Archive for memories
Merry Christmas from Me to You…
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The countdown is on…with only a few days left before we celebrate Christmas.
Are you rushing about, feeling stressed, short on patience and still have a mile-long “to-do” list? It’s time to step back and change our perspective. To breathe and to center our hearts.
It’s not about the gifts, the perfect decorations, or holiday parties.
It’s not about elaborate dinners, the crowds at the mall, or living up to expectations we have set.
It’s not about things.
It’s about love, people, and the one gift that saved the world…Jesus.
It’s about sacrificial giving, showing love to those who seem to deserve it the least, and sharing what we have with those who are in greater need.
It’s reaching out to those who have wronged us, making time for those we love and hold dear, and searching our hearts for how we can make a difference not only during the days of Christmas, but all year long.
It’s not only showing love, but being love.
Christmas is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you and yours. May your hearts be so full that you have no option but to share that fullness. May the blessings that you have been given be those with which you bless others.
He chose bread to feed us.
Water to wash us.
A baby to save us.
God uses the ordinary for His greatest work.
May He bless you and make your “ordinary” life a blessing to others.
Happy Thoughts…
Posted by: | CommentsWhat are the things that make you smile, recall a special memory, fill you with joy, or make you feel alive?
Do you have those little thoughts that sneak into your day and divert your attention to something special? 
They are for the most part, unplanned little serendipitous moments that often catch us off guard. They provide a little “vacation” from the ordinary moments of our day.
We might recall our small children splashing in the tub with exuberance while we are cleaning it. We might be driving near a bakery and the smell of fresh baked bread takes us back to our grandmother’s kitchen. The scent of rain in the air can make us recall a childhood memory of dancing in the rain. The sound of the ocean can make us remember our special trip to the islands. A song can take us back to our first love. Creating a special gift for someone can make us feel alive with the act of creativity.
These are all special moments that we are to claim, embrace and even savor. They are life’s memories that are meant to connect us to our past, those we share this life with, and the reasons we are here. They are mini-vacations into our live stories that we need to connect with to stay hole, happy and complete. They are God’s gift to us.
Next time you have one of those happy thoughts, stop to really enjoy it. They are one of the ways we can celebrate life everyday and to make the ordinary special. Happy thoughts…
Remembering my Great-Grandmother
Posted by: | CommentsAs I was driving through a neighborhood today, I passed a home with an elderly woman out tending to her chores. I only caught a brief look into this woman’s day, but it has stuck with me all afternoon, reminding me of memories I haven’t thought about for a long time. This woman was out in her summer housecoat with her apron, white socks, and black shoes as her attire. Her frail frame indicated her age was possibly in her 90′s.
This snapshot stirred up memories of my own great-grandmother, who also dressed in her summer housecoat dress when it was hot outside. She also wore dark shoes with white socks, not caring that they weren’t fashionable, because they were practical and suited her simple lifestyle. I remember my great-grandmother’s simple way of life- to get up each day doing the necessary chores to sustain life and enjoying family in between. She wasn’t a fancy person, her home even reflected her simplicity of life, a few special pieces here and there, but nothing to distract from what really mattered. She didn’t even speak English, just Finnish, although my mother and aunts think she could have if she wanted to… she just chose not to. She smiled often and always slipped us kids some pink chalky candy. She rarely even left her home, living on a quiet farm in the middle of Minnesota, she let an honest life that is very rare to come across these days.
My great-grandmother has been gone for more than 30 years, but once in a while something from this life, stirs a memory from her life. Thanks Grama for being an example on how to live a life that is not concerned with the worldliness of today’s society. To just enjoy each day for it’s beautiful simplicity.
Using the garden’s fresh bounty…
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This weekend we harvested the bounty of tomatoes our garden had put forth and started the canning process. There is nothing like a beautiful, crisp day and the bounty of the garden to speak fall. As in most parts of the Midwest, our gardens weren’t as plentiful as in past years, though we still managed to get more than a dozen jars from our small garden that my husband tends. (We are already planning more plants for next year.)
Canned tomatoes remind me of my Grandmother. She had the greenest thumb and could grow anything that required dirt, air, and sunlight. She had the most beautiful flowers and perennials, but her vegetable garden was her glory. (She was also a phenomenal cook, using everything from her garden, but more on that another time.) We used to go into her garden as kids and just wander to see what was coming up next. Eating fresh peas out of the pods while standing in the garden was one of our favorites. My sister and I couldn’t wait until our birthdays when we would get a jar of our favorite all our own. My sister’s was canned beets, mine was canned tomatoes. I loved eating those delicious and sweet tomatoes like fruit sauce, a bowl-ful with a sprinkling of sugar on top. Oh, I can taste it now…. of course the secret ingredient was what made it so special. (Grama-Love) Grandma isn’t here anymore, but every single time I see a jar of homemade canned tomatoes, I think of her and smile. Here’s to you Grandma….
