Crazy Acceptance Noted at Christmas Party

Most who know me would say as compared to others in a rural Southern town, I'm eccentric.  I don't think I would be considered remotely eccentric if I were living in a big city, but to many people around me, I am (yes, they've told me).  As I have mentioned before, choosing public school was a big, huge, major decision for me.  It was a no-brainer for my hubby, and had I listened to him from the start, I would have saved myself some (ok, lots) of worrying!  (And needless discussion, headaches, tears, and a lot of people's ears wouldn't have fallen off!)  I can only hope I'm getting better at praying than talking.  I digress...So I prayed and not only did did my girl make an instant friend, she was assigned a great teacher (who prays for her students), and she also has an aide (who prays for the students as well).  No one told me what an added bonus-blessing the aide could be!  HUGE, I tell you.  I want to express my appreciation, but, how do you thank someone for caring so much for your child that she notices subtle cues and after praying, reacts in ways higher than her own ways?  My best effort will have to be written because I express best that way.  In addition to taking care of G, God answered prayer unaware for me, too. I'm so excited about this!  These newfound friends we've made at school this year not only love my child, they accept me.  Cuh-raz-iness.  Yay!  And by that I mean, I have really been myself (my freakishly compulsive self, especially since the events just last Friday) , and these people like me!  Did I say yay!?

 
Today in the middle of twenty 5-6 year olds and about 8 adults, I had a settling, comfortable feeling come over me.  I stepped back, looked around at the blessed chaos of wrapping paper, cupcake wrappers, and the like, and realized what it was!  And I was / am grateful.  So for this year, again I say, yay!  I made reindeer water bottles for the class party.  I'm showing them off, because this is about the extent of my artistic/creative side.  If you're artistic, be thankful.  God's gift to you, and to people like me who aren't but who can admire your creations!

PeAcE OuT

 

On Sunday, my youngest asked his grandmother what she wanted for Christmas.  She welled up, started to cry, and said "world peace...and for all the little boys and girls to have a happy Christmas."  He watched her with a solemn face for a nano-second, then asked her if she wanted jewelry.  I kind of loved it.  His innocence I mean.  

 

(Sorry I can't remove the top of the picture!)

 

 

I started thinking about peace (lack of it) as I reflected on what she said/how little one responded, and what a very wise friend said:  "It's not about more guns or no guns.  It's about the heart and soul."

 

In order to have world peace, we must have inner peace.

 

 

In order to have inner peace, we must have hope in Jesus.

 

John 3:16

For God so LOVED (insert your name) that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

 

Peace in and PeAcE OuT

 

 

J

 

J= Jesus

J=Joy

Good reminder:  Like many things in life, it's all in how you look at it!

 

 

 

Sweet blessings!

 

 

After handing out candy canes today in the cold weather, I was reminded again that when I go with the intent to "be" a blessing, I end up "receiving" a sweet blessing (or several)! 

 

 

 

Sweet moment w/ my sweet girl.

Soft White Light

There is something about soft white light.  A few evenings ago, I was putting up laundry back in my bedroom while my little ones were playing quietly.  The train rumbled by, the tracks parallel to the farm land behind our house.  It was dusk, as you can see in the picture, and dusk always holds me captive.  You can tell how the day went in our home by how things are at dusk.  Peaceful day=happiness inside us and our home at dusk.  Hectic day=mad dash at everyone and everything at dusk.  (Just being honest!)  The day I took the picture had been a pretty peaceful day.  As the train rolled, I stopped to watch it.  I listened to the noise it made, the clattering of steel on steel, both eerie and comforting.  I reached for my phone to attempt to take a picture of the last few cars rolling away.  This is what I got though- what you see now (and no, you can't even see the long black train).  I looked at the picture right after, and it conjured up a story of my life.  A story of soft white light. 

My mom was purging a couple months ago, and in doing so, decided to get rid of a lamp she's had my whole life.  She was going to give it to my aunt, but I asked if I could have it for sentimental and practical reasons both, and she let me!  When I brought it to my house, I immediately put it on the bedside table beside my bed.  I had wanted a lamp for years (literally), but had never bought one because of trying to save $.  When I plugged it in, the light that came from it was comforting.  I told my husband I brought some "home" with me when I brought the lamp here.  He didn't know what I meant.  I snapped it off and took a look at the bulb:  60V soft white light.  The bulbs mom uses are soft white light bulbs!  (Sidenote:  For years, I had been trying to figure out what's so different about my parents' home...the ambience there!)  It's the kind of light that has a calming effect, despite the jarring sound of the train rumbling along (and this applies to life, you know?...Light (Jesus)= Peace in the Darkness (World).  I wrote a little one liner for our Christmas card this year:  "As lights flicker on a tree, may The Spirit illuminate us for all the World to see."  I definitely hope my family and I have a "soft white light effect" on those around us, too, this Christmas season and always.

Peter 2:9
"But you are...a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light."

WONDERFUL SOFT WHITE LIGHT.



And finally:
Thanks, mom, for creating a tranquil place for me my whole life.  Thanks for caring about light bulbs.  Thanks for teaching me all about the importance of The One True Light.  These things intertwine so much that I couldn't talk about one without the other.  A world of gratitude for that very truth.

Without Christ, there wouldn't be Christmas...

My daughter asked me recently, "Momma, what's a tree have to do with Christmas anyway?"  Kind of shocked at the question because it seemed to come out of nowhere, I sputtered, "Whaaat?"  She repeated it clearly.  I'd like to say I didn't, but really I sputtered for the second time, and asked, "Are you asking me what a tree has to do with Jesus?"  "Yes" was her quick answer.  As she frequently is, she was contemplative and she needed a real answer.  I call it divine appointment, because I had j-u-s-t come across a paper that explained the connection between a tree and a saviour.  The sorting and purging to get to it took too many hours away from the things I want to do (be with my kids!)  I've said it before and I'll say it again, the simplifying process can be downright complicated and time-consuming!  Maybe all that time was for this one post-it note, though, written by Shawn about 5 years ago.  Here is what the note said (with a few additions by me) and this is what I shared with my introspective daughter:

The tree points upward, pointing us to Jesus, now in his heavenly home, on the throne, and at the right hand of God
The lights signify that Jesus is the light of the world and cannot be hidden (and also the wise men followed a star when they traveled to see Jesus)
The ornaments symbolize the gifts the wise men brought to baby Jesus (gold, frankinsence, and myrh)

The answer appeased her and I hoped against all hopes that what she learned from it was good and true.  I reflected on it later and the truth is I still have my own hesitations.  Hesitations because I know full-well the origin of the Christmas tree.  I choose to view it through the lens of Christianity, but could I be wrong to do so?  Am I teetering?  Internal dialogue.  I pray not.  I truly do.  I am planning to teach the kids a little more about the 3 gifts because spices and oils are a bit abstract, especially for my youngest.  Keep in mind, he doesn't even know why the wise men didn't drive in an Odyssey to see baby Jesus, let alone why they didn't take him something more modern, like spiderman shooter gloves or a kindle fire.  :)  I am excited because the lesson will be super easy, yet meaningful.  I'm equally excited that I'll get to teach the kids more about it through a production our church does every year.  We'll visit "shops in Bethlehem" and talk about such things.  And that is what I'll be attempting to do again this Christmas season....point the kids to the reason for the season, all cliches aside.  Deep down, I just really want my kids to grasp that without Jesus, we wouldn't have Christmas, nor would we have eternal life.  My fervent prayer year after year is...Dear Lord, Help us to love you more, and in turn, serve others this Christmas season.  Help us to stay focused on the true reason we celebrate in a world that begs to differ.  Amen.

PS The kids' choices for serving others this season:  Grace-bake cookies for someone and have a meal for Nonna and Poppa at our house.  Noah John- throw snow in people's faces.  Oy Oy Oy!  I told you it's a work in progress right?

Thanksgiving

Unfortunately this picture of all of us (minus 3 who had left and 3 who couldn't make it) is not the greatest (the sun was b-right!) BUT it is priceless to me because it includes all of my dad's siblings (5 total)!  Rounding this crew up for a family photo is something one could go into therapy over ;)  All jokes aside, it is quite evident that we ALL come by strong-will temperaments honestly.  Growing up, I was especially close to my Aunt Becky.  I owe her a whole lot because she really played a big part in my life when I was growing up through my days as a college student (I lived with her for 2 years in Lexington...GO CATS!)  Here you see 3 generations.  Gran and Daddy Jack would be so proud and as a tribute to them, I share these next pictures.

Daddy Jack (John Cornelius III) LOVED horses.  I read a letter he wrote when he was 8-10 years old and in it, he asked his parents for a horse.  He must have gotten one, because, he passed the equestrian love on to my dad, who, in turn, also loved horses as a boy, teen, young adult (horses on hold for his crazy job), and now again as a retiree :).  Tennessee Walkers, particularly, but any will do.  We are horse people. If you travel HWY 90, you might see dad on horseback (makes me A NERVOUS WRECK!)  This picture is of Jack and me (named after Daddy Jack).  Jack is my close cousin's baby.  Sister-cousin to be exact.  I'm kinda like his aunt:) and as many of you know, I genuinely LOVE being an aunt with my entire heart.

Honestly, Jack never tired of petting Java.  Java was his favorite by far.  When we walked off, the horses followed us the length of the fence, until we stopped.  Then they stopped and baby Jack reached out to pet them time and again.

 

My dad, Joe West, real mountain man and cowboy, with Jackson West.  We are big on family names!

And this last one, just because these boys all carry on the family name in some way (Noah John, John being mine and Shawn's grandfather's real name), Clark Robert (Clark is my sister in law's maiden name, and Robert, after his dad and my brother, who was named after my grandmother's brother), and again, Jackson West (West was my grandmother's maiden name).  I'm kind of a genealogy nut - or a beginning genealogy nut I should say. 

 

Thankful for the best Thanksgiving ever.  My heart is being tugged at (not for the first time) because I know there are people out there who don't have loved ones to celebrate with this time of year.  Praying for them tonight and asking with shaky knees....  Lord, what would you have me (us) to do?

 

 

 

Home

A week ago, I made a last-minute decision to go home to see my momma for the weekend.  Dad was gone deer hunting all weekend and I knew it would be a time, like it was in my growing up years, when mom and I could be together and relax.  I LOVE my daddy...but sometimes it is good for mom  and I to have girl time.  We hadn't gotten to do this since I had my first child 6 years ago!  This weekend- for that reason- was especially special.  I took my youngest with me, but surprised even myself by leaving my girl to stay with her daddy and do fun things like go to Chuck E. Cheese with her cousin in tow.  The drive home was gorgeous...clear and sunny.  The leaves had fallen off the trees at the bottom but higher up on the foothills, they were vivid, inviting colors.  They seemed to almost say, "keep driving..."  Seriously, they were mesmerizing.  As we got to mom's, the afternoon sun was fading into evening but it felt like time paused for a few minutes and the sun stayed put in that clear, cool November sky before dropping down and pushing the day into dusk.  Have you ever had a moment like that?  It was/is super cool to reflect on.  My boy and I walked up the lane toward the house, and after looking in the house and not finding mom, we headed to the barn to see if she was feeding the horses.  Then my boy saw her.  His NONNA.  And that is just what he yelled...he yelled with full happiness in his voice.  His feet couldn't catch up with his happiness fast enough.  It's a sweet thing to see your child in sheer astonishment and joy at the sight of your mom.  Blessed.  So blessed.  Nonna is the best nonna in this entire world.  She has a gift from God.  Seeing her in action right after I had my kids made me appreciate it, because unfortunately, I took it for granted way too often when I was growing up!

Mom was definitely shocked, but in a good way, to see us.  We all hugged happy hugs and I knew I made the right decision!  We had the best weekend just spending time together.  We stayed up late and talked like we used to when I was in high school, then afterward, I slept the best I'd slept in a long time.  The next morning, we went to visit my best friend together and spent hours talking and laughing on this big soft, hugging couch that overlooked a big, peaceful valley.  I felt like both were there for us that day, just for us, just for that day, although I know that sounds so silly. After that, we took Noah to feed the ducks and geese at the lake.  They waddled and quacked right up to him.  He giggled and my heart warmed again. (PICTURE COMING)  Before we left, we took him to see lots of boats, docked for the winter, and sat overlooking the water.  It was cold, but a great day for the three of us to be at the lake. 

The icing on the cake came when I decided to stay an extra day so I could see my dad on his birthday!  He had some inner contemplations about this specific birthday that I won't get into, so I thought what better time to stay!  So the icing...after being gone all weekend (and coming home without a buck, to his dismay), dad asked me to go to church with him.  At first I said, "No, I don't think I will, I'm tired.  Well, I don't know. I am torn, so maaaybe I will..."  He walked off to do something and I said the same to mom.  Then my soul lit-up and I said to myself....  Yes.  Yes you will go.  There is no contemplation.  Your dad asked you to go to church, the very place you prayed he would come back to (and the lifestyle you prayed for), and the culmination of years of praying from mom.  The drive to town was peaceful.  Sitting together in church (uncle behind me) filled my cup to overflowing.  Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies and my cup runneth over."  And it did.  And it still does.  I drink from my saucer and give God the glory.  After church, dad had a meeting that ended up lasting almost 2.5 hours.  I can honestly say I have never been happier to wait on somebody in my life.  I am so proud of dad.  Sometimes people live a whole lifetime without figuring it out...as dad said to me a year ago..."I am not perfect and I'm going to mess up, and it took me a long, long time, but I think I've got this figured out."  He went on to talk about life and how God and family are the most important things.  The next morning, I woke up and headed down the steps.  I saw dad face-down, kneeling to pray.  I asked if he was okay, and he said yes.  I realized then that he was praying ever so humbly.  A few minutes later, when I went to shower, I overheard he and mom laugh about me asking if he was okay.  Mom laughed out loud, then when dad questioned her, she caught her breath long enough to tell him he could have said he was inspecting the laminate!  Dad laughed and said he could have said he wanted to get a closer look at the area rug.  JOY, jOy, JoY like no other.  Their laughter was full, and it wasn't just because they were making jokes about how he could have answered me.

Love my parents.  Love my foothills.  And I love my Lord though I fail Him daily.  Yet without relationship and recognition of The Lord, my joys wouldn't be as joyful (laughter on the hugging couch with a true overcomer of a best friend) or my peace so poignant (sleep like I needed down in my soul).  And ya know, when I saw that sunset that seemed to stand still the first day I arrived at "home", I wonder, could it have?  Joshua 10:13 "And the sun stood still, and the moon hung...."  Yes.  It could have.  Did it really?  No, probably not, but the fact that I have faith in who hung it there to begin with is enough for me...HOME.