Christmas and my niece

It was such a blessing to watch my two-year-old niece for a few days before Christmas.  Everytime I look at a little one, I'm in awe at the miracle of the creation of life.  It makes me so humbled that we serve a great and mighty God that can create such intricate human beings!  And my niece just happens to be a super cute and good one : )  The week before Christmas was also filled with a conglomoration of events -- my turn signals not working resulting in me sticking my arm out the window to signal (yes, I really did that); meeting a 93-year-old with whom I will sit with a couple of afternoons a week; my last pilates class for the season (she went easy on me once I had my foot surgery); a sunny hike through the woods on Christmas eve; meeting a friend and her family for Christmas eve services; and spending time with my family in a very relaxed and casual fashion both days.  While I love the feeling in the air and the unusual pleasantness of strangers around Christmas, I firmly believe that celebrating the Messiah coming to earth to save us from our sins, shouldn't be confined to a day -- it's possible to live life magnifying Jesus Christ year-round.

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

John 10:10



God's little one, who just so happens to be born to my sister : )

How to pray

A sunny winter walk at the peninsula

 Erie, Pennsylvania, USA

I went for a sunny walk on our peninsula on Sunday.  I enjoyed looking at the blue sky through the bare trees and listening to the winter animals scurry about.  I've come to appreciate winter; a time of rest and renewal in many ways.  I even went on a bike ride today!  I've never gone on a ride in December.  I had always belonged to a gym and now that I don't, I get outside as often as I can.  And in winter, there is often a bit more time to be still when the weather is cold outside.  So, it was nice time to hear a sermon on how to pray.  Our pastor did a great job, and I found it very helpful, so I thought that I would pass along these guidelines on how to pray.

Prayer

Prayer allows us to really be with God.  Just like you marry someone and are with them (you have interactions, dialogue, you listen and respond), our communion with God is the same.  Are we really with Him?  In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, it says to "Pray without ceasing."  So, we're asked to stay in communion with Him.  Here are a few guidelines to help with prayer:

1.  Prepare to pray -- Select a time and a place, even if it's just five minutes to start.  Pick a special place or a walk where there is some seclusion/solitude, or a voluntary retreat from others and the distractions of daily life.  This is a time of special intimacy with Christ.

2.  Learn to pray -- Prayer takes practice like anything else! 

• Be simple -- Choose simple prayers, whatever is on your heart and mind; bring the mental wanderings into your prayers, don't get annoyed by them, there may be a reason that they keep popping up. 
• Pray aloud -- Also, pray aloud or write your prayers down. 
• Posture -- Lastly, get on your knees, which is a position of submission.  Not that there's anything wrong with praying in bed, but on your knees gives purposeful time.
• Structured praying -- The acronym ACTS often helps (Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication).  Especially thanking God in everything (Phil 4: 7- 8)

3.  Pray regularly -- Pray on a regular basis and use reminders to help you (e.g. when in car, make it a house of prayer; when writing to-do list, pray over it to ask what He wants you to do that is not on your list; as write out cards, pray for them).

He closed the sermon with a short exercise in meditating on a passage of scripture, letting your mind dwell on it for 3 minutes and then writing down your insights.  I hope that you found this as helpful as I did.  God bless!

Since 4th grade

Aimee's birthday (with Sharon/me)

Yes, that's how long I've know my dear friend Aimee.  Yesterday we celebrated her birthday.  I'm sure that you've heard that some friends are in your life for a reason, a season, or for a lifetime.  Who knew that when this sprightly little girl pulled my ponytail, that it would start a friendship that would endure for decades. : )

Note: Aimee claims no recollection of the ponytail incident : )

A good reminder...from Haitians

This week Prudence and Pradell visited the United States from Haiti.  They visited two of their children attending university here.  I met Prudence, who runs the Bethesda medical clinic in Cap Haitian, Haiti when I went on a mission trip there 2 1/2 years ago.  At the time, I just remember her joy as she showed us around her clinic.  Despite women waiting with malnutrioned babies, those who could not afford an x-ray to be part of the government program, those who were wheeled in a wheelbarrow because they could not walk the miles to the clinic she kept a smile on her face.  She knew that she could not save them all, but they could do their best to try. 

As Prudence spoke to the church today, it was such a good reminder about why we are Christians.  She says that she is servant of Christ first and a nurse second.  I asked her how she keeps her joy.  She readily answered with a smile on her face that she prays three times a day -- once in the morning, 5 minutes at noon, and at night to thank God.  And, she added, "you can have this joy, too, if you ask God.  God gives this to me."  Pradell didn't speak much English, but another person from the church commended him as the reason that Prudence is so strong.  Pradell pastors a church that takes an hour by vehicle plus another 2 hours to walk there.  There is so much witchcraft there that hearing the good news of Jesus Christ truly does save them from a life of treachery.  Prudence goes along to treat those that she can.  They said that being a Pastor in Haiti can be a dangerous job because the people rely on them for not just spiritual needs, but physical needs as well.  And when asked about what they thought about Christmas in the United States, they had never seen lights on houses for Christmas.  She said that the Haitians have no money so they do the best thing and go to church to worship God.  She said to decorate our hearts and not our houses.  I was so inspired by them, not only the spirit within them, but they as a couple, you could see just how much they were two servants of God serving God together. 

Tea with my mother

I had the most special time today.  My mother and I took a sunny drive to My Grandmother's Teapot tea room in Adamsville, Pennsylvania.  Only about an hour away from home, it was a nice get away in such a relaxing and cozy atmosphere.  We enjoyed little sandwiches made with chicken salad, egg salad, and cheese and pimento sandwiches along with homemade scones and welsch biscuits.  All very English because the owner's mother was from England (well, Wales actually).  And we enjoyed a pot of Peach tea out of a bone China teapot and teacups.  For dessert, the owner served us toffee pudding, which is more like cake.  But so delicious.  And several hours just went by without a care.  The older I get, the more I appreciate special times like this with my mother.

A different kind of Thanksgiving

"In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thes 5:18

This thanksgiving I reflected on how different life is for me and how amazing God's grace has been in my life.  How I would have never expected the year that I had, and how grateful I am for supportive and loving family and friends through it all.  I am so thankful that God is moving in amazing ways in my life and while I am far from perfect, I am so grateful to be part of the story of God.  And I'm even thankful for my physical health.  It seems that after sealing my own driveway and undertaking my [entire] basement, I was bound to have some back problems.  But fortuneately, some recent minor foot surgery helped heal my back because I was out of commission/hobbling for a week.  But I am on the mend, with both thankfully, and am glad that I did get some help with both issues.  For my back, my one neighbor helped me rake my leaves.  And with my foot, I had a few people help me, but the trip to the store was a hoot.  My neighbor Dorothy, who is 80, took me to the grocery store.  I gave her a good laugh when I looked at the electric carts, and said, "I wonder if I qualify?"  So I hopped on and after figuring out how to steer, I made it through the store.  I also have a new appreciation for handicapped people.  Almost no one noticed me.  I mean no one.  It's as if me and my REALLY BIG cart did not exist.  One woman did smile at me and let me through, though.  It's so incredible what a little act of kindness can really do.  And that reminds me, at church, when my foot was propped up, I had two people I did not know come over to see how I was doing and a teacher I hadn't seen in awhile asked me how I was.  Again, the littlest gestures are so special when you really need it.  I'm so grateful for so many things this year, and even for the wherewithall to complete my basement, which became the spot for my family's Thanksgiving celebration.  You almost didn't notice the hot water tank and furnace. : )

Thanksgiving in my (completed!) basement

New Shoes

My beloved new flats

Who knew that I'd go for months in Austria without ever wearing a pair of heels, and after returning home, flats became my new uniform.  Of course, since my closet is adorned with all varieties of heels, I had to invest in a few pair of [fashionable-yet-comfortable] flats.  I was also very happy to be wearing more flats after an older friend of mine showed me her feet after years of wearing heels -- what they say can be true!  Trust me, I love a pair of heels for church, or a nice dinner out, or a wedding, but they are more the exception nowadays.  But I must say, while I thought that I made progress from heels to flats, my doctor so tactfully pointed out that I might need to get more supportive shoes after looking at my beloved new flats.  Well, one step at a time. : )

Our feet are important, though, as Paul pointed out: "How beautiful are the feet of those that bring good news!" Romans 10:15