I love this quote below. I also believe that if we truly expected our lives to be woven both with joys and woes, and if we quit trying so hard to make our lives woe-free, we would have more peace and contentment.

Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine,
Under every grief and pine,
Runs a joy with silken twine.
It is right it should be so,
We were made for joy and woe,
And when this we rightly know,
Through the world we safely go.

William Blake

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What do you think?

We had a nice Christmas — did you? Was yours quiet and spacious? Or crowded and noisy? Did you have some good food? Or did you make some toast and eat a bag of M&Ms? Did you receive a gift or two, or did you abstain from all of that?

Our Christmas was blessed — anytime all my family members are under one roof is a blessing to me. Add to that zero arguments, no hurt feelings, no slammed doors and no burned meat, and that makes it extra special, I think. Not that many of my Christmases have been characterized by the above scenarios, but I’ve had a sad one or two in my lifetime. And I know that Christmas isn’t always the happiest time for many people.

On Christmas Eve everyone brought something to share for our dinner. Carolyn made the most mouth-watering Beef Burgundy, with tender chunks of sirloin, carrots and mushrooms in a rich dark sauce. I made my cheesy Stuffed Baked Potatoes (recipe and photos here), Sharon made Roasted Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts that were moanworthy, there was torn (not sliced) French bread to sop up the meat juices, and Sharon also brought a Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pie that was so rich and delicious we almost couldn’t stand it.

We also sang some carols, and I mostly cried during that time, because “long lay the world, in sin and error pining, til He appeared and the soul felt its worth” and other lyrics like that always do me in. In a good way. There’s a song I always ask Jeremy and Carolyn to sing because I haven’t memorized it yet, and it’s Psalm 84 set to a Celtic-like melody that touches something so deep in my soul I almost can’t sit up straight when I hear it.

This year my dear friend Diane came all the way from Lompoc, California to spend Christmas with us. She and her guy Davey stayed with us for a few days, and since she and I have been friends for about 37 years, our time together was a treasure to me. She gave me an amazing heirloom gift that I will share about later in another post.

Here’s a gift I received from four of my grandchildren, and if you click on the photos to enlarge them, you’ll see it’s called the Birdhouse of Prayers. How appropriate is that?

The kids painted it, and several little slips of paper sit on the porch, for me to write down my prayers and put them in the birdhouse, letting go of whatever might be worrying me and leaving it with the Lord. I penned my first heartfelt plea yesterday, folded it solemnly and neatly, and placed it inside.

Seven year-old Vivienne painted the cardinals on the roof of the Birdhouse of Prayers.

This thoughtful gift will sit on a shelf in our bedroom, near our chairs where we sit in the mornings and read and pray together. I hope to use it until the day I die. 🙂

Did you give or receive a meaningful gift at Christmastime?

In my last post I mentioned how some folks have been choosing one word on which to focus in the new year. I believe I have my one word for 2013, and it is honor.

I chose this word (prayerfully and practically) because I feel that there are too many areas in my life where I am dishonoring God, myself, and sometimes, other people. When I say dishonoring, I don’t necessarily mean that in a strong way, but in a mild, thoughtless way. And those mild, thoughtless lapses, as opposed to the exceedingly harsh and premeditated ones that some people inflict on others, can be surprisingly damaging in their own way.

Take for example, a large boulder. That boulder could be crushed to bits by being picked up by a crane and dropped a time or two from a few hundred feet in the air. Or, the same boulder could be chipped away bit by bit with a hammer and chisel, taking years to do the damage. But the end result would be the same, wouldn’t it?

To honor someone means to hold someone in high esteem, or to regard them highly, or to give respect to someone due to their worth.

One thing I’ve seen in my country these past several years is a sad display of dishonor, especially regarding politics. I have a hard time seeing people who are believers in Jesus, call candidates such disrespectful names and speak in such haughty, disparaging ways. Republicans do no one any favors and accomplish so little when they rant about the crazy liberals and say that President Obama is of the devil. Democrats do no one any favors and accomplish so little when they rant about the wacko conservatives and make cruel fun of Mitt Romney, Presidents George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, et al.

I am going to honor the leaders of my land. That means, to me, that I can respectfully disagree with them (and sometimes vehemently disagree with them), but I will not do so in a dishonoring way. I disagreed with some things that President George W. Bush did. I disagree with some of the things President Barack Obama has done. But I believe God created them both (and I do not know the hearts of either man no matter what words they say) and because they are created by Him, I will honor them, and the office they hold. (Now I realize there have been extreme situations out there, like Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden, Stalin and so many others — I’m not saying they should have been paid honor as leaders and I don’t know how to tackle things like this, because I do believe there are times for civil disobedience — I’ll leave it to others who know what they’re doing when speaking of such atrocities. I’m just a simple, rambling blogger trying to figure my own life out.)

But what would happen if liberal believers just spoke up about their beliefs passionately and respectfully, cast their votes, and then in the end prayed for their elected leaders? What would happen if conservative believers just expressed their beliefs passionately and respectfully, cast their votes, and then in the end prayed for their elected leaders? (I Timothy 2:1-4: First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.)

That’s probably the only political statement I will ever make on this blog. I am part of a family with extremely conservative people in it, and with liberal people too. I will never allow those differences to come between me and the ones I love. And honor is a part of that.

In 2013, I am also asking God to help me honor my body, which is (miraculously, and I never quite get over this) a temple of the Holy Spirit. For Christians, this means that God has chosen to dwell in His people, rather than in the physical temple that existed thousands of years ago. I do not need to have a lamb or a pair of doves slaughtered to come into His presence and receive forgiveness for my many sins. I do not have to stand on the other side of a thick veil, waiting for a high priest to go into God’s holy presence behind the veil for me. Shockingly, I can go boldly (and hopefully humbly) into His presence any time, because Jesus died to accomplish this for anyone who trusts in Him. (Hebrews 4:16 — Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.)

I will most likely need a knee surgery sometime in 2013. And I know before I even see the surgeon that it would be prudent for me to lose a chunk of weight before I go under the knife. And if losing a chunk of weight were easy for me, if honoring my body were a regular part of my daily life, perhaps I wouldn’t even need knee surgery in the first place. This is sobering to me. And a little shameful.

So in 2013, I’m going to try to take small steps toward honoring this body I live in, which God says He fearfully and wonderfully made, no matter what it looks like. I’m a teeny, tiny bit afraid about this, because it’s an area of repeated failure in my life, and I’d really rather not deal with it. While I can’t yet envision huge changes, I know that today, I can take a step or two toward honoring this temple.

And let’s talk about honoring people, especially the ones under our own roofs. I have a dear friend named Tauni. She and I grew up just over the fence from each other in Southern California, and we’ve known each other since we were five and four years old. A while back Tauni shared with me that sometimes when she has a hard time not responding impatiently or in frustration with someone, she says under her breath (or in her mind) this prayer, “I want to honor God in all that I do. I want to honor God in all that I do. I will honor God in all that I do.” There’s truly something to be said for talking to ourselves, for preaching the truth to our own selves, especially when we’re having a hard time living what we know to be right. Tauni reminds herself what her life’s aim is, every time she has a hard time living it. How wise!

I believe I treat the people in my household kindly, and I do a lot for them. My life, these days, is one of service. I interrupt my own plans to make sure their plans happen. I make sure their needs are met. I try hard to schedule fun things for those I care for, because it makes me happy to see them smile and be happy. And God reminds me often through His holy nudges just how much He loves those I care for, and how much He wants me to show them His love.

But.

Oh yes, there’s always a but, isn’t there?

I can often deal with the people in my home in a business-like, efficient manner, that leaves overt love and tenderness on the sidelines. I’m not saying I’m not loving or tender, I’m just saying that when I’m on autopilot, which is often, I’m not sure I’m highly esteeming those I care for as much as I want. I’m not sure I’m honoring them. When Michael is struggling with something that seems so simple to me, I’m not sure it’s honoring to him to sigh and say, “I’ll do it,” or “No, don’t you remember that the silverware is in this drawer?”

To me, honoring someone means remembering that no matter what their abilities are or aren’t, their worth is priceless because they’re God’s creation, and when I honor them, I honor God. And we don’t honor someone because they earn it, we honor them because they are human.

Honoring someone who has hurt you is very difficult. There’s a fine line in this, I realize. If someone has deeply hurt us but has demonstrated repentance and a willingness to get help and to change, then I think the Lord can help us to forgive them, and to honor them as a person, in spite of their flaws. Isn’t that what we hope others will do for us? I’m not an expert of course, but I think it might be important to say that if someone is abusing you, it pays them no honor whatsoever to allow them to abuse you. To enable someone to behave like a demon doesn’t help or honor them. But somehow I know God can help us behave in productive ways that bring truth to hard situations without disrespecting or reviling others. There must be a way to say to someone, “Because you are made by God and loved by Him, it’s wrong of you to treat me this way, because I am also made by God and loved by Him. I will do whatever it takes on my part to restore honor to our relationship, and I ask you to join me in getting help.”

I didn’t mean for my blog post to delve into relationship issues today, but I guess honoring people in the way that we speak, behave and forgive really would affect relationships. What if husbands would honor their wives by serving them humbly, listening carefully to them and treasuring them instead of turning to pornography? What if wives would honor their husbands by working hard to respect them even when it’s tough, and finding something to build them up about instead of turning away or trying to control them? It’s worth thinking about, at least. And if you know me at all, you know I’m not speaking from a high and lofty place. I speak from the low position of someone who has made some pretty destructive choices in my life.

I have a husband who has honored me for thirty-one years. And I have honored him with my love and faithfulness too, but I sense it’s time for something more on my part. I know that the Lord will empower me to do what He calls me to do, and I don’t even have to know ahead of time what those things will be. It helps me to know that He will equip me minute by minute, that the yoke of Jesus is light when I walk with Him, and that His forgiveness is quick and complete when I fail. It helps me to know that Jesus is actually rooting for me and is willing to go the distance with me.

I expect I will learn a lot more about what it means to honor others (and myself) this year. It’s only January 2nd and the little shaft of light shining on my path calls me toward my husband Michael right now, who is just waking from his first nap of the day.

And all these photographs above? These are the little cheery arrangements Sara placed around our house yesterday! I highly recommend having a floral designer in one’s family when at all possible.

I really enjoyed reading what your One Word choices were — thank you for your comments in the last post. Anyone else come up with One Word for 2013?

I ask for God’s blessing on your day…..

This morning when we got up it was zero degrees outside (minus 18 Celsius), and Lake Superior was steaming. It’s a gorgeous sight, especially with the clear sky and the sunrise over the vast expanse of water, yet for some reason January’s approach always fills me with a bit of dread. It’s our coldest month, and even though this might sound a little dramatic, it feels dangerous to me. The best part of January is my middle daughter Carolyn’s birthday on the 12th; the rest of the month can’t pass too quickly for me.

Yesterday I took most of our Christmas decorations down, and today the tree, already bare of its ornaments, will go into the box and down to the basement for another eleven months. I like getting our normal space back after Christmas, breaking down the boxes for the recycler truck, moving the living room chairs back to their places, and putting away our Christmas CDs. Do you leave your Christmas things up past the new year? I knew someone who loved her tree and decorations so much she always left them up until February.

Also, we have a winner for the Cardinal Caption Contest! It’s Kay, in Cornwall, England! Her poem of what the little jaunty cardinal in the photo might be saying brought smiles all around, and even my daughter Sara said at the breakfast table this morning that she thought Kay should be awarded the prize. If you haven’t read the poem Kay composed, be sure to look in the comments to the last post. 🙂  Kay will receive a $10 gift certificate to spend as she pleases at Amazon.com. Thank you all for your very clever captions — I thought all of you deserved a prize.

Next, have you heard of the One Word trend? I think it’s been going on for a few years, and I’m thinking and praying about what one word should be the focus of my life for the coming year. I have known for a long time that the Lord seems to be bringing me low in so many challenging and marvelous ways, so I’ve considered that my one word might be lower. I have also seen that I am more fear-based that I ever thought I was, so I think the word trust would be appropriate too. One decorating blogger I enjoy has chosen the word up for her one word in 2013. There are several that come to mind for me, and I’ll share about it when I’m sure of what it will be.

Pray. Encourage. Honor. Forgive. Listen. Decrease. Praise. Humility.

Have you ever chosen one word to focus on for a coming year? If so, what was your word? If not, are you considering trying it this year?

Today a furnace repairman will be coming to our home, and this will make the eighth time someone has come to see what can be done. Many changes have been made: dampers adjusted, zones rezoned, zones unzoned, temp limits replaced, air filters checked and replaced, and thermostats rewired. Our furnace unit itself is fine. It seems like it could be the air flow to our registers that’s the problem, but none of the three companies who’ve come out seem to be sure yet. They’re all baffled. If it means actually tearing into the floors of our bedroom and bathroom (which is a huge space, but only has six heating registers and apparently should have more) to install more registers, I admit I think I’ll be truly upset and discouraged. Having our furnace work perfectly for three days and then start blowing cold air is very disconcerting, over and over again. Each time it performs as it should I’m practically in tears of relief, saying, “Thank you Lord!” and realizing what an overlooked grace it is to have heat at the touch of a switch. Then each time I feel the heat stop and the cold air begin to blow and see the thermostat temperatures drop, I feel vulnerable and anxious, and this morning when it happened again I started to cry. January is not the month for complicated furnace failures for a Minnesotan. If any of you reading this would be willing to pray that the Lord would give wisdom to the people working on it, I would be so grateful.

Last night Sara and I went to see Les Miserables and I loved it (although some pretty bawdy scenes make it an inappropriate choice for young people, I think). The book has been one of my favorites for years and I’ve read it three times. It might be time to open it again. Michael and I saw the play at the Queen’s Theatre in London in 2007 and were awed by every part of it, especially the continuously revolving stage and the powerful music. Last night I rummaged through my purse when the tears started to fall, and couldn’t believe I didn’t have Kleenex, which I’m never without. Fortunately Sara had one, and by the time the movie was over I could have wrung it out from crying into it so much. Les Miserables is such an epic story of grace! One humble man’s act of grace and forgiveness literally changed many lives over the course of many years. It’s a lesson I want to remember forever. Are any of us wondering what to do today? Whatever tasks are before us, giving grace should be part of each and every day, especially toward the people we live with.

Well, I have much to do today. Our kitchen sink is piled with dishes that I didn’t feel like tending to last night. There are three baskets of clean laundry in our room waiting to be folded and put away. There are chicken breasts in the fridge that should be made into a nice New Year’s Eve meal. There is laundry to do for our Fosters, a tree to be dismantled and stowed. Paperwork to be conquered, a letter to write, dogs to be petted, a husband to be hugged. And hopefully, please God, a furnace waiting to be fixed, once and for all.

Tonight when the stroke of midnight hits, Michael and I will not be awake (Lordwilling) clinking a glass together, or watching the coverage from Times Square in New York, or even attending a Watch Night Service like we did in church years ago [where, for your information, a group of friends and I dressed up as Gladys Light and The Hips and sang (lip-synched, actually), clapped and danced wackily in unison to this song. We padded our hips grotesquely under our black stretch pants (because we were The Hips), wore sun glasses and generally stunned the more staid members of our congregation.] But tonight, I hope to be soundly sleeping when the year changes over, with two scruffy dogs at our feet, and a dependable furnace humming along.

I never quite know exactly why I keep a blog. Is it because I’m a word person and if I don’t have an outlet for my thoughts I’ll someday shut down? Is it because I’m vain and think what I have to share is actually of some import? Is it because I’m actually supposed to be doing this, for some strange reason? I don’t know. Whatever the motivation, I want to say to you all today that I’m thankful you stop by here now and then. I love it when you leave comments, and am so glad for the friendships I’ve made here.

I wish you and all your loved ones a very blessed 2013.

I included this terrific photo in a recent blog post, and now here it is again. My friend Ember in England sent it to me because she knows how much I like cardinals, and what they signify to me.

It has been a very long while since I’ve had a bloggy giveaway, and I think it’s about time. If you’d like to see the last caption contest I had, click here.

Take a look at this male cardinal below. Doesn’t he look like he’s saying something? Or that he has something important on his mind?

Tell me what you think he’s saying/thinking, what the caption to this photo should be, and if you’re the winner, I’ll send you a gift! It might be a book, it might be a CD, it might be something yummy to eat. But I promise it will be good.  🙂

Wi-cheer! Wi-cheer! Purty! Purty! (That’s what a cardinal call sounds like to me…click here for a real recording of one.)

I look forward to seeing what you all come up with, and the winner will be announced on Monday, December 31st!

This is me with my sister-in-law Christy, who feels like a true sister to me. The quote below is just how I feel about her…

“Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are — chaff and grain together — certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.”

Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

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Do you have a friend or family member you feel this way about? Will you share a little about them and why this quote might fit them as well? I look forward to reading your comments…

Please click here for Edith’s and Mildred’s Christmas message to you, dear blog readers.

Blessings,

Lo, in the silent night
A child to God is born
And all is brought again
That ere was lost or lorn.

Could but thy soul, O man,
Become a silent night!
God would be born in thee
And set all things aright.

~~~15th Century

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May your Christmas be full of God’s peace, hope and joy!

This is a true blast from my past.

So I’ve decided to take an informal little poll. What’s your feeling about this old Christmas song by the Carpenters?

Love it? Hate it? Never heard it?

I will share what I think of it after all the results from this important poll are computed.

Okay….cast your vote!  🙂

That’s what I’m trying to do this Christmas season.

In this very full life that can lead to spiritual dryness, I am trying (with God’s guidance, grace and mercy!) to live out the words of the prophet Isaiah, when he wrote about John the Baptist and his announcement of Jesus:

“A voice cries out, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord
Make straight in the desert a highway for our King
Every valley shall be lifted up
And every mountain made low.’ “

Even though I think I’ve taken all the things off of my proverbial plate that I can, I find myself still wondering how to quietly and peacefully enjoy this beautiful season for what it really is. To me, it’s not about shopping, although I’ve done some of that online. It’s not about decorating, although as you’re about to see, we’ve done some of that too.

Each Christmas season, I try to make straight in the desert of my spiritual life, a highway for my King. A place where He has unhindered access. I ask the Lord to fill in those valleys in my life, of which there are many. I ask Him to remove the mountains that I just can’t seem to get around.

I have said no to almost every event, except most things having to do with my family or grandchildren. I have tried to make room every day for down time, reading and devotional time. I have been writing in my gratitude journal, which I love — what a special time that has become! I just finished this book, and very much enjoyed it. I’ve been mindfully listening to Christmas carols, getting enough sleep, and letting some things go. And yet still I wonder if I’ve made enough room in my life for the One I say I love and serve. Do any of you ever grapple with this? I’m probably not the only one pondering these things.

Well, moving on, I thought I’d share some more photos with you of some things we have around the house to give it a festive feel.

This is a night-time view of our tree. We have these neat privacy blinds that can be opened so they go up from the bottom, or down from the top. This way we can walk around in the house completely undressed, and people outside can see our tree, but not see us. Ha. NOT! Never in a million years. I just wanted to make sure you were awake.  🙂

This sits on the kitchen window sill above the sink:

Sara decked out the lights over our dining room table with several feet of artificial holly vines, some plaid ribbon, and a few gold ornaments hanging at different lengths:

Here’s a closer shot:

At our old house this triple wreath hung outside one year, but this year I thought I’d put it in our bedroom.

 I also put the nativity scene in our bedroom this year.

We have a small white tree we set up in our bedroom too, and when the grandchildren spend the night during the Christmas season, they love to sleep under the glow of its tiny red and white lights, while soothing instrumental carols play.

Sara also put these gold ornaments and curly ribbon on the three pendant lights that hang over our kitchen counter. I think the lights look like ice cubes.

It’s cold and windy today. Most of our snow has melted from a few days we had in the 40s, but there are still a few patches on the grass left. Here’s a view of the morning sun shining on grey Lake Superior:

And here’s a fabulous picture my friend Ember sent me yesterday. Look at Mr. Jaunty Cardinal’s expression! He’s checking up on me! He’s peeking around the corner and saying, “Juuuulie? Have you forgotten that when you have Jesus, you always have hope? Don’t you remember how He sent me to you all those years ago?”

Just looking at this photo makes me grin. Yes, Lord. I remember. Thank you.

Even Edith, our almost eleven year-old Schnauzer, is making room for her King. She was resting on our bed this morning, looking out the window and wondering when He would show up. She’s ready for Him, all decked out in her green ribbon, humble hound heart prepared to bow when she finally sees her Maker. She’s a Hallelujah Hound, you know.

Our furnace has broken three times in the past month, and as I type this, the third repairman is trying to fix it. He has been here a long time and from what I gather, it’s not a simple repair. Michael and I held hands together a little while ago and asked the Lord to help this man fix it. It’s a terribly misbehaving furnace, and we’ve learned it has special needs. We have company from California arriving soon to spend Christmas with us, and what kind of hosts would we be if they came all the way to frigid Minnesota and we didn’t offer them heat?

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

What kinds of things do you do (or not do) at Christmas time, to keep the true meaning alive in your heart and home?