living life

Deck the halls and all that fa la la la............... I put up my christmas tree and start to deck the house with all the trim.... well actually a lot less trim then in the past. My tree is a " Charlie Brown" tree, narrow and of course you can see through it. Once you get all the ornaments on and add that touch it just looks great, as I put on the ornaments I thought of each ornament, I laughed and so many fun memories came to mind. That is one of great things about ornaments, each one has some meaning of someone in your life or who has past through your life and you think of them. It is like christmas all over again for me cause I seem to forget until I pull the stuff out for another year. Of course, one of my favorite christmas movies is White Christmas, which seems funny watching it in the desert. There isn't a present under the tree, but all the love that hangs on that tree is one great present. I collected snowmen and when I moved to Arizona I gave up my precious collection and only brought a chosen few. It was like the TV organizing show, keep, sell and throw away. It was funny to me to see all the snowmen I have collected here. I didn't realize how many I had, and yet I could tell you where each one came from. Funny thing is most of my collection now is from the ones who has touched my life here in Az. I hope you all have as much fun as I have just pulling out the christmas trim and putting your special touch on your christmas tree.

Labels: One of the joys of Christmas

Thanksgiving to me is a time to slow down and reflect on all the things I have been blessed with over the past year or years. Time for family and to appreciate each and everyone, share laughs, and just be extremely thankful. This year was so different, I was away from the ones I love, not able to laugh and play games, and of course hit the stores with cellphones buying gifts and just seeing the excitement on their faces of the bargins each received. I will confess I was not as thankful as I should of been. I was missing everyone so much. This time has also made me reflect on how important relationships are, taking the time to just call and say I love you and I am thinking of you, You are important to me. I thought about family, as Webster put it: 2 a : a group of persons of common ancestry :3 a : a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation : I realized in this time of solitude how thankful I am to have such a wonderful family who is spread over the earth in different areas on the globe, from New Zealand, to Tennessee to Ohio and Arizona, most of which are from common ascestry but many too are the ones who welcome you into there family, share their lives and definately touch your hearts. Although I miss my children and their spouses and future spouses very much, it is wonderful to be part of such an awesome family here too. This thanksgiving was truly a time to appreciate the importance of relationships and how the phone call, an e card and the offer to bring dinner over when you get home from work (thanks Alena) warmed this sad heart. Family and relationships are just fantastic!!

Labels: remodeling update

Last night was a time of fabulous fun and fellowship. There was pizza night at my house with games. Everyone brought there favorite toppings and we all created some very interesting pizzas. We had the standard pepperoni, cheese, moved to Canadian bacon, pineapple and mushrooms and black olives. Of course, not all these great ingredients were on one pizza but we all fun in the kitchen, Betsy and I even experimented with making a stuff crust pizza. Jessica made here famous dessert which I don't know how to spell with ice cream and half cooked cookie dough ( chocolate chip) which was absolutely delicious. We played Taboo and Boggle, the adults and kids chilled and watched the movie Cars. It was just a laid back fun relaxing night. Betsy, Alena, Cynthia, Rya, Jessica, Ryan , Noah, Roger, Brian and Randi and the 3 girls, and I also had the privilege to hang out with Josh and Lois and there 2 girls. Lois made this fabulous homemade granola. It was great. The wonderful thing is this was just a lets have a game night. Thanks to all who came and hopefully next time everyone else will be available to join in the fun. Well, just want to remind everyone big game today and go Scarlet and Grey. Go Buckeyes!!

This past Sunday was a day filled with fun and fabulous fellowship. I went to a huge craft fair in Fountain Hills with all the girls. We had so much fun meeting in the morning for coffee, sharing funnel cakes and lots of laughs. The crafts were so different from what I was used to growing up in the midwest with woody crafts and shaker style decors. The crafts were beautiful paintings, southwest designs, metal sculptures of unique designs, jazz performers, and the largest fountain I have ever seen. I am not sure how high the fountain went but it reminded me of pictures I have seen of the gysers. I had time to come home relax for about an hour and head off to the rescue mission to serve. I totally enjoy going to the rescue mission for each time is a unique experience. I cut so many potatoes I got a blister and it was great. We fed over 200 people and actually was able to worship with them that evening after dinner. The kitchen staff is absolutely the best and extremely talented. The menus they create for the people with what is donated is unbelievable. If you ever get the opportunity to volunteer at a rescue mission, I encourage you to go, it will be one of the best experiences ever.

There was a song a while back called Walking in Rhythm, it was a catchy tune that 2 lines of the song stand out to me. Walking in rhythm ......moving in sound....., finding that rhythm in life and keeping it has been such a struggle for me lately. Have you ever felt off beat? There is so many things to be thankful of yet you still seem to walk off beat. You heart beats in a regular rhythm yet your still off beat. You get the rhythm and then you notice your off beat. I am not a musician by any means but we all walk to some kind of rhythm. Yes, the beat goes on with many things moving forward yet you can't see or appreciate the sound or the things around you cause your off beat.Walking in the rhythm of our Lord helps us to move in sound, all things beating harmoniously like a well tuned symphony. There are many times I don't take time to watch the conductor seeking his rhythm, playing the note he has for my life today. So hears to another day of asking our Lord to just sing over me again and move me to the rhythm of His heart.

Labels: Finding the Beat

Tonight I went to see the movie " One Night with the King" playing at the Harkins Movie Theater. It was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. The movie is based on the book of Ester, one of my favorite books and characters in the Bible. It was great being able to see this book acted out on the big screen and truly sent a stirring within me. Ester is such a woman of strength, courage and yet humble. She is full of life yet knows with great confidence who she is and with dignity respects the protocols of the land. I think there is a part of me that is an Ester just yearning to come to life. If you have not seen this movie yet, Gooooooooo, it may be the best 9 dollars you have spent on a movie in a long time.

It is the little things in life that really make the big difference. Today at work I felt George Jetson on the dog walk moving at warp speed, as he yells Jane stop this crazy thing. The demands were great, and the resources few, which is not an uncommon in my work. However, towards the end of the day as the huge storm was starting to subside at the close of another shift, this very quiet doctor who seldom if ever calls to give me the latest radiology report and say " are you doing OK?" In all my years of nursing, I can't remember a time that a doctor did that. I can tell you I was shocked and suprised, yet it was in that moment that allowed me to realize we were a team, and I was not only the patient's nurse but a person who was stretched to the limit and they knew it. It is these little moments that many times we pass them by and not pay attention to the words or acts of kindness shown to us. I am just so thankful I paid attention. Many times all of us have so much coming at us that we miss these little treasures. Living life is all about savoring these small treasures and making a true difference in our day.