life from here: December 2010

12.16.2010

Baby Blessings

Scared

Nausea

Memory

Discomfort

Restlessness

Excitement

Thankful

Joyous

Loved

Happiness

As this journey begins, the nervousness and excitement grows. A baby changes everything. A baby once changed the world you know. I often think of Mary. How she must have felt, yet knowing that she felt some of the same things we all feel as we carry and deliver a baby. I think I would love to sit and talk with her. Share a cup of coffee and stories of babies.

I suppose its good to be sick, that means the baby is growing and doing the things it should be. I read that nausea is common at 8 weeks because the baby never stops moving. I will embrace this sickness and be thankful for God's blessing upon us.

Luke 1:28 - 33

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

12.12.2010

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Holiday Colors

Owen and I made paper garland on our snow day Monday.

Winter/Holiday Icon

My Nativity

A Tree

Our Christmas Tree, grown in Ashe County, NC

Quiet

Peaceful Animals

My Favorite Color

Red!

And some beautiful apples we put in treat bags in my Sunday School class.

12.10.2010

Friends vs. Acquaintances

I think facebook should change their friend request to acquaintance request. I have found that true friendship is rare and precious. Throughout my life have overused, misused, and just plain out wore out the phrase “best friend.” Don’t get me wrong I have some best friends, I have some friends, and I have lots of acquaintances. The older I get the more I see and value the friendships in my life. Some friends you don’t have to talk to every day or even every week, but you could call or visit tomorrow and it would be as if you were together every day. I have some of those and love them dearly. But others if you don’t talk for a while, when you do talk, it’s awkward and different and you wonder, were we ever really friends? And then there are some you talk to every day or if you don’t hear from them in a couple of days you think something’s up. In my life I would say the big difference in a friend and an acquaintance is they know me deep down. They know my fears, my goals, my faith, and my family. Acquaintances are those who know your name, they may even know where you live and what kind of car you drive but that ask you how you are doing, but don’t remember your answer, and even if you said you were good and you weren’t, they wouldn’t know the difference. Or even more importantly you may ask them and not really care what they have to say. And then there is my friend Jesus, you know there was a time when Jesus was just my acquaintance. Oh, I knew His name, where he was born, His mommy and daddy, I could tell you his whole life story, but He didn’t know me because I never told Him and I never knew Him because I didn’t ask to. You may know Jesus, but you aren’t truly experiencing Jesus until he knows you. Tell him your fears, your goals, your faith, and your family. Tell him everything – Call him your best friend.

2010 has not many more days and I am frantically buying gifts and addressing Christmas cards, it has occurred to me that I need to work hard to be a true friend to those who are a true friend to me and to be a even better friend to Jesus.