One of the decorating blogs I read occasionally had a fun post recently, and I liked it so much I thought I’d do a post like it here. Have you seen this website called I Used To Believe? It’s about the funny and bizarre things we used to believe as children.

Here are a few things I used to believe:

When I was a child, I believed that our bodies grew larger and taller because they literally filled up with food. I thought that if you ate something as a baby, that food would be deposited in your feet. And then all subsequent food eaten would slowly fill up the legs, the trunk, the arms and the rest of the body, and when all that accumulated food reached the top of the head and couldn’t find any more room, the body stretched and grew.

When I was a child I believed that the past tense for the word cost was costed. I think I said things like “that record costed $1.06” until I was close to 5th grade.

When I was a child I believed that when my oldest brother Larry would take me to the beach in his Corvette, if I sat up high on folded towels in the passenger seat next to him, people would think I was his girlfriend. Never mind that I was 8 and he was 23 — I was convinced that the folded towel trick would make me look like his date.

When I was a child I believed that most villains in the world looked like stooped, wizened old men carrying big burlap bags. The bags were to put kidnapped children in.

When I was a child I believed that if I swam out into the ocean as far as I could, way past the breaking waves and out into the deep water until I could barely see the people on the shore, that very point would be a mile. And during my growing up years in southern California, I did this every chance I got.

When I was a child I believed that babies came to families because the mommies and/or daddies prayed for them, and God graciously answered. When I was little my mother told me she prayed for a little girl and that God sent me. I loved that idea. I still do.

What did you used to believe when you were a child?

“Every human interaction offers you the chance to make things better or to make things worse. To decide to make things better can cost you bundles of self-interest. To decide to make things worse generally feels a lot more powerful. The only problem is that the power rolls away from you like a rogue wave, as the person you slammed into finds someone else to slam into, and so on, and so on. The good news is that you can set off the same sort of chain reaction with unwarranted kindness.”

Barbara Brown Taylor, from An Altar in the World

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In the midst of a small campaign to give away one thing per day in the year 2012, I also have a few new things to show you that I will never part with.

I like water. I try to drink some every day. That means when I’m out running errands I often take a water bottle from home with me so when I’m thirsty I can keep hydrated with something good, and not impulsively decide to buy some kind of sweet coffee concoction or smoothie with 10% fruit and 749 calories. Here is what I now carry my water in, a travel cup from my dear friend Pat, who’s a fellow SAG.

I’ve never had one of these kinds of cups, and I love it. Most of all I love the thoughtfulness behind it. Pat knows the cardinal story, and in giving me this gift she is helping me hang on to hope. Do you have friends that help you hang on to hope? I really hope that you do.

It’s not that things are truly hopeless, it’s just that every so often I lose my clear view of hope, and need help getting back on the hope wagon.

Pat gave me a boost back on that wagon with this cup. Thank you Pat.

Next, I have a new B.

To be honest, I never had an old B. But that’s not the point. The point is, my niece Lauren and my sister-in-law Debbie sent me this for Christmas.

It’s the first letter of our last name, and it’s about the size of a book. The left side of the B is the spine of a dark blue Bible. Attached to the spine with a taupe ribbon (perfectly matching our living room) are three old keys, with the words “memory, life, and love” engraved on them.

The B is completely covered in scripture. You can click to enlarge the photos if you like. There are pertinent verses and passages pasted all over the letter.

When I opened the gift my eyes filled with tears, because this was such an amazingly thoughtful gift from family members who know what’s important to me, and made something to underscore those very things. I felt known, and loved.

They sent me this letter B to help me hang on to hope. Or to hang on to the Author of hope. 🙂

We put the B on the mantel and it will always be a blessing.

Thank you, Debbie and Lauren.

Right before Christmas I received a package in the mail from an old friend. Shari and I met in Junior High School in West Covina, CA, and were in a couple of classes together with this teacher we both still love.

Shari is a gifted artist and photographer and you can check out her beautiful photo blog here.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the package and received a large framed print of a photo Shari took of a cardinal.

The day it arrived was the sort of day when hope seems distant or faint. After I gazed at it through tears for a few minutes, thanking God for the timing of this stunning gift and for giving me friends who remind me to keep hoping, I went straight to our kitchen tool drawer and found a hammer and nail.

This breathtaking photo hangs on a prominent wall near our den, where we walk past it and look at it many times a day.

Thank you, Shari.

How grateful I am for friends and family who show their love and care in such personal, thoughtful ways!

I love this quote by Emily Dickenson:

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.”

Today I can hear that wordless tune being sung, and see the brilliantly colored feathers of that thing called hope that’s perching in my soul.

And my friends and family help to make sure the tune of hope never stops at all.

What helps you hang on to hope?

Here are the seven items (one per day) that I’ve donated this week. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, click here.

(I read yesterday in Colossians chapter three, about six other things the Lord wants me to be rid of:

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.”

I fear I can’t just toss these in the back of my car and take them to my local Goodwill, however.)

Here are the tangible things I have duplicates of, or items I know I won’t be using anymore; I’m so happy to let them go to other places where they will be enjoyed or better utilized.

I know those three metal bowls aren’t really one item, but hey.

Have you decided to get rid of a few things in your house this year? Are you trying for one per day? If that’s too many to think about, might you try for one per week?

It’s not too late to join us. What kinds of things have you given or tossed so far?

“Being in a hurry.

Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me.

I cannot think of a single advantage I’ve ever gained from being in a hurry.

But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing…

Through all that haste I thought I was making up time.

It turns out I was throwing it away.”    

Ann Voskamp

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Our oldest pooch Edith will be ten years old soon, and even though she seems happy and chipper, she’s showing her age. She doesn’t like to go up the stairs anymore. She’ll do it, but she sometimes acts like her joints are stiff, and it’s becoming more of an effort. Millie, on the other hand, is still acting like she has gazelle blood in her.

The last time we took the dogs to the vet for vaccination boosters and checkups, serious Dr. Lee felt Millie’s back legs thoughtfully and asked me, “Does Mildred do a lot of running and leaping?”

Wondering how he knew this is exactly what she does in our big back yard I said, “Why, yes, yes she does.”

He pointed out the impressive definition in her Schnauzer quadriceps and commented with quiet admiration, “Mildred is quite a well-muscled dog.”

So you can imagine what we say about her when she comes and lays next to us on the couch at night. We palpate those notable quads and say in a deep Dr. Lee voice with mock seriousness, “Look at these legs. This is a well-muscled dog.”

Edith, not so much. Edith’s diet has not changed, but her body seems to be doing what many middle-aged women’s bodies do, and she’s developed a little belly pooch. The pooch has a pooch, I guess. And no one would ever marvel that Edith is a well-muscled dog. She trots and sniffs when she’s outside, and she still jumps at the television if she sees anything four legged appear on the screen, but leaping and gazelle are not words we would use in the same sentence with Edith.

So along with old age comes napping, or so I’ve been told. Edith is definitely into taking at least one nap per day, maybe four. Recently Michael and I were in our bedroom having our quiet time together and Edith wanted to be on his lap. As we read out loud and prayed for our family and many of you, Edith fell asleep. She was a Schnauzer Schnoozer. I had to get a picture.

See how she even matches our bedroom decor? And the sides of my blog? Does your dog match your bedroom decor or your blog? Does your husband wear t-shirts that match your animal? No?

Oh.

I told you we needed prayer.

A long time ago a friend who loved her dog as much as I love mine said this, “I think God gives us our pets to increase our joy.” I’ve always remembered that, and I think it’s true. All these little goofy tidbits about Edith and Millie make me smile and revel in simple things.

I’ll try to think of something nondoggish to write soon.

Have a blessed Tuesday!

Well, January reared her frigid head last night and our temperatures dropped many-something degrees. It’s supposed to be -2° tonight, or -19° Celsius for my two across-the-pond readers. And as I’ve mentioned a few dozen times on this blog, January is usually our coldest month, and it can get down to -30° sometimes.

I know we’re supposed to live in the moment, but these kind of January moments are always hard for me. I spend most of each January waiting for each January to leave.

If you read my post about giving away 365 items over the next year, you saw that I threw out a big pile of grocery receipts. Pen gave away a funky pair of feather earrings.

Today these are going:

Four tiny, old candles the size of shot glasses. They were stored away with Christmas decorations and we had them out on a side table in the living room last month, and I kept asking myself why.

I wouldn’t light them because the flame would be so close to the thin glass I was afraid they would crack. And I am not into babysitting little candles these days, so I think their usefulness has been used up.

Pen is going to be so good about re-purposing and recycling the things she’s donating, and I will certainly try. But I’m throwing these candles in the garbage, and don’t feel a bit of sorrow about it at all. If you think I should, let me know.

Today I took one look at these and said, “Er, no. They must go.”

I’m trying to decide if these could count for January 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. I guess the week ahead will tell me that. We have several couples coming over tomorrow night for Life Group from our church, I have a sick gal home today, and I have an important report to start work on, so perhaps I’ll lean toward letting these four candles count for four days.

Have a wonderful week, and thank you for reading…

For the past 25 years or so, I’ve tried hard to stay organized. I have never liked clutter because it seems to prevent me from thinking clearly and calmly. When towering piles of things are sitting on surfaces that should (in my mind) be perfectly devoid of stuff, I can get cranky. And if I don’t get outwardly cranky, then I can get inwardly agitated while acting not outwardly cranky. Neither are highly recommended.

Being organized doesn’t come naturally to me. When I was a little girl my mother was always after me to clean up my disastrous room, especially my closet. I was supposed to clean my room at least every Saturday, and most of the time I would take all the things that were out of place and shove them in the back of my closet. Once in a while Mom’s Atrocious Closet Radar would activate and she would come into my room after I had “cleaned” it, and open the left closet door. I knew I was doomed. She made me take everything out and put them in their proper places, telling me how much easier it would be if I would just keep things neat in the first place. It wasn’t until I was married and had a house of my own that I finally started wanting things to be a little neater and more organized.

So while neatness was never a strong point in my youth, I was still never a hoarder. I’m a thrower. Or a tosser, whatever word works best. Some people are collectors, and I myself have two lovely collections started for me by other people, but my innate default setting is to throw. To donate. To toss. Not to accumulate. Most of the time I’m able to live my throwing life unhindered, but because we do foster care and the state requires us to maintain books and books and files and files of paperwork, it can occasionally get ugly.

A few years ago I think my inner thrower was magnetically drawn to purchase Penelope Wilcock’s book In Celebration of Simplicity: The Joy of Living Lightly. I read that book and sighed and yearned. Here was someone who had gone before me (a looooong distance before me — I’m still on the foothills of simplicity while the author has perhaps lived near the peaks of simplicity for many years) and gave me additional ideas and whys about living simply. And I read that it’s not just about the clutter. It’s about being able to give more in every way. It’s about having extra time in the day. It’s about having time to think and to pray and to listen to God’s voice. It’s about saying no to materialism and yes to living mindfully. It’s about saying yes to people and their needs, and no to too many things. And it’s ever so much more than all of that.

Not that things are bad. I have things. I think I have too many things, actually, even though I’m a thrower. And I’m certainly not immune or innocent of ever having been materialistic. But I’m on my way out of that kind of living (hopefully), if I haven’t left the building already.

Anyway, a couple of years ago I started reading Penelope’s blog (I had read her other books too) and recently she posted something of great interest to me. I’m stealing borrowing her very idea for my blog post today. She has graciously already given me permission to quote her at any time, isn’t that generous of her?

Penelope plans to donate/give/get rid of one item from her house per day, in the year 2012. At the end of the year, her house will be 365 items lighter and easier and airier. I liked her idea right away and decided to give it a try myself.

I don’t know for certain yet if there are 365 items that I can donate in the coming year, but I’ll find out soon enough. If you would like to join in, leave a comment and let me know you’re doing it too. If one item per day sounds like too much to you, how about donating one item every week, making your house 52 items lighter in the coming year?

I don’t plan on giving away things that have great sentimental value to me. I probably won’t donate the plates that hang on the side of our kitchen cabinet that my mother hand painted when she was a young woman. I won’t give away things that people have lovingly made for me out of their founts of creativity and the kindness of their hearts — I so enjoy those things because they remind me of the givers, and then I feel a swell of love and that’s always a good thing. There are books I won’t ever give away. There are grandchildren’s drawings I won’t throw. There are a couple of kind and compassionate bras I wouldn’t part with. I might seriously consider giving away a couple of my mean bras, I don’t know. (What is a mean bra, you ask? A mean bra is a bra that continually pinches your shoulders until they have sizable dents in them, and pulls on your poor neck all day long while cackling evilly in your ear, with the intention of doing permanent damage to your body…that’s what a mean bra is.)

But there’s bound to be many dozens of things I can throw, and I thought I’d share my first thing with you. First, a little history.

As foster care providers, we are required to save grocery receipts in case we’re ever audited by our county. I guess some people occasionally do foster care and then don’t feed their residents — thankfully those homes don’t stay in business very long. But we’re required to be ready to prove that we buy whatever food our gals need and want (some of what I buy for them I’d never buy for myself), so we keep every single grocery receipt in a file I have ingeniously labeled “Grocery Receipts.” 🙂

Well today I took a look at that bulging file, and it has grocery receipts from 2006 in it! Time to purge. If the county comes looking for six year-old receipts any time soon, they’ll be disappointed, because today I’m throwing them out. A big pile of grocery receipts from 2006, 2007 and 2008 — gone. I thought I’d better keep 2009, 2010 and 2011 receipts for now, though.

The pile below is about an inch thick.

I’m not even waiting until January 1st. I’m starting a day early, so that I’m ending the old year on a freeing note, and beginning the new year doing the same. So, on Day 1 of my 365 or 366 (oh! — is it leap year this year? 367, then) days of letting go of one thing each day, I’m throwing a pile of receipts in the garbage. Because these were hidden in a file drawer, no one would notice their absence, but I know they’re gone. And it feels pretty terrific.

Tomorrow I think I’ll continue with some bud vases. Who needs a dozen bud vases on the top shelf of a kitchen cupboard? Or maybe I’ll go through my small appliances. I know I have two food processors, so I think I’ll give one away. Why should one household have seven unused three-ring notebooks? Out they’ll soon go. I’m not sure we need five sets of sheets for our bed, either. Two or three should suffice.

And so on!

If you were to embark on a “365 Thing Throw” or a “52 Thing Throw” adventure, what would you start with first?

Have you ever fretted over something and said, “What am I supposed to do now?” Have things ever gotten so dire in your life that you truly had no idea what to do next? If so, you’re not alone.

Anyone who knows me knows I like lists. I think the Lord likes lists too. I was reading the book of James this morning and found a to-do list that the Holy Spirit wrote through James, who was one of the brothers of Jesus.

Read it through slowly, if you would, and then at the end you’ll see how it could be the Lord’s to-do list for us today.

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”    James 5:7-20

Here’s the list:

1. Be patient and stand firm. Are you ready to give up on your situation? Be patient and stand firm….ask God to give you strength and even joy as you wait on Him.

2. Don’t grumble against one another. I know from experience that this never, ever, ever, ever helps. Never. No matter how frustrated or fed up we might be, grumbling and complaining doesn’t make the situation better. In fact, it’s like joining with the enemy and swinging a wrecking ball of your own. Can we picture right now that the enemy of our souls is aiming to swing a huge wrecking ball against us and those we love, working round the clock to bring us all down into a pile of rubble? We need to stand firm against that, not help it happen.

3. Do not swear — let your answers be a simple yes or no. Language and words are so powerful. My words should be true and they should be helpful. Even if I have something difficult to relate, I can still say the words in a loving, constructive way. Also, if I’ve lived in such a way that the veracity of my word is questioned, the Lord will help me change that if I ask Him. Integrity can be lost, but with the Lord it can be regained.

4. When in trouble, pray. Pray! Out loud! Under our breath! In our hearts! Through our tears! While sitting on the toilet! When driving! When going to bed each night. When opening our eyes each morning. If all I can muster is a heartfelt, “Lord, please come and help me,” then that’s okay. Just call out to Him, over and over again. There are plenty of places in the Bible that teach us He likes persistence. So in prayer, be persistent. Help us, O Lord! Our eyes are on you! I’m not very eloquent when I pray, but He is my Father and understands my frailty. And I don’t think He’s moved by fancy words.

5. When happy, sing songs of praise. I think this is more powerful than we might suspect. If “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart” is all that comes to mind, sing that. We are being watched. I think we should sing when we’re not happy too. I want the heavenly realm and the demonic realm to see me trusting my Savior when I’d rather take to my bed as my mother did. I want the angels to cheer when I’m trying to be patient and stand firm, and the demons to cringe when they see and hear me singing to the Lord even if I don’t really want to.

6. If you’re sick, call together some leaders in your church and ask them to pray over you. And then again every day, we ask for healing. Physical healing and spiritual healing, Emotional healing and financial healing. Social healing and familial healing. We are all ailing in some way. Every one of us. I think this verse is addressing a physical malady, but I believe the Lord can heal any kind of sickness. If you’ve asked others to pray, perhaps it’s time to ask again. And we keep praying every day that the Lord will bring His healing into every hidden place in our lives.

7. Confess your sins to each other. This means we have to let go of pride. And that’s the hardest thing for many of us, because we think we know others have sinned against us worse. Isn’t that what we all think? “Yes, well, I’ve done some things wrong, but she said this about me.” “Of course I shouldn’t have done that, but he did this first, and that was way more hurtful than what I did.” Miracles will happen when we lay down our pride, choose not to perseverate on what the other person did, and just humbly confess to the Lord and to each other, what we did. Do you think I’m preaching to you here, as if I’m some holier-than-thou person and have the right to tell you what to do? I am not preaching, I am not holy, and I know I have no special right. I’m just telling whoever will read that I have done things the other way, and they don’t work. I am talking to myself here too, taking my own self up by the collar and saying, “Look! Stop doing it your way and try doing it God’s way!” Humbling ourselves is hard, particularly if we have a family history of pride. But miracles will come if we make humility a way of life. I’m not talking about groveling. I’m not referring to exempting the person who hurt us. I’m speaking merely of humbling ourselves and admitting our stuff, and asking the Lord to deal with the people who hurt us. (And if you’re in a dangerous situation of abuse, you should go get help right away…I’m not encouraging anyone to sit quietly while someone is hurting you.)

8. Pray for each other. Why is prayer so often mentioned? Because it’s the thing we struggle with most. And it’s the thing that is most needed and most powerful.

Whether or not we see results right away, pray. Whether or not we feel like praying, pray.

And remember Who we are praying to:

Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much;
None can ever ask too much.  (part of a hymn written by John Newton)

So if we’re wondering what to do, we can pick up God’s to-do list for us today. Nothing He puts on our lists will ever be of no consequence. He gives us things to do that really matter, and He helps us to do them in His strength. If we could do all this by ourselves we wouldn’t need Him. But we do need Him.

Dear Jesus, thank you for giving me something meaningful to do today and tomorrow and for a thousand tomorrows. You know that I can’t do any of it on my own. So I come to you now and I ask you to accomplish your to-do list in my life today. Help me to be patient, help me to wait, help me to sing, help me to stop grumbling, help me to stand firm, help me to speak helpful words, help me to lay down my pride, and help me to pray.

I ask all of this in your name, dear Savior,

1.  Didn’t make our favorite Christmas cookies.

2.  Didn’t put the tree topper on the Christmas tree.  Not because I was too lazy or too short, but because I couldn’t find it. We’re missing a whole box full of decorations!

3.  Didn’t spend more than one hour at the mall.  (Cue the Hallelujah Chorus…)

4.  Didn’t go Christmas caroling.  I would have liked to, though.

5.  Didn’t play Faith Hill’s Christmas CD.  Ho ho hum.

6.  Didn’t buy a new Christmas ornament. We always buy one new ornament at at least one new CD each year. I got three new CDs but no new ornaments.

7.  Didn’t send out Christmas cards. And deduced that if you don’t send them, you don’t get them. At least not as many anyway. Several of you sent wonderful cards and Christmas letters — thank you!

8.  Didn’t wear my red and green tutu. A tragedy of epic proportions.

9.  Didn’t shovel snow. On the 23rd we finally got two inches of snow! So beautiful. I’m still trying to decide if two inches is shovel-worthy.

10. Didn’t host a women’s Christmas luncheon. Honestly thought about it, but then forgot. Maybe next year.

11.  Didn’t get invited to any Christmas luncheons either. Boo hoo!

12. Didn’t receive a gift from Michael. Which is so totally okay. But it sort of marks something…

13. Didn’t make a big Christmas dinner. We had brunch on Christmas morning instead, and everyone brought something delicious.

But I did…

1.  Eat two pieces of fudge that someone else made. It was half chocolate/half peanut butter. And just a few other goodies over the course of the week.

2.  Pray for snow. It’s the driest beginning of winter our city has had in 49 years. The two inches that fell on Friday was a blessing, but we need a couple of feet more.

3.  Listen to Windham Hill, Julie Andrews, Perry Como and Eden’s Bridge Christmas CDs.  And many others.

4.  Go to see comedian Tim Hawkins in concert. You must watch this short video he just released online. Anyone who’s ever owned a cassette tape will appreciate this. I saw it last night on my iPad right after I went to bed and I texted Sara who had just gone to bed one floor above me, “Are you awake?” She texted back, “Yes.” Then I texted, “Come here.” She answered, “Okay.” (We are good at communicating in our family.) She came downstairs and laid in bed beside me while I showed her this video and we laughed. And laughed. Then Michael came in and we showed it to him and he laughed. Then Edith saw us watching something on my iPad and she jumped up on the bed and put her nose next to the screen. Edith loves Tim Hawkins. You think I joke? I do not.

5.  Study 1 and 2 Kings in the Old Testament and couldn’t believe how rich and exciting these books are. Of course I’ve heard of King Ahab and his demon possessed bride wife Jezebel; of course I could tell you a teeny bit about Jehoshaphat; I knew some about Elijah and Elisha, but I never knew how amazing this part of Israel and Judah’s history is. And how relevant to my life today.

6.  Notice for the first time that as my skin ages I’m getting “marionette lines” at the sides of my mouth. Marionette lines? Who thought up that name? Google it.

7.  Sit quietly several nights in our darkened living room looking at our tree lights and thinking about this line from “O Holy Night” — Long lay the world, in sin and error pining, ’til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth!  That is Christmas in a nutshell for me.

8.  Floss my teeth faithfully. I have never been someone who flosses her teeth every single day (shocking, I know), but I decided to start. I like it.

9.  Watch “The Biggest Loser” with just a bit of yearning. But I wanted either Ramon or Antone to win, not John! Oh well.

10. Watch my very favorite Christmas movie of all time, the 1970 musical Scrooge starring Albert Finney. My brother Steve loved this and ever since I was a young teen I’ve watched it almost every year. Here’s one of our favorite songs from the movie, and when it was over, Sara and I sang this loudly for a while.  🙂

11. Watch the movie The Hiding Place with Michael and Sara and cried my eyes out. I want to be like Betsie ten Boom. But I’m nothing like Betsie ten Boom. If you haven’t watched the movie I would recommend it highly — here’s the trailer.

12. Slept in past 7:00 a.m. on at least three occasions. Cause for rejoicing!

13. Thank the Lord for making sure I heard about Jesus when I was three years old in my first Sunday School class. It was at the First Baptist Church of Covina, CA. My memories from that time are quite vivid. I remember the upstairs Sunday School room, the teacher (Mrs. Ruby Greener), the painted desks and chairs, the songs I learned, and even some of the frilly dresses I wore on Sundays.

Mostly I remember that Jesus loves me, pursues me, forgives me, watches over me and my family, and is preparing a place for us in heaven. Perhaps Christmas would not mean what it does to me today, if I hadn’t spent so much time in this building then.

So, what is something you did and didn’t do this Christmas season?