Some thoughts as we enter the holiday season. ... it is important to remember that not everyone is surrounded by large wonderful families. Some have problems during the holidays and some are overcome with great sadness when remembering the loved ones who are no longer with us. Many people have no one to spend these times with and are besieged with loneliness. We all need caring, loving thoughts right now. Giving support for all those who have family problems, health struggles, job issues, worries of any kind and just need to know someone cares. Do it for all of us, for none of us is immune.
I'll never forget the day our youngest sat next to me on the couch watching television. While what we were watching was relatively kid-friendly, I failed to remember there was a reference to Santa being the parents.
I sat still wondering if my son had noticed the conversation. All of the sudden, he pipes up with, "Wait. You're Santa? Santa's not real?"
My husband and older son sat silent, and I chimed in immediately, "Oh my goodness!" With excitement in my voice, I looked at my husband and said, "Do you think he's ready?"
My youngest asked quickly as he straightened himself up, "Ready for what? I'm ready!"
"I think he's ready. " my husband said with a smile.
"Ready for what?! What is happening?!"
"To become a Santa with us, buddy."
"I could be a Santa?!"
"That's who Santa really is, sweetheart. When you are old enough, you learn that giving is better than receiving. You learn to give without asking for anything in return. You become a Santa."
"Oh my gosh! So I'm a Santa now?!"
"You are, my love. Congratulations on being a big kid."
"Who do I give to then?! I'm ready!"
And the conversation continued. And there was no sadness...only excitement. And he purchased items for others with mommy in order to surprise them and see the joy in their eyes.
When our kids grew old enough, they didn't learn Santa wasn't real; they learned Santa is in all of us. And they proudly accepted the new role of being givers.
Credit: Anchoring Hope for Mental Health: Jeremy & Bailey Koch
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1st Corinthians 13:13
"My barbershop is located in an old mining town called Rouyn-Noranda in northern Canada. I opened here because there were no other barbershops, only hair salons, which is something completely different. Wyatt showed up with his mother during the first week I was open. He was my first child who had special needs. I figured out how to work with him by getting down to his level. These moments are very special for me. I'm taking great pride barbering here and my community is amazingly supportive towards my shop. People drive up to 4 hours to get a haircut. We usually start by having a candy together and we walk around the shop looking at everything on the walls. The shop is packed with gifts from clients. We can also put some music on vinyl during the haircut. I'm never typically driving the haircut, I simply follow the lead of the child. It takes me more than an hour to finish with a special needs child. It is worth every minute."
After 4 days with NO sunshine and over 3-1/2" of rain, we are smiling and soaking up the rays this morning. It has been a dreary and soggy time over Texas but we always welcome the rain. It makes us appreciate the Sun more too. Thankful for everything God provides!
Once a little dandelion had a very special dream. But for a plant whose roots were in the ground, this dream was strange it seems.
I will tell you her dream, but you mustn't laugh, for a flower she is shy. The dream she dreams every night is that one day she will fly!
Now in this dream there is something strange (as dreams are wont to be),
"I felt myself floating high, as far as I could see! But when I saw myself in my dream, the me I saw wasn't me!"
So everyday she opened her face to the warm golden sun, she grew and grew, she dreamed her dream till an awful change had begun...
"What happened to my yellow face?! My tiny petals are now all gone! What is this fuzziness that I feel?! Have I been dying all along???
The little dandelion, now sad and afraid, stood alone on the lawn. "One more night to dream of flight and then my dream is gone."
She awoke at dawn no longer afraid, the day was bright and clear. A little girl played close by, "What's this? She's coming near"...
The little girl giggled when she saw the funny thing standing there full of fuzz. She ran up to it and plucked it up! The dandelion's mind was all abuzz!
What happened next was like magic! Like nothing the dandelion ever knew! The little girl puckered up her lips and ever so gently, she blew! The dandelion soared into the breeze on a hundred tiny wings! "I am flying!" she yelled. "My dream! My dream! It came true!"
As she floated on the gentle wind, going higher in the sky. The dandelion looked down at the girl who was smiling, waving goodbye.
"Thank you" she thought, "You made my dream come true. Whatever your dreams are sweet girl, I hope they come true too."
Yesterday we watched NFL football games and so it seemed like Sunday. Today we watched College football games and now we thought it was Saturday. I will surely have trouble going back to work. I hope you had fun with family and ate lots of delicious food as you shared all the things you are thankful for out loud.
Everyone has enough leaves already this Fall to make a dress because winter is already here. The weekend is a time to relax. Get outside and enjoy this time of year around a fire. However, don't forget to Thank our Lord for the beauty all around us.
Smile! It is Saturday! I sure dread putting ribbon around the 44 pies that Kelly will pick up from Costco Monday and attempting to tie a bow on each. Then Tuesday the clients will drive up and call us and we will take their choice of Apple, Pecan, or Pumpkin to each family. Next Saturday we will go to Flower Mound to see our girls and that is something to look forward to now. What are you doing this coming week?
Oh my! What a week it has been and at last there is hope to survive it all. We will be giving out over 40 pies for Thanksgiving so next week will be a very busy one too. I just want you to know that your friendship means the world to me Anne and I planted some flowers for you!
My day off is half over and we have survived the skin check at our yearly doctor visit. Now if we can just survive winter as we seem to have skipped Fall completely. Mid 30's at night with NO SUN and only mid 40's during the day is definitely winter in Texas. Is it February? Did I miss Thanksgiving and Christmas? We are often in the 70's and even 80's during those holidays. I hope you are having a Blessed week. Only 3 more days at work and I'll be back soon.
Still not recovered from yard work (Bulletin post) as my knee is screaming. However, thanks to JustDeb, I got some help from her House Cleaning Fairies. So now, I am wishing you a Good Night and Sweet Dreams.
This is what I wish I was doing on my day off. I spent 2 hours coloring my hair and 3 hours shopping for groceries and wandering around Costco. My paycheck for the whole week is gone.
I think this leaf belongs to you. It blew in my yard. Oh, and I have a bunch of limbs that you can pick up while you are here.
My goodness all this putting up groceries has made me thirsty. Now just a few more things to get done and maybe I can find that book I started reading this weekend.
One of many trees my son, Wayne, trimmed on Sunday. Didn't he do a beautiful job?
Pole saw, chainsaw on a pole, and lots of sore bodies by the time this was finished.
Piles and piles of cutting all over the back yard. We got the front yard picked up before Rbt and I pooped out completely.
Besides the fact that the trailer was full to overflowing "again" after Wayne jumped on it to get it down and no place to put the cutting from the back yard until it gets unloaded.
Now that is what Fall is all about to me! We had 500 acres full of beautiful White Tailed deer and it was the best time of the year. Our freezer was full of meat to last all year long. Now it is slim pickens.
The weekend is almost over. Time to start thinking about the week ahead and work to be done. We are trying to finish trimming a few trees to keep the squirrels off the roof. What do you have planned?
We can all agree it is a beautiful time of year, even if I am sitting here shivering. However, we will be in the 80's all week after today and until the next front makes its way through Texas. I hope you are enjoying your weekend.
