Sunday, December 26, 2010

Memories


This morning, my husband said to me, "We need to clean off that refrigerator." I responded with,"This is a place for memories." And it is.

There are things on that refrigerator that has been there since my daughter was in elementary school and then after her children were born. She turns 40 on Tuesday, so that tells you about how long a couple of those things have been on those doors. And I will not do away with them. The little furry dog on the top of the left hand door was made by my daughter when she was in early elementary school.

There is a picture on the right hand door on the bottom that my granddaughter drew 4 or 5 years ago as she sat at my kitchen table. There is a snowman on the left door that one of the older kids made in school. There is a 4 generation picture at the top of the left hand door that has my mother, me, my daughter, and her daughter when Heather was about 3 years old. And she turns 21 in March.

I have two friends who have passed away whose memories are on those doors. One was a woman I sang with at church. She made little fly swats that had a real-looking fly on them. I have one on the door. Also, another friend from Australia sent me several things, one of which was a magnetic map of Australia and these two things are at the top of the right hand door.

There are memories of Bible school when my daughter's oldest son and daughter would come and go to VBS at the church. They would make something and bring it home to me. Well, some of those things are also on the door.

There are memories from bus tours I took with my mother to different places including New Orleans and Pigeon Forge. There is a guitar that I got at the Alabama Museum in Fort Payne, AL last summer. Also Bill's sister gave me the little piano which plays a tune. She had given him a computer, but it got knocked off and broken. She later gave him a Mr. Fixit. It hangs just below my daughter's two oldest children (they were about 4 and 5 there).

There are so many memories hidden beneath the things on that door that I could not begin to throw them away. Maybe they look ragged or perhaps even distasteful to some, but to me, they are precious memories.

I am a keeper if lots of memories of both my children and my grandchildren. When I pass the refrigerator, I can always think of them and what they mean to us. And I know that, when you display what they have made or given to you, it warms their hearts. My daughter has taken after me and has a refrigerator with probably more displayed than me.

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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Christmas Tree

Most of us want a beautiful Christmas tree for Christmas. And we are among those who love a pretty tree to decorate for Christmas. I love to see the lights burning and the children (now our grandchildren) gathering around the tree, waiting to open the presents that have accumulated there.

This year I have yet to get my tree up and decorated. But, believe me, it will be there before Christmas morning. I suppose this is the latest I have waited to put mine up.But I've had things that I had to do that have kept me from doing other things I really want to do. Hopefully, tomorrow night I will be able to get the tree up and decorated. I even bought a new one this year with limbs that just drop down from the trunk - no more of this having to place each one in the trunk. And this one is pre-lit and no more having to string up to 10 strings of lights! It really gets tiresome! So I thought I'd make it easier to put up and easier to take down. The decorations are no problem - just those lights got to me last year.

But the one Christmas tree that I found so nice was one that has been growing in a yard in Tuscaloosa, AL, since 1968 when the owner of the place first set the seeding out on his lawn. Now, 42 years later, the Christmas tree, which has grown to 50 feet, is once again lit for all to see. Oh, it came with a price since they had to hire a crew to put up all the lights. But it makes them feel good to know it is now lit after 42 years! Check this tree out in Tuscaloosa, AL.

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Sunday, December 05, 2010

Hopefully, I am back!

I just realized I have not posted an article since September. And I've been posting very sparsely this year due to other commitments. I hope I can post more often this month and the next year.

It is getting close to Christmas which means we will all be busy. I don't know about you, but I haven't bought one gift, nor have I put up any decorations. I have good intentions but just can't seem to get up and put them up. But I will have them up before Christmas, I promise. My grandkids would be very disappointed if I didn't have a Christmas tree up even if it didn't have a thing under it! One year, I put out a very small one and they were very disappointed.

I wish each of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS. May God bless you this Christmas season and all through the New Year.

Season of the Heart

Cross 1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

During this season, you see people everywhere, fighting the traffic and the crowds to get just the perfect gift for a loved one. Or perhaps they are trying to decide if they should buy a specific gift or just give a gift certificate. Either way, they are out there in the hustle and bustle of the holidays; some don't feel the least bit in the mood - just doing this out of habit. Then there are others who live for 'gift giving'...it puts them in the Christmas spirit to be able to shop!

Most people love the Christmas season and what it stands for, but some can't see beyond the Christmas trees, the beautiful lights and the expectation of gifts. How do you view Christmas?

What a heart God had when he sent his 'only begotten Son' to this earth 2000 years ago, to live as a man, to know the hurt and pain that you and I do - yet he lived a spotless life, and was crucified so that we could live without sin and one day live with Him eternally. WHAT a 'love' of the people GOD had to send His Word to us in the flesh, how unselfish - and this is the way we should live our life today - unselfish to the point that we want others to have what we would live, whether it be a gift, or maybe the spiritual gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Season of the Heart means to me to be the season in which we truly show our love to others - unselfishly, unequivocally - with fervor!! We should be so 'in love' with our God that our faces shine with 'his presence'.......our eyes should 'light up' for Him!! People should recognize us as having something they want!! And we should be ready to share Jesus with them when we are approached!!

Written ©December 22, 1998 by Barbara Sanders. All rights reserved.
Copy only with permission.