There are two times of the year when I am especially focused on the founding of our country. These times are Indepence Day and Thanksgiving. I think about how there was fellowship between the Pilgrims and Native Americans way back in 1621. How the Native Americans stepped up to help the Pilgrims, and how they learned from each other. I think about how our country has changed and been shaped over the nearly 400 years since. I think how much fellowship between people has fallen by the wayside more than we should have ever allowed.
I was talking with an elderly neighbor the other day and she told me of her life growing up in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She grew up in an immigrant mining town, of which, her mother was the postmaster. By nature in this immigrant town, many of the adults didn’t speak fluent english. As their children grew and sought to better their futures they needed help filling out college applications. This woman’s mother would help them to fill out the paperwork correctly. On Saturdays she would make hot donuts to share with their community and the little post office would become crowded with people. This woman built community. She didn’t let a need go unanswered, she stepped up and pulled her weight and did what she could.
A little while ago I stopped by a family owned farm market and greenhouse. The owner was there, an older gentleman who announced that he had been there since 1948! He took the time to explain to me where everything in the little shop was sourced, the values they hold as a business, and he answered my questions. His friendliness made me a loyal shopper!
Every year the day after Christmas my husband and I have a little date day. We pick a small town with a quaint downtown or main street we want to explore and we make a day of it! We get coffee, and hit the streets poking our heads into neat little shops and enjoying the last of the holiday season in local small businesses.
This year has been a very tough year for so many small businesses. It has been a rough year for our country here in America as racial, political, and gender differences have been exacerbated and tensions are high. Have we forgotten that amidst all of our differences we have similarities too? Have we forgotten that we are all Americans, people, neighbors, and family members? Have we forgotten that we need to remember our similarities to bind us, not our differences that separate us. We need to bring back the sense of community to our country, where we looked out for each other as neighbors.
I encourage you this holiday season; before you click the one click ordering on Amazon; to get out if you can, and from home if you can’t, and look around to see what small businesses in your community you can support this holiday season. Is there a food bank you can donate your time or money to? Is there a local business you can buy your tree or a wreath from? Is there a local bakery that is struggling that you could order Christmas goodies from? What ways can we step up as a community and amidst all of our differences pull together as the Pilgrims and Native Americans did all those years ago?
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV
It was Tuesday the 23rd of December, which is to say it was literally the busiest day of the year in the salon where I was working. I was staying late to give grandma her Christmas perm, and grandpa his Christmas haircut.
My usually timely grandparents had gotten caught in some traffic so grandpa dropped grandma off at the door in order that I could get started on her hair while he parked the car. I smiled and waved from the shampoo sink when I saw grandpa come in. I smiled as I saw him head right for the coffee bar and pour himself a cup. I thought it was odd that he hadn’t removed his coat—it was warm in the salon with all the people and all the hair dryers going. What was even more odd was his hand was shaking badly as he carried the coffee over to where he was going to sit. After settling grandma into my chair, I went to check on him. Grandpa insisted he was fine so I proceeded with grandma’s perm.
While grandma’s permanent solution was on, I started to cut grandpa’s hair. I asked him how their lunch outing was that grandma said they had enjoyed earlier that day. He couldn’t remember. Not only that, but he couldn’t remember much about his day. This was not at all like him and alarm bells started going off in my head. Worried, I told him I thought maybe we should go to an urgent care because he wasn’t acting quite right. He refused (normal) so I suggested perhaps he should let me drive them home. He said okay and more alarm bells went off. I knew if he was giving in to me driving him home something was really wrong.
I finished grandma’s perm and grandpa said he had to use the restroom. He was in there a while so I sent grandma to check on him. Grandpa had felt himself starting to collapse and had slid onto the floor in the bathroom. He couldn’t get up. I didn’t know if he was having a stroke or what. Fortunately, one of the other clients was a nurse and came over to assess him. He was getting less responsive so we called an ambulance.
Grandma and I followed the ambulance to the emergency room. I remember walking up to the emergency room door holding grandma’s hand and feeling grateful. It took me off guard, the amount of gratitude I felt in the moment despite how worried I was for my grandfather. I felt gratitude that grandpa had been blessed with so many healthy years on this earth. I was grateful that this had happened at a time and place when I was with grandma, and where there was a nurse to help give aid to grandpa until the ambulance arrived. Gratitude can truly change our perspective of any situation. Even when it has an outcome we don’t like.
Grandpa ended up just having a common infection that had gotten out of hand. He was treated and released that night. He was able to celebrate Christmas with us two days later. We had lots of reasons to be grateful that year. But even if grandpa hadn’t been okay, we still would have had lots of reason to be grateful. Being grateful in only the good seasons isn’t enough.
When bad things happen and we start to doubt God’s goodness, we should pray and ask Him to remind us of his many past blessings and of the ways He has cared for us through other troubled times. Remembering His goodness will restore our gratitude.
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I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15 NIV
One of my favorite hymns growing up was, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” It has always been curious to me that while I don’t consider myself a “music person” (rarely do I listen to music when I am by myself), there have been many times when the words of hymns come floating back to me right when I need them. I am much more a person who focuses on the words of a song than the tune to which those words are set.
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is still one of my favorite hymns. I am not a fan of songs that repeat the same three or four lines over and over again. The lyrics to this song are so moving.
One of my favorite lines goes like this:
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!
What peace we often forfeit because we choose to carry the weight alone and not invite God in. Jesus is our friend, He wants to do life with us and share the load—but we shoulder the load alone if we don’t first give our heart to Him. He is standing by ready to help us! The lyrics of this song carry even more weight when we consider the trials this author faced prior to writing this song.
The author of this song, Joseph Scriven, knew well the comfort God could bring when it seemed like he was losing what mattered most to him. In about 1845, Joseph lost his fiancée; the day before their wedding she drowned in a lake. Devastated, Joseph decided to immigrate from Ireland to Canada. While in Canada, his mother wrote him of a crisis she was facing. He wrote her a poem in response and sent it to her. This poem was published anonymously and, even so, gained popularity.
In 1860 Joseph once again fell in love and planned to wed, only to have this second fiancée pass away from tuberculosis before the wedding. Joseph threw himself into ministry and charity work and spent his life helping the poor. Meanwhile, that little poem Joseph had penned continued to gain popularity. Still no one knew who had written it. A time before his death Joseph fell ill and a neighbor who was staying with him found a paper with the manuscript of “What a Friend” written on it and questioned Joseph regarding it. It became clear that Joseph had penned this now-famous poem.
Joseph knew pain. He knew what it felt like to need a friend to help him carry the load of pain. Like Job blessed the Lord despite losing everything, so Joseph could praise the friendship and comfort he found in Christ.
Joseph wrote “What a Friend” out of such great sorrow and as a poem of encouragement to his mother. How many of us could, and would, truly do the same? Do we have the faith that after losing one of those most dear to us, that we can say, what a friend we have in Jesus?
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Are you ready for Christmas? I am so ready! I love all the days in the holiday season starting with Thanksgiving, from getting out and doing a little shopping on Black Friday to going out and getting a real Christmas tree. I love shopping for presents; I love wrapping presents; I love baking with family; I love the Christmas parties (probably the only kind of parties that this homebody gets excited about!), but I have to say above it all, one of my most favorite activities of the Christmas season is decorating my house! It’s almost makes the whole ordeal of growing up, finding a way to earn an income, and paying bills worth it!
For me, the beginning of the Christmas season looks like this: Thanksgiving Day, followed by Black Friday when my friend and I spend a day together and do a little shopping; Saturday—the Christmas explosion! I look forward to the beginning of the season when I can pour some hot chocolate or coffee into one of my Christmas mugs and pull out the decor and let the creativity start flowing. I think an important reason why I enjoy it is that I don’t treat Christmas like a chore. I don’t have kids yet and therefore the holiday is greatly simplified. We know that the way in which we approach things greatly affects the outcome so I urge you not to be a grinch this holiday season. If the thought of pulling out lots of decorations is simply too stressful, then don’t! Pull out a few key pieces and let it go at that.
Here is a little list to help you manage the stress this holiday season:
· Start thinking about the holidays—how many people do you have to shop for. Start making a list and a budget of how much you plan to spend on each person. What about your Christmas décor. Do you need anything new? Now is the time to start making lists and checking them twice.
· Are you sending Christmas cards this year. Thanksgiving can be a great time to take that photo since everyone is already cleaned up and there is usually an extra person or two around to snap the family photo. Through places such as Walmart, Target, or Walgreens you can design your Christmas card online and then swing by the store to pick them up the next time you do your shopping.
· Hopefully you can start buying some Christmas gifts. Maybe you have a day you can dedicate to this task, maybe you have to do it in fits and starts, but by starting in November and finishing it at the beginning of December, will help take a load off your mind.
· Wrapping: can you wrap a little on a Saturday morning before your kids get up? In the afternoon before your husband gets home from work? Whenever you can, try to squeeze in a few minutes for wrapping here and there. Turn on some Christmas music or a movie, and take the opportunity for more hot chocolate or a cup of your favorite coffee and enjoy!
Now about the actual décor . . .
Just like starting to think about your Christmas shopping list, start thinking about your Christmas decor. Were you short a strand of twinkling lights last year? Did the tree look a little bare and need a few more ornaments? Start planning where you want to put things and make a list of things you need to pick up.
In my post “Alternative Christmas Color Palettes.” I talk about using nontraditional Christmas color palettes in your home but what about other ways to add touches of Christmas to your home?
From The Outside Looking In
Even if you are not a big fan of hosting, this time of year makes it almost inevitable that you will be having someone over at some point. Create a welcoming front door with a beautiful wreath, or a festive door mat to help welcome your guests.
The Tree
I am not going to spend a lot of time on this one, but it is my opinion that everyone should put up at least a little tree. To me, Christmas trees are nondenominational and I think everyone should have one! I love a colorful tree with collected and handmade ornaments that tell the story of a family and a life. My aunt has given me a special ornament every year since I was born—and these ornaments are handmade, unique and gorgeous! It was so nice to have these special ornaments to adorn our Christmas tree when my husband and I were first married and had such a small ornament collection. I also see the beauty in a curated tree with a carefully selected color scheme—just make sure you’re leaving a little room for sentiment in decorating your tree.
The Mantle Or Other Large Surface Area
Mantels are such a fun space to decorate! I feel like I have two mantles because I have my actual mantle and the top of my old upright piano. If you have a mirror above your mantle, hanging a lovely wreath can be a great touch. Adding greenery and some twinkle lights is a classic look; from there you can go any in direction with your decor. I love the look of lots of candles clustered in the middle of the greenery and then letting it go at that. I am also a fan of working a manger scene into your mantle. You can add a grouping of Christmas signs into your mantle, or make a little village with porcelain houses and bottle brush trees, or use a variety of miniature Christmas trees to make a little forest clustered on your mantle.
Vignettes
You didn’t think I would skip over vignettes did you? If you are doing really a low key, simple Christmas décor, this year think of adding a vignette or two throughout your home. These can add some holiday cheer without being a lot of work! Here are a few ideas I like.
· A bowl full of ornaments.
· A tray with a candle, some books, a gold or silver deer figurine, and a faux tree.
· A faux tree with a deer and an accent ball.
· A closh with a sprig of greenery, a pinecone, and an ornament.
· A faux tree, candle, and festive holiday sign.
The Table
I usually just have a runner on my table but sometimes at Christmas I get fancy and pull out a full-fledged tablecloth. See my post of my table’s Centerpieces Throughout The Seasons for some ideas of how to tweak what you may already have going on on your table. In addition, you could do a nice vignette or a beautiful bowl with some ornaments—just keep in mind when decorating your table that you will most likely be hosting more than normal this season so don’t make the centerpiece too big or too cumbersome to move. In addition, if you are using a tablecloth and need to insert a table leaf for when guests comes over, make sure your tablecloth is large enough to cover your table.
A Few Other Touches
Depending on how crazy you want to go with your decor this year, here are a few other touches that are very nice and very festive!
Mini wreaths on your cupboards or back of dining room chairs.
· Add a faux tree to your hand soap and lotion in your bathroom or by your sink.
· Pull out the Christmas dishes! You don’t have to wait for company to use those gorgeous dishes! Use them as decor, set them out ready for use—but either way, don’t forget about them!
· Accent pillows—add some Christmas cheer to any room!
Hopefully this will get you excited for the season! Regardless of how much you do or don’t care to decorate for the season, I hope you will find at least a few minutes to spend time with family and friends, slow down, and remember the reason for the season.
The crucible for silver and the furnace for god, but the Lord tests the heart.
Proverbs 17:3 NIV
I have never tried to make pottery. I have seen demonstrations of people making pottery and I love looking at pottery at craft shows, but it is not something that I have ever tried. What I have tried though, is making glass beads which is similar in concept.
Since I was 7 I have loved beading. When I was 14, my father brought home a stack of old beading magazines (yes, they make magazines devoted to beading) and I saw an advertisement for a set-up to make your own glass beads from home. Wow! I delved into the research of glass bead-making and asked for an introductory class for Christmas. I took the glass bead-making class and instantly fell in love! I saved my money, I bought my own small, glass-working torch, and all of the other things I would need to turn glass rods into usable beads.
I fell in love with how the glass rod would start to melt and become pliable in the flame. There is indeed an art to wrapping the molten glass around the metal rod (the mandrel) and spinning the mandrel until a nice, even sphere is formed. But, of course, it’s not quite that simple. If you stick the glass rod into the flame too quickly instead of slowly inserting it to melt the glass, it will shatter, sending glass flecks everywhere. Conversely, even if you are successful in introducing the glass rod to the flame, it is another thing to wrap the glass neatly around the mandrel, and then to spin the mandrel quickly enough that a sphere takes shape, but not too quickly that the glass becomes misshapen. If you are successful in doing all of that, there is the final step of working the bead at the back of the flame so that the bead has enough time to cool so that when set in the kiln it won’t lose its shape. However, if you wait too long then the bead will cool too quickly, causing thermal shock to set in and shattering the bead before you have time to put it in the kiln. All of that is just if you are doing a simple bead with one layer of glass! If you want to introduce any intricacies to the bead, then you have to do multiple rounds of heating and cooling the glass rods while keeping the bead slowly rotating within the flame. It can take a while to produce a beautiful detailed bead.
Sometimes one of the glass rods being introduced to the flame will have collected a bit of dirt or dust. Usually when this happens the flame instantly burns away the impurity leaving clean, workable glass for the glass bead. Other times, if the piece of dirt is too big, or doesn’t fleck off in the flame, it can leave a permanent smudge in the glass. Once the glass bead is in the flame a little longer, the speck usually disappears from view, but not always, and even if you cannot see it, the burn mark from the impurity will still remain.
This reminded me of our relationship with God. He has so much patience waiting for us to become who we were meant to be. Like the glass introduced too quickly to the flame, some people immediately want nothing to do with Him. Others are more pliable. We all have sins and stains, like the glass rods can have dirt and debris. Sometimes these are little things which when corrected leave no trace of having ever been there. Others leave deep indents on our souls that we will always carry with us.
It is sometimes startling to see a speck of dust catch bright orange in the flame and then float off, burning itself out before it even touches the table top. Sometimes I feel the same way when I am being put through the refining fire. It is hard to have pieces of me flecked away. Many times I don’t even realize that there is a problem until God turns the spotlight up and I see it as bright as the speck of dust that is on fire in the flame.
What about you? Has God ever uncovered an aspect of you that you would rather keep hidden? Has He put you through the refining fire? It isn’t always a comfortable experience to be shaken and molded by God, but just like the beautiful blemish-free glass bead—the end result is always worth it!
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