We're Thankful for Our Jesse Tree

 

I did find the good paper.  So we're faithfully putting our pictures on it.  The paper underneath is a list of ways God has blessed us today.  It ranges from fun (pie) to serious (good health, each other, God's presence, hope) to those things that we take for granted (indoor plumbing).  

While I would love to have lengthy family dinners every night where we carry out our Christmas traditions, that doesn't happen every night.  On Mondays and Tuesdays we have to eat in shifts because we have back to back ballet classes from 4:45 until 7:30.  While I know we could make the girls quit dancing, they love it!  And their dance classes give our homeschooled daughters some much needed interaction with other girls.  Faith especially is learning so much from seeing how difficult a worldly life can be as she sees some of her classmates choices and consequences.  

All that to say that our Jesse Tree devotional was done during commercials while we were watching The Waltons after Faith came home from dance.  But we did it.  I enjoyed that time, and I hope the girls did, too. Maybe learning about Jesus in the midst of daily life is even more meaningful than the idealized picture of the perfect family that sometimes invades my mind.   

5 Lighted Trees

 

We put up our tree and our indoor decorations the Friday after Thanksgiving.  We enjoy our Christmas decorations, and want to have them displayed as long as possible.  (But we're traditional enough to wait until after Thanksgiving!)  For the past two years, the girls have decorated the tree by themselves.  I have fond memories of doing the same thing with my sister!

Although I put up our wreaths the same day we put up our tree, Paul wasn't able to set up our outdoor lights until yesterday.  Joy and Grace decided where to put the trees.  We also have an inflatable that has some snowmen and a tree.   The girls really liked helping Daddy set up our outdoor decor.  The only thing we have left to do is wrap our column with a lighted garland.

Today we welcomed our church members to our home with our beautiful Christmas decor.  It was fun to share my Christmas decorations with friends.  

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Catching the Christmas Spirit

 

We used this tree when the girls were little so they would have a tree all their own and wouldn't want to mess with our big tree.  It seemed to work for the most part. Now they have all outgrown the tree, but it's the perfect size for Patches.  She mostly ignores our big tree, but she likes to sit near this small one.  She occasionally will play with an ornament or some lights, but she mostly just likes to sit on the tree skirt.

In our house, Christmas isn't just for humans! 

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Advent Adventures

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A few years ago, Lindsey inspired me to make an Advent Wreath.  I used a big glass platter I had gotten from my grandmother, some pretty candle holders I had, and a wreath and some greenery from Dollar Tree.  The most difficult part was finding purple votives! 

Each year we have used a different Advent devotion.  Often I made them up, using each candle as a theme.  This year we are using Ann Voskamp's Jesse Tree devotions with our Advent wreath.  Once I locate the good paper we'll cut out and hang up the pictures on a small tree.  But I didn't want to wait to begin our devotions until I found the right paper.  So far, I think we're all enjoying these readings.  I'm looking forward to weaving God's story in the Old Testament together with the coming of Christ. 

O Christmas Tree!

Whenever we see the lovely Christmas trees in ads, we always like ours better. Not because the ornaments are more beautiful or more expensive. But because each ornament means something.

Each year our tree brings back memories of my Granny and my Dad. And we can feel close to my Mom even though she's far away. So we love our mismatched but meaningful tree!

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Waiting for Rain

Like much of the South, the area in which we live has been experiencing a drought for much of the past year.  At first, I actually enjoyed the lack of rain.  I'm a big fan of sunshine, so more of it was good.  But eventually the lack of rain took its toll on our grass, on my flowers, and, I'm sure, on the local farmers.  And I began to wish for rain.  But the rain didn't come - at least not in amounts large enough to matter.  (I don't think 2 minutes worth of rain helps much!)

I think everyone was happy when it began raining two days ago - good, long soaking rain.  I know I was so thankful for the rain! So often in the past I viewed rain as an annoyance or irritation, but not this time.  The drought made me appreciate the rain.  I always knew we needed rain, but I didn't appreciate it as much as I should.  I took it for granted.


For my and for my girls, the church planting journey has produced a drought of companionship in our lives.  The easy relationships from our former church are more difficult since we don't see those friends once or twice a week at church now.  My oldest two girls are the only youth at our church, and there's just one other woman near my age.  There are few children as well.  

When the physical drought began affecting my outdoor plants, I had to take action.  I began watering my flowers nightly.  It wasn't always fun or easy, but I knew that my plants would die if I didn't.  I think my girls and I are in a season of watering now.  We must work harder to maintain the friendships we formed with people at our former church.  It is harder now that we don't see them at church regularly. I also must work on making friends with the people at our own church, even though they are in different stages of life than I am.

Even with the lack of rain, I never doubted that we would have rain again.  I knew the dry spell was just temporary.  And I can also have faith that our relationship drought will not last a lifetime.  The physical drought made me more thankful for rain, I know that this season of friendship drought will give me an even greater appreciation for the friends God will bring into our church.

Until then, I'll keep watering!

"And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing."  ~ Ezekiel 34:26b





  

Let Go of the Leash!