Counting Down to New Years

Hindsight is 2020, what sight is 2010? Looking back 2020 and looking forward 2010, we make our plans for the coming decade.
Our lives have changed so drastically, over this past decade. Changes of life have brought us into midlife challenges and we are striving to live for God's glory, when our hearts and minds get so weighted with cumbrances of time travel. Where have the years gone. We were just a couple of youngsters starting life together and here we are, planning our midlife years. I'll not say that they are upon us, I will say we are suffering the early tremors of midlife onset. We will fight it for all that we are worth. Running or walking daily will be a part of my new decade, {second decade of the Millenium}. I must lose this babyfat, LOL. I can't blame this on the babies anymore. I must get rid of it. Healthy regimens and now that I have tasted the best chocolate bars from my Jo. I will keep myself for only that treasure, when I am smaller than I am now. Only for a special treat. I will make a poster of my New Years resolution. Getting some of the morning sun everyday, either before work or for the 15 minute break. God give me grace to change my ways.

The discussion on who should complete the clean up of the kitchen.

I find myself giving speeches, now to this wave of teens. I won't call them lazy, just helpfully challenged. I want them to think and do, without having to be coaxed and prodded. Until then, I give short pleadings, can we clean the kitchen now? Can we pretend that your friends are coming over?
We enjoyed a delicious meal of Lasagna and spaghetti and chocolate brownies and soda and sparkling cider and everybody was still at home. The conversation and the presence of my children with me and my husband enjoying the holidays at home is more special than anything else. We are still playing with Christmas on Monday.
But straightening for the New Year is the priority!



to the Good Old Days!

Merry Christmas to All

I got my favorite Christmas present. 2 inches of snow fell, yesterday. I was so excited. Nobody carries shovels around and no one is ever ready for the snow down here. They said in the news that this was the first white Christmas since just after WWII. It cripples our fair city, everything is stopped at this time in the morning. We ought to brave the elements to go out to church, but, I don't think we will.
The beauty of the snow accentuates the Christmas lights. My yard is all one color, instead of several colors of brown grasses, with green patches. It is still snowing and we are enjoying the seats by the fire and the presence of one another. Loving eachother, in our family. Tis the day after Christmas.
The boys got a game for their Wii and they are plugged in, most time. But, on Sunday, we don't play Wii, so I have seen them this morning, in passing. Emily and Enoch got a camera, each and are photographing everything. Evelyn is enjoying ladylike fragrances that she received. I got a potholder and a vacuum and Ben got a Frank Lloyd Wright lamp. Elyse played Santa for everybody, this year. She is adorable. We are enjoying the family dynamic. Thank God for care and love for eachother and peace and unity in our home. God bless us, everyone.

Glory to God in the Highest.

What Day is it? We ask that question every Christmas Day. It is Christmas day is the answer. That is a line from A Christmas Carol. We all wake up with the remembrance that Bah Humbug is the thought of the unbelieving and grieving. Whatever our emotional status, we must shake up Christmas in our souls. Embracing the beauty of the redemption that was wrapped in the skin of our precious Savior. We are redeemed by grace, through faith in a Savior who came in a humble form.
We shared that story, ever new, in our house. This time, it was 7 year old Ezra reading the verses from the Scripture. We are shaken out of our self centeredness by the Scriptures and rejoicing in the wonder of salvation won for us, by the obedience and payment of our great Savior.
The gifts that we give and recieve are a reminder of the most eternal and important gift that we have received. We dressed up last night for a lady in the family photo op.
Thanks to the big sister in the family, 2 cameras came for Christmas today. We had no working cameras for the photo ops. We used Elyse's phone.
Loving that we are all here enjoying the family love and hugs and kisses were manifold. Today the playing of the new Wii accessories and my new "vacuum" virtual reality wii in a vacuum cleaner. Christmas is a time for love. We are loving eachother and we are enjoying the silly day and the precious season that we have every year.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day.---Merry Christmas

Their old familiar carols play...
Last year, our church had this song and I couldn't catch my breath for crying so hard in the Christmas concert. {It is a good thing that I am not in the choir} I always loved that song, but the dicotomy between the beauty of the children's voices and the hope of peace on earth, was more than I could bear. I imagined compiling the words on a wonderful Christmas card to send to all of the loved ones.
Longfellow wrote the words in the middle of the Civil War and the words drip with the transcendency of generations of hope and want for peace on earth. Can we reach for it together? He said, or seemed to say. Let's let that sentiment help us reach for peace, through the tumult of the lives and loves that we've inherited. I wish that I could be with you to give you a big, "Peace on Earth" Hug! God Rest you, merry gentlemen and women. Let the Christ of Christmas, first bring peace into your heart and then On earth...

And I love her?

I got permission to tell the secret. Ethan has an admiration. I don't remember any of my children being so forward on such things and it is so refreshing to see love blooming at age 11. She has a powerful left hook, was the confession that was the real reason why she is Christmas present worthy. We all love her now. The cat is out of the bag.

Love in a big family is a group hug. When can I ask her to be my girlfriend? When you are 20. When can we marry? When you are thirty. The answers are in place and the communication is open. I love that we can talk about such things with human and maternal-child abandon. I think that this perfect communication beats the nursing years by a longshot. I'll keep you posted on the response to the Christmas card and gift.

I love that Christmas gives us excuses to love people.

We are wrapping sundries for loved ones as we can find them. There are many we love for whom we can't wrap presents, but the new loves we must tell them. We love you! Do you know that we love you and we wrapped this and set it under the mistletoe, instead of a kiss or with a kiss as the case may be? Love in the Walker house comes from a long line.

Setting our souls in order

is more important than setting our house in order. As we clean and go over our affairs for the closing of the year, our hearts yearn for closer communion with our Father in Heaven. Our Blessed remembrance that Jesus came to save us, all the way from Heaven, gives us a launching pad to expect that God will not leave our souls destitute on the earth. Heaven and communion with the God of Glory is the inheritance of them that fear Him and live in the light of sins paid for by the blood of Jesus. Those who know communion with God enjoy this season most of all. Our greatest debt is paid for. Hope that the others can be negotiated or obliterated, keeps us going on. Those who live on earth a complete debtor to God, because of a hardened heart to the reality of the reason for the season, have a testimony all about them, in the Holidays. Even Santa's gifts are wrapped in the mercy of an everliving, ever interceding Savior. Even the beauty of the snow is touched with the remembrance that God has mercy and forgiveness for the greatest sins.
Christmas is coming. Halleluia.

Thank God!

Holiday seasons always have their own story. This year's story included meeting a precious new group of brethren in the Lord through AWANA. My Ethan and Ezra went every Wednesday for this semester and yesterday was the Christmas Service. What a delight. Southern simplicity and hospitality combined. How precious the presence of God with His people and to see my boys singing, like a choir of angels, was a tremendous blessing.
AWANA was the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of loving hearts is like to that above...

Every Birthday above the grave is a birthday! 49?

My Birthday card from Jo, with the best Chocolates since the school sales:)
I am grateful for:



Salvation of my soul,
My precious husband of nearly 28 years {what patience he must have? :)},
My wonderful children, {the ones on earth and the ones in heaven}
My Mom and brothers and sisters, great relationships with them,
My inlaws,
My Church and Pastor,
My job and provisions for our earthly needs,
The country that God has blessed us with,
My President and Vice President,
My local police and local firefighters,
My precious neighbors, especially the ones on our block,
The schools that my children are attending and their teachers and administrators,
Our home...

Birthday cards for 49!

Emily's greeting
Evelyn
Enoch
Ezra
Mu- omega- Mu-Ethan put my okra and some Greek on his card :)



Not to mention a whole package of "Ferrero Rocher" MMMMMMM! MY FAVORITE. 49!

Thank God For Grandma's Hands

I am remembering with fondness, my Grandma's birthday. I don't know how old she would be today. But my heart remembers being her birthday present and her being mine. I love that feeling and I miss her deeply.