Mary, Did You Know?

Perhaps it is my Catholic upbringing, but every year at this time I am drawn to the Blessed Virgin Mary. As a woman I think about how very amazing she must have been, to have been chosen by God, at the age of fourteen, to bear His son.

As a mother, I am drawn to this picture. We always hear of the amazing works of our Dear Lord, Jesus Christ; however, I often wonder what he was like as a child. Did he play games with other children? Did he ever disobey his parents? This picture reminds me that he, like my children, wore clothes that needed to be laundered and hung out to dry. And Mary, despite being chosen to be the mother of Christ, was still called to fulfill the mundane tasks of motherhood.

My absolute favorite Christmas song is "Mary, Did You Know?" by Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd. The lyrics remind me of the amazing journey and sacrifice asked of Mary. What a faithful servant she was.

Yet Another Generation of Friends

My absolute favorite part of Christmas is the continued tradition of lifelong friends stopping by to visit over the holidays.

It typically begins with the arrival of Jason from New York days before the actual holidays. I selfishly steal him all to myself so that we can sit on the couch and chat over wine. My children are put to bed (or shipped off to Nolan's Christmas program with Grandma and Grandpa), and my husband knows his presence is an intrusion. We chat until I am almost asleep on the couch and Jason, after many attempts, finally leaves in the wee hours of the night. No matter how long he is here, it is never long enough, hence we make additional plans (but they are never quite the same as those times spent just the two of us).

In years past, I have always worked very hard to coordinate all of my high school friends' schedules and plan a get together with as many people attending as possible. However, this year, I didn't feel the desire to plan such an event, nor the guilt for not doing so. This year the visits have been dispersed over many days, providing more intimate conversations and for me, many days worth of laughter, memories, and love.

Last night, a very impromptu gathering came about with the Dubs family. I sat there in my living room, giddy at the fact that after 35 years of friendship, our families would still love to gather, drinking, eating popcorn, and watching yet another generation of children become lifelong friends.

Tonight, our dear friends the Robinsons are coming to dinner for the 2nd year in a row to exchange gifts and share good food, creating new memories, and definitely sharing lots of laughter and love.

Tomorrow morning, Diane and Ava will come (hopefully in their pjs) for coffee and scones, and Sunday Jarod will cook curry for Jason, Doug, and I.

I am sure there are many people who do not understand how I could choose to live 4 blocks from my parents, teaching in the school I attended; however, if I didn't I would never have the opportunity to have each of my dear friends come to my home, sit on my couch, share wine in my kitchen, and bless my abode with yet another year of blessings and friendship!

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

This is a picture of my Grandpa Ayers. I think he looks like a movie star!

Tis the Season

It has been almost a year and a half now that my friend, Lori, and I have been "business partners." It really is interesting to think of ourselves in that manner, because while she may be more so than I, we really aren't business people. We are primarily in the business of wearing aprons and drinking wine while we create things our grandmothers would have created.

All that said, I think we are really, truly in the business of serving the Lord. We just do it in the the form of stitching, canning, and crafting. Last year at this time, we were blessed with an abundance of sales of our goods and we really wanted to do something special with the money we'd earned. Our good intentions quickly turned into an impasse about where to donate our money, and we just dropped the topic. In hindsight, we now know that it was the work of the Lord that led to that impasse, as we were both led to read a book called The Christmas Jars and found our money being rolled up in the middle of a change jar to be shared with a family truly in need.

Over the course of the past year, we have been blessed with many opportunities to provide in ways that we've felt God has called us to. We've been able to donate to victims of the earthquake in Haiti, provide weekend nutrition for a family for a year, donate to a local scholarship, help pay medical bills, and provide Christmas for a family in need. We've also learned that waiting for the Lord is imperative. There have been times when one or the other of us has had a "donation idea;" however, God has always provided the other with the discernment needed to make the right decision.

I feel very blessed to not only have a friend who loves to be "old' as much as I do, but who truly has a desire to serve the Lord. A friend who is willing to roll up her shirt-sleeves and make things happen, even if her fingers bleed in the process. So as we frantically try to fill all of the orders that this holiday brings, our waning spirits are renewed with the thought of smiling faces on Christmas and the understanding that God has plans for us far greater than we can ever imagine!