Joy

My mother gave me some paperwhites to start at the beginning of the month. Wow ~ they are amazingly fast growers :-)  I have been told that they are very fragrant. I’m not sure that they will be blooming for Christmas; however, I will be enjoying them whenever they do bloom!


It is almost time to celebrate Christ’s birth! This year has flown by with so many life changing events.

~ An engagement, landscaping projects, a wedding, becoming a single empty-nester, family trips & visits, volunteering opportunities, a new vehicle and now celebrating the birth and life of my savior, Jesus Christ ~ Yahoo!
I give thanks to my Lord this Christmas season (and throughout the year) for my loving family and friends, both near and far.

Celebrating!



I can’t believe it is almost time to celebrate Christ’s birth! This year has flown by with so many life changing events.
Yesterday started the season of Advent. I downloaded a great ‘day by day’ from Fresno Pacific University which includes verses along with reflection writings.

“The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life. In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s inbreaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which "all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself.” [Dennis Bratcher]

I hope you are as blessed as I am during this season of Advent!

Christmas is almost here



I had started this a month ago, which means it has been 2 months since my last blog entry.
Winter weather is definitely here. I wake up in the wee hours of the morning to the sound of the furnace kicking on (set at 63°). Still minimal amounts of snow which is great for the faint of heart when it comes to driving in the snow (ME).

I have made a lateral move at work and am learning my new job and training my replacement. It makes for a busy December.

My little girl just turned 21! Time definitely seems to move faster as we get older. I certainly don’t feel almost 45 (well, most days).

Other big news is my daughter's engagement (yep, on her birthday)  ~  I will be an empty nester before long.  A mother hen without a chick.

[Previous:  Wow ~ another month has gone by since my last update.
So, we decided to hold off on the raised garden beds until next spring. I have put the outside to bed and we are ready (as much as can be) for the winter.
I am so proud of my daughter’s accomplishments at G.U. so far this semester. She has a heavy load and has a work-study job, too. The bummer is that her bus commute time each week is about the same as the work-study hours! She is a trooper ~ I lift her up daily to the Lord for guidance and protection.]