Tuesday, December 19, 2006

'Tis the Season

I have a cute Christmas tree day counter on my computer desktop that says it is 6 days until Christmas. House decorated? Christmas cards sent? Shopping done? Presents wrapped? Baking finished? Menus planned? Parties attended? Normally, at this point in the month, I can check off all those boxes – but not this time. I spent many hours in the past months preparing for Christmas this year. But God had other plans for me. In Ecclesiastes 3, we read:
1 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Grief has consumed the month yet Christmas is coming. Three little granddaughters are arriving at the end of the week and Nana is not ready. However, Advent means more than all the trappings of this season – it is all about remembering the coming of the baby Jesus. My dad returned with us and I must choose what is important and which activities to schedule for a happy and joyous time for our family. It won’t help anyone if I am frazzled, frustrated and cranky in an effort to complete the usual holiday preparations. Some things just won’t be done and I trust that God will show me what He wants us to do to honor the birthday of the King. Those same three little girls have the legacy of a great grandmother who loved the Savior and knew the true meaning of Christmas. Our celebration will be tinged with sorrow this year, but we know that Jesus’ birth signaled new life for all of us and a time to dance will come.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

RIP

Helen Greene Hall
1924-2006

Wife, mother, grandmother, great gram, sister, aunt, friend.
We wish you Godspeed on your final journey Home. We love you and already miss you.

We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV)


Saturday, December 9, 2006

He Holds the Future

My cell phone rang. It was Dad asking me to come and help. He was at his wits end and Mom needed some encouragement and so did he. We cancelled our day, boarded a plane and headed for Southern California. The fall that she took on Thanksgiving had so discouraged my mother that she was in deep depression. As we flew, I told Mark that I was completely unprepared for this – kind of like the day they placed this crying baby in my arms and the wonder of motherhood hit me. Now, we are in the other end of life and the guidebooks are just as scarce. Seeing Mom lying in the hospital, weak, tired, and bandaged was heart wrenching. Dad was exhausted and our immediate task was to get the details of his life in order – laundry, grocery shopping, banking, oil in the car. The bigger task demanded creativity and perseverance – encouraging Mom to get better, to eat, to take an interest in her surroundings – no easy feat. However, God is gracious and she chose life and is growing stronger each day. The journey for her is often three steps forward and then two back. What was normal before that fateful day will never be the same. New decisions must be made. Old plans have to be altered. God is in control and again, it is just enough light for one step at a time. We are holding our schedule loosely since another call might come at any time. Mary and Joseph’s plans were changed at the last minute, too. I am sure she would have much preferred to give birth surrounded by the comfort of her home and family. However, God led them to a stable with only the animals in attendance for the greatest miracle birth and His bed was a humble hay trough. God's timing is perfect and we can trust Him to take care of us. We don’t know what the future brings but we know Who holds the future.
God is good,
a hiding place in tough times.
He recognizes and welcomes
anyone looking for help,
No matter how desperate the trouble.
Nahum 1:7 (The Message)