Friday, December 31, 2010

In a Word



~For just when ideas fail, a word comes in to save the situation.~

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe



Over the past few years – or more – I’ve read about people choosing a “word” for their upcoming year. It becomes sort of their mantra, or resolution for that year. Crafty sorts make scrapbook pages around their word, or signs or pillows or temporary tattoos....  I always thought it was kind of - - well, silly, I guess. 



But a  few weeks ago I began thinking about how I’ve felt like 2010 somehow got away from me, and I began reading on blogs and emails some other peoples’ words: Believe, Give, Laugh, Patience, Inspire, Grace….  I began to see some value in having a “word”, a reminder of what I might want to achieve or be or whatever for the coming year.  And, I decided that I, too, would pick a word for 2011.


Soooo, here it is the last day of 2010, and I am still trying to decide on “my word” . I kept coming back to “Be Aware” – but that’s two words, AND it looks too much like BEWARE, and I don’t want to start out 2011 THAT paranoid. 

“Focus” seemed close – but, good grief, I’ve been saying that to myself for YEARS, and really, it isn’t quite "it". I want to BE AWARE of God’s presence in my life. I want to Be AWARE of my husband’s needs, my children’s fears, my friend’s concerns. I want to BE AWARE of how I am spending my time, my thoughts and my energy. For me, being aware will move me to action.  See where I’m going here?

~The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~

Mark Twain          


Since I knew I wanted to write about this today, this morning I decided to cheat a little and look up “Be Aware” in my thesaurus (That’s such a funny, dinosaur-looking word, isn’t it? Sorry, I know – FOCUS!)

Here is the list of words that came up when I typed in Be Aware:

Absorb


Grasp


Clutch


Grapple


Get


Realize


Understand


Comprehend


Discern


Receive


Learn


YES, YES, YES! All of the above! The final kicker for me - the thesaurus told me that the opposite word was IGNORE! OHHHH….So, as is typical for me, I’m going against the norm and having a Word Compilation. Since my word can't be "Opposite of Ignore", together this word list makes up My Word.  I do like to make things complicated, don't I?

...Perhaps my word just should have been… DECIDE.

Do you have a word for 2011?

~I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying. ~

Oscar Wilde

Sunday, December 26, 2010

And The Quiet Comes


After days preparing with extended family,


making fruit salad and pies


of gift-giving and receiving....








tables draped in splendor,


and fires to warm our hands and hearts,



Today, we find ourselves blanketed by snow and enjoying the afterglow of another wonderful Christmas, filled with love.


The miracle of Christmas.  May we keep it in our hearts the whole year through.

Merry Christmas to you!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Desperate Times

Call for Desperate Measures!

Or ..... Fake it Til You Make It?


With only an inch of snow on the ground, Noah and Emily attempt to have a full fledged snowball fight.


on an 18 degree night.

I wish they appreciated each other as much as I appreciate that they have each other!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Best Laid Plans

I started this blog two years ago with a post about Noah and Emily creating our gingerbread house by themselves.  Last year, they again created a masterpiece.  This year, they wanted to create an entire village.  Well, this year their plans went a little, um... skewed.


This is as far as they've gotten this year.  It's supposed to be the "bakery" that you can see on the box in the background.  They gave up.  For now at least. 

Looking at Noah and Emily's "bakery"  I'm reminded of a manger.  A manger.  A reminder of His Master Plan.   A reminder of the ultimate gift given.  A reminder of a love so big it is impossible to fully comprehend.  A reminder that He is in control, despite MY best laid plans.  A reminder that He can take our mistakes and give them purpose.

A reminder of something made perfect from something so fractured and lost.

I guess, on second thought, it would seem this humble little bakery may very well be a sweet, sweet Christmas decoration for our home after all.