The End
2006 is over very soon. This is a time for assessment, learning, and regrouping. Tomorrow is really just another day. Tomorrow is also a new day. Tonight my family will eat
black eyed peas and cornbread. I can't think of a better way to end this year than to go to be with people I love, then go to bed at a decent hour and get a good night's sleep.
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Imagination
Watching my grandson's imagination is a reminder to me of the wonder of life. The most mundane things, such as a plastic food container or a piece of cardboard, become steering wheels, stars, or walking sticks. It reminds me to open my eyes once more and look at the ordinary through the extraordinary eyes of God.
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Mess
Christmas is over and the mess that remained was remarkable. It took about two days to clean it all up, but what a great reason to have a mess. I learned a long time ago that messes happen when people gather. There will be more dirty dishes, towels, and sheets. The trash can will fill more quickly and the floors will collect larger amounts of dirt and debris than usual. As I reflect on the past few days, I am very thankful for the mess that accompanies the companionship of people, especially the people I love.
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Christmas Eve Open House
We're having over 100 people to our home today for a Christmas Eve open house. These are students from Teen Challenge who are away from home. That's good for some, bad for others. We cooked all day yesterday, an activity I despise with all of my heart. With each cookie, chopped carrot, and mixed dip, I focused on why I was doing something I hated to so much. It's what I told my grandson. The way we celebrate Jesus' birthday is to do something nice for other people. Well . . . today we're throwing Jesus a huge party!
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Soft PJ's
We bought our grandson a new set of pajamas. They were soft fleece with basketball stuff on them. He loved them and called them "cool" and then said "thank you" without being told to (he's almost 3). That kind of "thank you" feels so genuine. Imagine how God feels when we do the same.
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Trans Siberian Orchestra
My husband and I have been able to get away the past few days for some much needed rest. Last night, we went to a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert. We went last year. It's a fabulous show - lights, sound, talent. I sat in a sold out arena completely absorbed by the sound and sights. At several points in the show, the lights are so bright that the entire audience is illuminated. It's surreal. One minute I'm alone. It's just me and the show. Then the next minute, it's me and tens of thousands of people - all sitting still, completely focused on the show, just like me. Then it's dark again, and it's just me. Except, I'm not really alone.
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Hawaiian Moment
I had my grandson in the car with me last night. Christmas music was playing on the radio. He loves music, so it's always fun to watch him nod his head up and down to the beat, or listen to him as he tries to sing along. As we pulled into our driveway, the Hawaiian Christmas song, Mele Kaliki Maka came on - the one with Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. It's a definitely sing-a-long song! Anyway, I put the car in park, set the brake, and turned the radio up. We pretended to hula dance in the car and sang at the top of our lungs - right there in the driveway! There are times when you just have to throw caution to the wind and enjoy the moment. I hope when I'm dead and gone and my grandson is a man that he'll remember our Hawaiian moment in the driveway and choose to enjoy the moment he's in.
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Naps
Our grandson, who is a toddler, is staying with us for a week. Since it's Christmas time, he's on hyper alert. We did some Christmas shopping yesterday and had a generally great time, but then it happened. The pre-nap melt down! It's always ugly and loud and cranky! We put this crabby creature to bed and within an hour, my beautiful, fun, sweet little boy woke up! It's amazing what a nap will do! I think we all should take naps every day! That's how there will be peace on Earth - if everyone took naps! It's so simple! Why didn't I see it before!?
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Toddler Christmas Shopping
Well, it was worth a try! I took my toddler grandson Christmas shopping for his mama last night. He did pretty good until we got to the hanging bamboo curtains all lined up in rows with various designs - tropical scenes, flowers, religious themes, and patterns. It was sensory overload. Pretty much, our shopping was over at that point. He was lost in the moment and it was a beautiful thing to watch such pure joy from such a simple thing like walking through a row of bamboo curtains. We checked out and went to a nearby city park. The bushes and trees were covered in Christmas lights and there was a small waterfall. It was magic for him. So much magic that he had to call his grandfather to tell him the news. I see the world through new eyes when I'm with people who see it differently than I do.
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Failure
The past few days, many people I know have had experiences they labeled as "failures." I think if something is learned from any experience, positive or negative, then it's not a complete failure. I've learned more from my failures and mistakes than my successes. The sting of failing causes me to back up, regroup, and try again - go about the task or issue from a different angle. I hope I keep this practice up until the day I die!
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Successful Cooking!
I am known for my terrible cooking. It is usually so bad it has become part of family folklore. But LAST NIGHT, last night I used a recipe!! I not only used it, I followed it exactly (well, almost exactly) and I cooked DELICIOUS fish!! We sat in shock at dinner. It was GOOD, REALLY GOOD! Wow, it's amazing what happens when you use the right ingredients and follow a path that others know is good!
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Christmas Tree
Last night we decorated our Christmas tree. Most of the ornaments on it hold a special memory that we recall as we put each one on. I have two that are my very favorites - one my daughter made when she was little and then one that is a posterboard cut out of my son's hand when he was four. We still have many ornaments that I made when we were in college and had no money for decorations. Felt ornaments glued and painted in between semester finals are now yellowed and tattered but are still so beautiful to my husband and me.
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House Cleaning
I spent an entire day cleaning out one room and I'm still not finished yet! Actually, at this stage, it's a bigger mess than it was before I began. I pulled everything out of drawers and closets, rearranged furniture, and put stuff in big piles to go through. Isn't it interesting that when you begin to get stuff cleaned and in order - really clean, not superficial dusting - it's a big mess at first! Hmmm.
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Christmas Parade
Last night, in my little southern city of Hot Springs, Arkansas, the annual Christmas parade took place. It was really cold! We took our three year old grandson and it was a love/hate experience for him. Sitting on the street curb, the large floats pulled by semi-trucks overwhelmed the little guy! Then came the marching dogs with jingle bells, and all was good. Another huge truck or loud motorcycle group blasted by and terror replaced the giddiness. We would stand with him and step back abit and he would be fine. It went back and forth like this most of the night. Belly laughter and joy and then screaming to go home. At the end of the parade, he talked of nothing but how much fun the parade was. The parade had bands, floats, pageant misses, little misses, and tiny little misses, trains, scout troups, church groups, but of course, our annual favorite . . . The guy who has put a toilet on a riding lawn mower and rides down the middle of town sitting on the toilet yelling "Merry Christmas!" It's a wonderful life.
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Listening
I am in the middle of some big decisions that could impact the ministry's future. I am working very hard to stay still, to listen, and to not act until I hear something specific from God. It's an interesting, and difficult, place to remain. I am one who wants to think through to solutions, take the reins and get things rolling. I've learned through the years that I usually make a bigger mess, so I'm being still. It is something God taught me a long, long time ago. Fear is a ridiculous motivation for big decisions, at least for me. I get careless and panic when fear is driving me. I'm sitting with peace and listening for the whisper in a very dark cave.
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Lunar Peace
I had a pretty challenging day yesterday and by the time I left my office, it was too dark to walk on my favorite mountain trail, so I drove up there. As I headed up the winding road, the full moon kept peeking at me from behind trees and mountain tops. It was breathtaking. I pulled onto an overlook and there it hung. Huge, soft, bright, and inspiring. I drank it all in - the pink, purple sky that turned deep blue then black - the lunar landscape that seemed close enough to touch - the growing quiet on the mountainside as birds hurried home and squirrels settled down. Beneath it all was my beautiful little city, all dressed up for Christmas.
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Day One
Day One of our online Hope E-Vent is over and very disappointing - only $35. This is our online fundraising event that we are counting upon heavily for a much needed increase in funds. I rest in knowing that we have put tremendous effort into this event, that we have shared hope, practical hope, to many, many people this past year, and that we are passionate about our calling. I pray Day Two is better.
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