years.  Thousands of dollars were made gift-wrapping, and tons of food was donated.  I was told that the food and monies generated more than enough; it lasted for months after the season was over.  It got the community involved in a way it had not done before.  It was special for me; I always have wanted since I was young to help those that needed it, but not just at Christmas time.  My children gained all kinds of enter spirit/strength building, knowing that with a little bit of effort you could help so many. 

The reason for the season will live on with me though all my future Christmase's.  Being a Santa’s helper is one of the best positions one could possibly hold.  Giving to those that don’t have, is something that feeds my soul and I know that my children are still volunteering at Christmas time for Toys for Tots, Food Banks and to help deliver those gifts and boxes of food on time for Christmas morning.  We are all Santa helpers. 

My future Christmas’s will be the same as my past and present, but I can hope I will be able to help more souls, and not just at Christmas.  For those of you, who can, consider volunteering at a local food bank, soup kitchen.  Donate not only time, but also money and for the children toys, do not forget the teenagers, young adults, and even gifts for women and men.  It does not matter the age.  A hat and glove set or you could just do one or the other.  A wallet or a neck scarf to help keep warm, handkerchiefs, and so many things we take for granted. 

For those who live without ~ anything that is a gift and a added bonus of being new probably takes them back to the amazing feeling they felt of the holidays seasons of their past.  If they never had a Christmas pass, or even a Christmas present, then it is time.  They need a Christmas Present.  Everyone should have at least one Christmas where they have the excitement and merriment and a gift to open and a wonderful holiday meal.   Spread the Spirit of the Season around; keep that wonderful distinct atmosphere of Christmas going on for the present and all the future Seasons.  Merry Christmas to each and all and A Happy New Year, may it be filled with many blessings, peace, love and joy.  Stay Safe! 

Your Friend with hugs….RaeDi

I do not write of my charitable work to boast, I write of it as an example of what we each could be doing not only during this season, but also all year long.  

Tags: Christmas Spirit Gifts Seasonof Love

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Hello My Dear Friends,

I need to take the time to (re) introduce myself to you.  I may have become a stranger to some of you, from my lack of involvement these past few months.  My Name is ….RaeDi, I Love Life, and Smiles and Hugs, and a Good Joke.  I Love Friends that Care, Share, and are Themselves.  Purity of Heart, and of course those Souls that put Others First.  Something that gives me Pause to Think.  Learning Something New each day, (With my brain injury, I forget something more than once, so I am rewarded of learning them repeatedly.)  Friends that do not Mind my Forgetfulness and have Patience with Me.  The Lord, His Words, Forgiveness and of course Angels to all Degrees.  There are my Hummingbirds, Poetry, Art, and Words of all kinds.  Travel, Daydreaming and Long Walks on my Beach.  Being High up on a Mountain and Seeing as Far as I can see.  Sounds of the Ocean Waves that measure our time, Rivers that run Loud and Long, and Waterfalls.  Our Earth, our Home, taking Care of Her and not being Wasteful, being Green for our Planet of Blue.  Sunup’s, Sunsets, and everything in Between and a Night Full of Stars, a Full Moon that Beams.  The Warmth that you body Feels while in the Sun.  Flowers in an Array of Colors and Gardens with Fountains you can Enjoy to See and Gardens that are there for you to Eat.  Fragrance of Phlox David, Roses, Lilies, and the Sweetest of Smells and I love Joy Perfume.  Sitting by the Fire, Sips of Port and La Bon Chocolate after a Wonderful Meal.  Overstuffed Chairs with an Ottoman to Rest my Feet.  Music, the Theater, and Candles as the only Light in a Room.  Memories and Wonderment.  Hearing Children’s Laughter and the Unconditional Love of Animals.  A Good Book that I cannot put down until Complete.  Whispers, Laughter, and Hugs to all Degrees.  A Childs Hand in mind can bring Tears of Love to Me.  I love saying “I Love You More!” and Meaning it too.  I have a Love of Life and a Love to Laugh from the Center of my Being.  Finding and Experiencing the Meanings in each Minute of each Day and of each New Year.  My Friends, they each Mean a Great Deal to me.  I Love all the Beautiful Graphics, Kind Thoughts, and Loving Words my Friends have Sent my way.  These are a Few of the Things about Me.  Now that I have (Re) Introduced myself to You, I hope to see you often, I will try to bring you Smiles, make you feel Loved, and you will know that I Care and it is just “Me.”  With Love and Hugs….RaeDi

Tags: Friendship Love Of Life All Things To Me My LovesAll That Means

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Tags: Christmas Sledding Snowballs Creek Injurytrestel Bridge

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By….RaeDi ©

I was in the fourth grade when my Grandpa Charlie had come to stay with us for several months.  He came each year for an extended visit.  This trip had been different.  He was helping to renovate our home.  We had a tornado, which had done a lot of damage the month before.  He was here early this year because carpentry was his trade.  He was going to be doing the final changes and a few other finishing projects for our Mother on our home.

I always enjoyed it when Grandpa Charlie came.  When I see candy corn, the first thought is of my Grandpa Charlie always having candy corn for us children.  If he came in the fall, he always brought a bushel of fresh picked apples too.  He would surprise me with a quarter here and a fifty-cent piece there.  I knew I was his favorite and he gave me things that he did not give my siblings.  I never told them, I never bragged about it.  I think a part of me wondered why he would give me things that my siblings would not get.

When I was younger, he would always take me on his walks.  We lived in town at that time.  We would walk up to the twin parks, sit on the benches, and watch the people and cars go by.  Then we would go to the five and dime and he would tell me I could pick out one thing.  I would usually pick out a pack of Dentine Gum.  There were more pieces per pack.  This was something I would share with my sister Jacquie.  We would tear each piece in two and we would each have a piece of gum for several days.  Sometimes Jacquie would come along and she too would get to pick out one thing.  Those times we went for what would last the longest.  Generally, our choice was a Fire Stick or a Sugar Daddy.  They would last us for days.  Usually she would pick one and I picked the other.  Then we would share so we both had two different kinds of candy.

This visit Grandpa Charlie was busy getting the things done on his lists.  He would install new windows in all the rooms.  He would be restoring the kitchen cabinets and a few other jobs.  My sister Jacquie and I were always there ready to help him.  To this day, I know how to use a square.  I know what a level is and how to use it.  We each had a makeshift carpenter’s belt.  He gave us our own carpenter’s pencil.  We got to hold on to the piece of wood he was cutting.  We were his “fetch girls” and proud of it.  We were Grandpa Charlie’s shadows.  Jacquie and I had so much fun helping Grandpa Charlie out.  That was one of my best visits in memory with my Grandpa Charlie.

Mom did not like us to ‘hang’ around him when he was smoking his cigars.  Every once in a while he would let us take a puff of the cigars and we’d end up coughing and he would laugh at us and tell us, “Girls, do not start smoking, it’s bad for you!”  I do not know what our Mother would have done had she known he let us take those puffs.  When he smoked his pipe, we both loved the smell of the tobacco.  He let us try that too, with the same outcome.  Mom never knew about the puffs we had or that he let us fill his pipe for him too.  Grandpa Charlie always had that smell of leather and fine pipe tobacco.  To this day when I smell that special scent, it always reminds me of my Grandpa Charlie.

Grandpa Charlie got everything done a couple weeks before Thanksgiving.  He had a couple of weeks to do what he wanted and he took us girls along with him.  Trips to the five and dime, more candy corn to share with our siblings.  We could have our own Fire Stick or Sugar Daddy, but just do not tell the others.  We had time to watch the cars and people from the park.  We had not been to the Twin Parks in town in a long time.  Before when we lived in town, we were at the Twin Parks several times a week.

Our Mom had been very busy getting things done and readied for our company coming in from Iowa.  My Dad was out of state working and could not come home for Thanksgiving.  My Dad’s sisters and their families were coming down for Thanksgiving.  Their trip down was to take Grandpa Charlie home.  His time with us was about to end.  I always felt such sadness when it was time for Grandpa Charlie to go home. 

Mom had baked pies, pumpkin, cherry, apple, and mincemeat.  She had prepared all the condiments and her specialties to make this a grand dinner for all.  She had a turkey in one oven and a ham in another.  We were to have sweet potatoes and so much more.  The cellar door was very busy for a couple of days.  A true holiday feast, no one would be disappointed.  Our Mother was a good cook and everyone knew it.

She had finished by mid-morning Thanksgiving Day and had everything to the precise timing.  The house was completely cleaned and readied for our company’s arrival.  We all were excited, except for the fact that Grandpa Charlie would be going home.  Mom was finishing up on everything and she had my brother take the garbage out; some was for the compost pile and the rest was to be burned in the burn barrel.

The next thing we knew my brother came running into the house and was yelling fire.  He had been burning the trash as was done in those days, the wind picked up, and the fire was spreading rapidly.  He tried to put it out himself, but it just kept spreading.  It had been a dry summer and to date no real rain.  The fuel for the fire was all the dry grass and it was spreading swiftly in all directions.

My Mom and Grandpa Charlie and my brother were all trying to get this fire out.  It was spreading quickly.  Jacquie and I were wetting blankets in the cow trough and taking them to our Mother, Grandpa, and brother: they were trying to beat the fire down with the wet blankets.  We lived out in the country and there was no fire service.  I remember waiting back until another wet blanket was called for and trading the freshly wet blanket for the one that was used to wet it again.  My Grandpa Charlie who was in his sixties was working so hard to beat the fire back.  I remember thinking he had his hat on.  He had a brown wool Stetson hat he had worn for years.  It would not be my Grandpa Charlie without his brown wool Stetson.  He wore his brown checked wool zippered jacket, which had a brown leather collar, and brown leather buttons at the pockets at the start of cool weather.  I cannot remember him not wearing them when the cool weather set in.  My Mother already dressed for our company in one of her beautiful homemade dresses and apron.  My brother, I could see the fear in his eyes.

Finally, after what seemed a lifetime they got the fire out.  They then walked around and looked for any fire amber's that could set it afire again.  No one got hurt.  However, we all looked a mess.  When we looked at each other, we were all covered in suet.  We started laughing as we looked at each other.  Not only our clothes but also our hands, faces, and necks were covered in black suet.  The opening of our ears and at our nostrils was thick with the black suet.  The only thing not black with suet was our eyelids and teeth.  We did look funny, even though we just fought a fire that could have taken our house.  It could have injured anyone of us.  Nevertheless, we were all standing there laughing, I think, part of it was the aftermath and the realization of what had just happened and all that could have happened and did not.

We were standing there laughing and looking ridiculous when our company pulled into the drive.  The look on my Mothers face, I will never forget.  She had worked so hard to have everything perfect and readied for our company.  Some of the dinner yet to be readied set dinnertime back a bit.  Cleaning ourselves up was another matter.  It was not going to be just a quick hand cloth to face and hands.  We each had to take a bath.

That Thanksgiving Day we had lots to give thanks for, more than we thought we would at the beginning of the day.  The dinner was perfect.  Everyone enjoyed himself or herself immensely.  You could smell smoke throughout the air.  That could not be avoided.  However, we had our health.  We still had our home.  The only thing sad about the day was Grandpa Charlie would be going home in the morning.

I have been writing memiors of my youth with my sister Jacquie, this  is just one of the stories.  Remembering the two of us and what we did and the way we lived has been very comforting....RaeDi

Tags: Thanksgiving Fire Carpentry Grandpa Candy Corn Apples Feast Family

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 "Full Circle"

I had heard it said repeatedly since I was young, each life will go in a full circle.  As a child and even a young adult, I wondered what going in a full circle meant.  To me it was a very perplexing statement for the entirety of my life until here recently.  I had not a clue, no understanding as to the gist of the true essence of what it would take to go full circle or what one should feel.  I had wondered at times if I would even know when it happened.  It took me until I was fifty-one years old before I knew what it truly meant.  My life and its direction and lifestyle would all undergo an all-encompassing transformation of my complete being.  I knew instantly when I had gone full circle.  It was an exceptional hot early evening.  The phone rang; I had been waiting for this call for several days.  The time had been fast approaching.  I had my bag packed and everything in order for this most special of occasions.  I would be present and unknowingly I would play a significance role, the role of my lifetime in just a few short hours.  There were no rehearsals, no planning on my part.  I thought I would be an observer.  I was happy to be an eyewitness to this amazing appearance.  The reality had not set in as we drove the thirty-one miles to our destination.  The trip for the most part was quite.  My mind was thinking about whom I had been.  How this would change me and would I ever be as I was before.  My purpose in life I instinctively knew was about to change.  This amplification of my enter being would only be enhanced; the part of my life that had the most meaning and enjoyment was going to swell further than I had known possible.  I had no idea at the expanse this would bring my spirit.  I have heard from so many who have gained this status nothing in this world can you compare it with.  We arrived at our destination and all was going as planned.  I had been afraid that I would miss it; I would not be there for the special revealing, I so wanted to experience it firsthand.  We knocked and we heard a familiar voice call, “Come on in, the door is unlocked.”  We opened the door all was quiet and we looked at each other to see if we either one knew what was going on.  Then a person appeared down the hall and told us we could come on in.  As we approached the room, we looked, and our eyes locked, we both were being held in our own expectancy.  Everything seemed so quiet.  The closer we got to the room we both then heard the soft classical music playing.  The drapes were drawn and a lamp with defused light was the only glow in the room.  Everything was going as planned.  I had questioned and even had anticipation of the decision of where this would take place.  I had prayed there would be no concerns or problems to visit this small home during this special time.  Within thirty minutes of our arrival, it came about.  I knew what coming full circle meant.  The birth of the most precious little fella I would get to know and I would have the honor, the privilege of separating his lifeline, his link to his mother; he was now on his own.  I was then told to take him, I was being honored this special blessing of being the first one to hold this ever so small little boy.  As I held my only Grandbaby, a boy with skin the color of pearls and he had the lightest rufus colored hair.  He was the exact image of his father at his birth.  I was holding my Grandson and looking at him, his perfect little fingers, and toes, his body the same build as his father.  He came into this world as quietly as the dimness of the light in the room.  Both his parents were in tears, this brand new Grandmother was in tears as I took inventory.  I was so taken by the miracle of life in itself.  It was while I was holding him that I come to know what “Full Circle” meant.  I had just come full circle in my life.  Up to this point, I was encompassing-encircling for the completion of my circle, for this very moment.  The circle was complete.  As I held this precious gift from our Lord, I was giving thanks for him.  I heard someone speak faintly, “His name is Noah Mathias, the son of Andrew Paul.”  I was a Grandmother and as I looked from my firstborn - my Son to my Grandson I gave my thanks for all the goodness that our Lord has blessed me with, this blessing would be so cherished.  My circle of life was complete.  I had a new perspective now on my life.  My understanding came instantly as I held my Grandbaby.  I knew why so many individuals in my life who had already experienced this had spoken how dearly it had changed their lives like nothing else.  I also knew I was going to love being a ‘Mema.’  “Welcome to my world RudiRue.  I love you more my little fella.” 

Since RudiRue’s birth, I have come to the realization that going “Full Circle” is as individualized and each individual.  No one’s “Full Circle” is the same.  I also have become conscious of the colors in each individual circle.  All the experiences and challenges, all the highs and the lows and everything in between are represented in each of our circles.  Now when I see a rainbow it means so much more to me.  I now realize the events for the rest of my life I am here on earth will bring completeness in the whole of the circle.  When we took our leave for a few moments so Noah’s parents could have time with just him,   we were sitting out on their balcony.  As we sat there, a sunset of every color in the rainbow appears across the horizon.  To me the Lord was showing His full blessings of the events that had just taken place.  I believe my many blessings will add to the total sum for the better part of the whole of my circle of life.

Tags: Grandchildren Love Life Blessings Expectations Rainbows Birth

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By ….RaeDi ©

I cannot believe that autumn is essentially here.  I notice it usually in the morning when I get up.  You can feel the chill in the air.  There is a thin layer of fog as I look out my window.  Over the Sound, the fog is dense, and you can hear the foghorns from all the boats of varying size on the Puget Sound.  It is a very heavily traffic area with the cargo ships coming and going from the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma.  Add to them all the fishing and pleasure boats of varying sizes.  The floatplanes are constantly coming and going too.  We also have the ferryboats from several different areas and islands all coming and going from very early in the morning until very late at night. 

Once the fog has lifted, you can look across the water at Whidbey Island and on over to the mainland and see the trees have started to change colors.  The leaves will all change over the next few weeks and what breathtaking beauty they will bring.  In a week or two, they will be at their pinnacle of color.  Everyone with a camera will be out taking shots and those of us who love to paint we will be out with our easels trying to capture the essence of what fall brings.  Summer is gone and fall arrives.  I think the vivid colors make up for the loss of the warmth of summer.  Therefore, it is not as much of a shock to our systems as we fast approach the months of winter’s frozen hold. 

With fall comes harvest time.  Tom picked the apples from our trees the other day.  We each had one when he took a break.  They were so crisp and luscious.  The taste reminded me of a delicious apple cider.  The apple was like chewing apple cider.  I know you do not chew apple cider, but the test was so similar to apple cider that you felt you were sipping and not chewing.  As a child, I loved to have heated apple cider with a cinnamon stick.  My children loved their heated apple cider the same way.

It takes me back to when we first moved to Washington.  It had been a very long two weeks on the road from Yorktown, VA to Puget Sound, Washington.  The afternoon we arrived, we found out school was starting the next day.  You do not know how ecstatic this Mother felt to know her children would be in school all day long.  Especially after that long journey all cramped in a vehicle and accompanying us on our journey was our little mini sheltie dog, Mini Molly Moo Wigglesworth.  She was the least of our troubles.

That first week in school here was heaven sent.  Busy with getting things in order, such as where we would live and hoping that our household goods would arrive on the date given.  All the paper work sent home with the children took hours to fill out, and then there were the school trip slips sent for parents to give permission for their child to go on.  Their first field trip was to “Scandia Pumpkin Farm.”

This pumpkin farm had been in business for years.  The elderly farmer and his ancestors had all grown pumpkins on this very farm since before the turn of the century.  Each year they invited the children from the local schools to come and pick out a pumpkin in the special pumpkin patch they had grown just for that purpose.  Each child once they had picked the pumpkin they wanted paid a quarter for it.  He then gave each child a cup of hot apple cider.  What a treat for all of the children. 

Eating the apple the other day while sitting under the Apple tree brought back so many memories from my childhood to my children’s childhood.  We had a school trip similar to this when we lived in Connecticut.  As a child, our youth group would have hot cider after the meetings or after the early evening fall hayride enjoyed by all this time each year. 

We still have plums to harvest, I had one, and it was simply wonderful.  The blackberries are in full season.  Tom actually made a blackberry cobbler the other evening it was large enough for two very small portions of the wonderful flavors, which come with harvest time.  The amazing tastes we all relish come each fall and are pleasures since our childhoods.

It sure is nice to be able to have the freshness of fall at your backdoor.  All treasures, which we each take pleasure in, as summer takes her leave and fall is upon us.  I would share w