As I write this, much of the nation is covered with snow or ice, or perhaps both. I know we have crazy weather here at times, but for me, our weather is the best in our country.
I wonder how we would handle two feet of snow, with fallen power lines and iced over roads? I hope to never find out. Our weatherman is predicting a warm, dry day for Christmas Day. With so many persons traveling during this time, I hope he is correct, although it would be great to receive a good, slow soaking rain with a heavier downfall afterwards following the holidays. Farmers and ranchers are desperate for moisture for their grain and some runoff to put water in the ponds.
As per our usual tradition, we had our family Christmas get-together Saturday at Gayle and Don’s home. I did not count those who were there this year, but the children probably outnumbered the adults. Gayle took several photos of the little ones and teens lined up on the hearth, but it was a tight squeeze.
When I am around these young ones, I realize how out of touch I am with them, in so many ways. I asked my great-granddaughter Abbe what she wanted for Christmas and she replied, “A pink ----.” I never did understand what she said and if I had, I likely would not have known any more than when I first asked.
Later when I asked her dad what she wanted, he replied, “All I know is that she wanted a pony.” He did check with her and learned that the pink gift was a DS, which is a Gameboy video game. I imagine that the DS would require much less maintanence than a pony.
A number of years ago, I stopped trying to purchase toys or clothes for these little ones. I haven’t a clue what they want in the area of toys, nor their sizes for clothes, or their preferences. So, I give their mothers the privilege of shopping for me, and just reimburse them.
With our unstable economy this year, I think perhaps many people are cutting back on shopping for the material things. This could be a good thing, because we have made Christmas into a shopping frenzy.
Probably many of you senior citizens remember your childhood Christmas gifts as being so minimal as compared to the gifts the children receive today. Yet, you were very grateful for whatever you were given. I remember my husband saying it was a good Christmas if he and his two brothers got an apple, and an orange. A package of firecrackers was the icing on the cake.
In my family our gifts often were clothes that we needed. Even though we considered this a mundane gift, we were happy to have something new to wear.
My how times have changed; but even after all these years, the reason for the season is still the same: the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
May each of you be fortunate enough to be able to spend time with those you love and realize how blessed we really are.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
12-24-2008
#415
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Best Gifts Need No Wrapping
Winter has roared in like a lion this weekend. As I write this, we have not had the freezing rain that was predicted as a possibility, but that could come later.
Can you remember back in July and August when you sighed and wished that the temperature would fall just a few degrees? Those of us who have lived in Oklahoma or Texas for many years, know that our temperatures can rise 40 degrees in a matter of hours or they can drop drastically in a short time. That’s Oklahoma.
A few weeks ago, we experienced some days when we needed heat in the early mornings, and later in the afternoon we resorted to turning the air conditioning back on. My preference is when we don’t need either of these.
My daughter Starr and I are still in the process of becoming re-aquainted. One day last week, she opened a dresser drawer and commented, “It’s comforting to open this drawer and still find the hair curlers Gayle and I used in high school.”
I’m sure she has realized the extent to which her mother has become lax in housingkeeping methods. She has also been going through my cabinets, checking the dates on various food products.
Our economic problems seem to have dampened the shopping frenzy somewhat this year. Perhaps some of us might realize that the best gifts do not come in fancy packages, but are the intangible things such as love, hope and peace.
I always look forward to our annual family gathering at Gayle’s house, usually the weekend before Christmas. Last year we had thirty-seven relatives present for this event At least half of these were little ones and so it will be again this year.
The children amaze me at the fun they have playing with the wrapping paper and boxes in which the gifts were contained. Of course, the little girls always have to put the bows in their hair and wear them for a while.
One of the joys of growing older is recalling the Christmas programs that we participated in when we were children. These church and school programs show us the reason we celebrate this event.
Who can ever forget the beautiful Christmas carols we sang during that time?
One of the joys of this season is that of helping other people. I think this year I’ve heard of more groups reaching out to help those less fortunate. We can show our thanks and gratitude for our blessings by becoming a part of this operation. After all, isn’t helping each other one of our main goals in life?
12-17-2008
#414
Can you remember back in July and August when you sighed and wished that the temperature would fall just a few degrees? Those of us who have lived in Oklahoma or Texas for many years, know that our temperatures can rise 40 degrees in a matter of hours or they can drop drastically in a short time. That’s Oklahoma.
A few weeks ago, we experienced some days when we needed heat in the early mornings, and later in the afternoon we resorted to turning the air conditioning back on. My preference is when we don’t need either of these.
My daughter Starr and I are still in the process of becoming re-aquainted. One day last week, she opened a dresser drawer and commented, “It’s comforting to open this drawer and still find the hair curlers Gayle and I used in high school.”
I’m sure she has realized the extent to which her mother has become lax in housingkeeping methods. She has also been going through my cabinets, checking the dates on various food products.
Our economic problems seem to have dampened the shopping frenzy somewhat this year. Perhaps some of us might realize that the best gifts do not come in fancy packages, but are the intangible things such as love, hope and peace.
I always look forward to our annual family gathering at Gayle’s house, usually the weekend before Christmas. Last year we had thirty-seven relatives present for this event At least half of these were little ones and so it will be again this year.
The children amaze me at the fun they have playing with the wrapping paper and boxes in which the gifts were contained. Of course, the little girls always have to put the bows in their hair and wear them for a while.
One of the joys of growing older is recalling the Christmas programs that we participated in when we were children. These church and school programs show us the reason we celebrate this event.
Who can ever forget the beautiful Christmas carols we sang during that time?
One of the joys of this season is that of helping other people. I think this year I’ve heard of more groups reaching out to help those less fortunate. We can show our thanks and gratitude for our blessings by becoming a part of this operation. After all, isn’t helping each other one of our main goals in life?
12-17-2008
#414
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Kids Make Season Wonderful
While going through this holy season of the year, we hear and see little ones who are uninhibited and just speak their minds. Some of the things they come up with are quite surprising. Some are also very poignant.
Last week a little girl was on television and was being interviewed as to what she wanted for Christmas. She told the questioner that she would like two things: one was a truck and the other was to have her daddy come home.
She appeared to be in a day care environment. A woman who was holding this child in her arms told the little one to turn around. There in front of her stood her daddy in his military uniform. The child ran into her daddy’s arms and hugged him tightly.
As she did this, she kept saying over and over, “Daddy, I missed you. Daddy I missed you.”
Saturday night my daughter had three of her grandchildren spending the night with her. Later some of their cousins came by and one of them asked Abbe why they were staying with Gayle and Pops. Abbe replied, “ My parents have gone to a Christmas Slumber Party.” Actually, the parents were attending a company Christmas Party.
While the three grandchildren were at Gayle’s on Saturday night, Pops was warning the children not to get out in the street to get candy when they went to the Waurika Christmas Parade that evening. He came down pretty hard in telling them how dangerous it was in the street in the dark. To make his point, he said, “I don’t care if they are throwing out color TVs, do not get off the curb.” Abbe spoke up and asked, “Pops, are they really going to give away TVs?”
Recently, four year-old Whitney, another of Gayle’s grandchildren, was on the phone with her grandmother. Gayle had a bad case of laryngitis and Whitney told her, “You need to get some COUGHSTOPS.”
My granddaughter Jennifer who teaches kindergarten had a lesson on creatures for the students. She held up a picture of a spider and asked if anyone knew what it was. One little girl held up her hand. “I know, teacher, that’s one of those black wierdo spiders.”
The week before Thanksgiving, eleven year old Megan was thrilled with the prospect that her older sister, Rachel, would arrive from San Antonio in time to be Megan’s Show and Tell object the next week. Unfortunately, the typical demands on a high school senior’s schedule kept Rachel from arriving in a timely manner for that occasion.
So, if your Christmas plans appear to be bleak, just find a child to pal around with and you will have a changed attitude.
12-10-2008
#413
Last week a little girl was on television and was being interviewed as to what she wanted for Christmas. She told the questioner that she would like two things: one was a truck and the other was to have her daddy come home.
She appeared to be in a day care environment. A woman who was holding this child in her arms told the little one to turn around. There in front of her stood her daddy in his military uniform. The child ran into her daddy’s arms and hugged him tightly.
As she did this, she kept saying over and over, “Daddy, I missed you. Daddy I missed you.”
Saturday night my daughter had three of her grandchildren spending the night with her. Later some of their cousins came by and one of them asked Abbe why they were staying with Gayle and Pops. Abbe replied, “ My parents have gone to a Christmas Slumber Party.” Actually, the parents were attending a company Christmas Party.
While the three grandchildren were at Gayle’s on Saturday night, Pops was warning the children not to get out in the street to get candy when they went to the Waurika Christmas Parade that evening. He came down pretty hard in telling them how dangerous it was in the street in the dark. To make his point, he said, “I don’t care if they are throwing out color TVs, do not get off the curb.” Abbe spoke up and asked, “Pops, are they really going to give away TVs?”
Recently, four year-old Whitney, another of Gayle’s grandchildren, was on the phone with her grandmother. Gayle had a bad case of laryngitis and Whitney told her, “You need to get some COUGHSTOPS.”
My granddaughter Jennifer who teaches kindergarten had a lesson on creatures for the students. She held up a picture of a spider and asked if anyone knew what it was. One little girl held up her hand. “I know, teacher, that’s one of those black wierdo spiders.”
The week before Thanksgiving, eleven year old Megan was thrilled with the prospect that her older sister, Rachel, would arrive from San Antonio in time to be Megan’s Show and Tell object the next week. Unfortunately, the typical demands on a high school senior’s schedule kept Rachel from arriving in a timely manner for that occasion.
So, if your Christmas plans appear to be bleak, just find a child to pal around with and you will have a changed attitude.
12-10-2008
#413
Sunday, December 7, 2008
A Holiday Full of Thankfulness
When the last turkey drumstick is eaten and the pumpkin pie is gone and the guests have left, we might think of the real meaning of Thanksgiving.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that we often put too much emphasis on the temporary things of life. Being able to share our Thanksgiving feast with family and friends is one of the best gifts we enjoy. Even if it’s a pot of beans and cornbread, with good friends and family, it is still special.
Over the years I’ve found that the ribbons, whistles, and sirens are just superficial, and are gone quickly. Now I look for the enduring blessings of life, the things that matter now and will matter in the future.
My two daughters Starr and Gayle shared Thanksgiving here with me and it turned out to be one of the best ever. We found ourselves recalling events from their childhood and we laughed at them till our jaws were sore.
One of us would mention some incident, then someone else thought of something related to that, and the laughter began all over again.
One special surprise was a visit from a schoolmate of Starr’s who dropped by Wednesday evening with her daughter. They talked of former class members, where they are now, if they were married, their children, each trying to bring the others up to date.
Starr has spent this last week with me and, thanks to her, many chores have been done. I usually clip my column from the paper each week and save it. During the almost ten months of my shingles siege, I just kept stacking the papers and actually ended up with over a year’s worth of copies of the paper.
Starr asked about the stack of papers that was teetering toward the floor from the chair they were in and I told her what they were. “Mother, I can take care of that for you,” and thus she began clipping columns and had them all finished in less than a day. Had I been left to do this myself, it would have taken me likely at least a month.
She had dated each column and then got on the computer and numbered each of them. What a gift!
Both Starr and Gayle are very efficient and when they decide to do some chore, I can rest assured that it will be done well.
For almost two weeks I have been handicapped in that I cannot wear my glasses due to surgery on my nose and one ear. In the course of this time, I have learned what a blessing it is to be able to see and read. I think in the future I will not take that ability lightly.
Another thing I will appreciate eventually is the privilege of shampooing my hair. Because of the incisions on my ear, I have been deprived of that right, but am looking forward to doing that once I see the surgeon again.
Sometimes small blessings are unrecognized and unappreciated but definitely something for which to be thankful.
12/1/2008
#412
As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that we often put too much emphasis on the temporary things of life. Being able to share our Thanksgiving feast with family and friends is one of the best gifts we enjoy. Even if it’s a pot of beans and cornbread, with good friends and family, it is still special.
Over the years I’ve found that the ribbons, whistles, and sirens are just superficial, and are gone quickly. Now I look for the enduring blessings of life, the things that matter now and will matter in the future.
My two daughters Starr and Gayle shared Thanksgiving here with me and it turned out to be one of the best ever. We found ourselves recalling events from their childhood and we laughed at them till our jaws were sore.
One of us would mention some incident, then someone else thought of something related to that, and the laughter began all over again.
One special surprise was a visit from a schoolmate of Starr’s who dropped by Wednesday evening with her daughter. They talked of former class members, where they are now, if they were married, their children, each trying to bring the others up to date.
Starr has spent this last week with me and, thanks to her, many chores have been done. I usually clip my column from the paper each week and save it. During the almost ten months of my shingles siege, I just kept stacking the papers and actually ended up with over a year’s worth of copies of the paper.
Starr asked about the stack of papers that was teetering toward the floor from the chair they were in and I told her what they were. “Mother, I can take care of that for you,” and thus she began clipping columns and had them all finished in less than a day. Had I been left to do this myself, it would have taken me likely at least a month.
She had dated each column and then got on the computer and numbered each of them. What a gift!
Both Starr and Gayle are very efficient and when they decide to do some chore, I can rest assured that it will be done well.
For almost two weeks I have been handicapped in that I cannot wear my glasses due to surgery on my nose and one ear. In the course of this time, I have learned what a blessing it is to be able to see and read. I think in the future I will not take that ability lightly.
Another thing I will appreciate eventually is the privilege of shampooing my hair. Because of the incisions on my ear, I have been deprived of that right, but am looking forward to doing that once I see the surgeon again.
Sometimes small blessings are unrecognized and unappreciated but definitely something for which to be thankful.
12/1/2008
#412
Wonderful Birthday Gift Arrived
Once in a while something happens in our lives that is such a wonderful surprise and shock that we find it difficult to comprehend.
Last week my family experienced just such an event. My daughter who had been absent from the family for 30 years called and said she wanted to come see us. At first I suspected this was some sort of cruel joke, but as we talked, I knew beyond any doubt that it was Starr.
She came over the next day and it was like a little bit of heaven here on earth. We talked constantly, long into the night. After we had gone to bed, we were still talking from one bedroom to another. We had so much to catch up on. I would be telling her about someone she knew, and in the middle, I would think of something else to tell, so many of our conversations were incomplete. She was here for three days and nights and we have talked two or three times every day since she went back. However, she does plan to come back often and we are already making plans to visit out of town relatives in the near future.
The icing on the cake was that she was here to help celebrate my 85th birthday! For the first time in many years, my four children and their spouses sat at the same table as we celebrated such a wonderful occasion. I laughingly told them this sure beat the time I waked up on my birthday with a bad case of mumps.
She had never seen the Waurika Lake so David drove her out there and she was very impressed with the sights. She and her sister, Gayle also spent some quality time together.
The night after Starr arrived here, Gayle invited her daughter Jennifer and her five girls to come to Gayle’s house. Jeremiah and his wife and children also came. So, here are these eight children waiting to meet Aunt Starr. When we got to Gayle’s house, all five of Jennifer’s girls were lined up with nametags on them.
At one point, we adults were sitting around the table, while the children were being entertained by Pops, in another room.
One of Jennifer’s girls came in to tell on one of the others and Jennifer asked, “Is it one of the three Bs? Is it blood, bomit or bad words?”
When this little one thought about it, she decided the three Bs did not apply, so she went back to the playroom.
Although this experience has been so personal, I could in no way keep it to myself. Word spread quickly around town that my older daughter was back home. I had so many wonderful people call to express their joy upon hearing of this. After thirty years of people offering up prayers on her behalf, our prayers were answered. I truly believe the statement a writer friend of mine said one day that there is no such thing as coincidence; that is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
Our God is an awesome God and as someone said He has no clock, so he works at His own schedule His wonders to perform.
11/10/2008
#410
Last week my family experienced just such an event. My daughter who had been absent from the family for 30 years called and said she wanted to come see us. At first I suspected this was some sort of cruel joke, but as we talked, I knew beyond any doubt that it was Starr.
She came over the next day and it was like a little bit of heaven here on earth. We talked constantly, long into the night. After we had gone to bed, we were still talking from one bedroom to another. We had so much to catch up on. I would be telling her about someone she knew, and in the middle, I would think of something else to tell, so many of our conversations were incomplete. She was here for three days and nights and we have talked two or three times every day since she went back. However, she does plan to come back often and we are already making plans to visit out of town relatives in the near future.
The icing on the cake was that she was here to help celebrate my 85th birthday! For the first time in many years, my four children and their spouses sat at the same table as we celebrated such a wonderful occasion. I laughingly told them this sure beat the time I waked up on my birthday with a bad case of mumps.
She had never seen the Waurika Lake so David drove her out there and she was very impressed with the sights. She and her sister, Gayle also spent some quality time together.
The night after Starr arrived here, Gayle invited her daughter Jennifer and her five girls to come to Gayle’s house. Jeremiah and his wife and children also came. So, here are these eight children waiting to meet Aunt Starr. When we got to Gayle’s house, all five of Jennifer’s girls were lined up with nametags on them.
At one point, we adults were sitting around the table, while the children were being entertained by Pops, in another room.
One of Jennifer’s girls came in to tell on one of the others and Jennifer asked, “Is it one of the three Bs? Is it blood, bomit or bad words?”
When this little one thought about it, she decided the three Bs did not apply, so she went back to the playroom.
Although this experience has been so personal, I could in no way keep it to myself. Word spread quickly around town that my older daughter was back home. I had so many wonderful people call to express their joy upon hearing of this. After thirty years of people offering up prayers on her behalf, our prayers were answered. I truly believe the statement a writer friend of mine said one day that there is no such thing as coincidence; that is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
Our God is an awesome God and as someone said He has no clock, so he works at His own schedule His wonders to perform.
11/10/2008
#410
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