Almost 2010

Oh my. Probably in the 50's I would think about how long I was going to live. I figured it would be about 2030. It seemed like a 100 years from then. Almost is and I'm thinking 2040 now. Even though I have come to know there is a better place waiting for us, leaving here just doesn't appeal to me. There are so many people that I love and care about. Selfishly I want to see what their futures hold and want to be there for all the good times and bad times. Sometimes I wish I could love the whole world. In the almost 68 years that I have lived, there have been so many people who have come into my life. It would take a lot of time and blog space to recall all of them. Grade school, elementary and high school. First job to last job and all those in between. Sunday School classes and City Council colleagues. And now there is Arizona and my special ones who let me be "gramoo" and have taken me in as though I have been here all my life. New Year's Eve is only a few hours away. May you all enjoy each other and keep the joy of the Holidays lit brightly on your faces throughout two thousand and ten.

January let down

Reluctantly the decorations are taken down and put away until next year. Leaving out that special Christmas frame with a special person's photo seems silly. People will ask, "Why do you still have that frame out?" The Nativity set is put in a box with a lid. Is that what the whole Christmas season amounts to. Put all the generosity and smiles and neighborly get togetherness in a box with a lid. Remembering my childhood January was more special than Christmas. Mom was back to just thinking about everyday tasks. She had time for me. Jerry and I played in the snow. We got cold and wet. Mom pulled off the boots and hung up the coats and put us in front of the stove to get warm. We didn't have very much in the way of toys but we definitely had her love. Even when she yelled at us so loud and so long that she would hold her head in her hands because it hurt her so, we knew she was the one we could count on. So sad that I don't remember tender moments between my mother and father. It seems he was never there and when he was there was just fighting and put downs. My boys are such sensitive and kind men who want the best for their wives. My sweet darling girl deserves that too. I pray dear Father that the sins of the past can dissolve and love, trust, faith, hope replace the empty parts of our hearts and Christmas will never be in a box with a lid on it.

Glitter of Christmas

Christmas in Montana always meant lot of snow. The flakes were huge and would fall all day. If the wind blew the drifts would be 4 or 5 feet deep. And, it was cold. -20 or -30 was not uncommon. At night, when the snow and wind had stopped, the moon, stars and Milky Way seemed so close I could touch them. It was so quiet and peaceful and beautiful. Because it was so cold the snow glistened like diamonds. The window in the bedroom where I slept was just to the right of my head and the light from the moon would shine through. I wish I had know back then how much God loves me. He gave so many signs in those beautifully peaceful moments. School was rarely cancelled back then because of snow and slick roads so it was not until Saturday that my brother and I would make the circle for Fox and Goose. We would be bundled up with so many clothes and boots that running from each other was very comical. We spent more time falling down then we did catching each other. I hated the farm and could hardly wait to get away and make my way to the big city. One thing I learned, trust God and don't be in such a big hurry.