Wishes for my family in 2012

Jim:  Health and good family relationships
Tonja:  A GREAT full time job, health, peace
Eric:  Continued great employment, and time for himself
Kim:  Peace in her new home and health and wisdom
Maurissa:  Peace with her life and courage to complete things that are undone
Emmalee:  The ability to forgive and for direction in her life
Faith:  That math would become easy for her
Abbegale:  That "r's" would be conquered and that she would be healthy
Luke:  That he would overcome the trouble he has with "S's" and that the asthma would be totally gone
Josiah:  That he will remember that he IS very important to all of us and that he would cut his hair (^_^)
Andrew:  That he will not get hurt with his fearlessness and that he will stay the happy little boy he is
Braxton:  That he will remain the good baby he is and grow and be healthy
Will:  He will always be part of my life, I wish him only good things

New Years Eve 2011 ramblings

Here it is New Years Eve and I am home, right where I want to be.  However, I do wish we had some friends or family here to play some cards or games with.  Jim is watching The Bourne Ultimatum and I am not into suspense movies with violence.  So I am putzing on the computer.  We did have a nice dinner at home of steak and lobster tail.  It was very good. 

I woke up early this morning and so this afternoon while there was endless basketball games on TV I napped in the recliner for 2 hours.  So I hope that I can get to sleep tonight.  No plans for tomorrow or Monday.  I might start taking down some of the Christmas decorations.  Once I get into January a bit, there seems to be no energy in me to do that after working all day.  Next Saturday I am going to my friend Paula's church for a women's mini retreat and when I get home from that we will be heading to my niece's son's hockey game.

A friend emailed me that their family came back after being on vacation for a week.  Isn't it something how when people you love are out and about that it is a relief when you know they are back safe and sound.  They were not sure that they would be back until tomorrow, but heard the weather reports (which are for 1 - 3 inches of snow after rain turning to slush then to snow tonight with winds gusting to 50MPH.) and decided to beat the storm.  Glad they did.

I have been thinking about growing older.  It is a good thing it comes a little at a time.  Because if one day you felt like you were in your 30's and like a million bucks them BAM you turned a certain age and suddenly you were experiencing all the effects of being 65 in one day, well I am not so sure many people could go on.  I don't know.  Maybe it is just me that thinks that way.  I suppose in some cases because of accident or illness that happens and I can imagine it is VERY rough to take. 

Well I just seem to be rambling on about nothing, so I am going to say so-long for this time.

Christmas 2011

Well the celebration of Christ's birth for our family is done for 2011.  But I truly hope that each one of us remember through the year what a miracle it was that first Christmas. God becoming flesh in the form of his son who gave is all for us.

It was a great time of being together.  With Jim's kids on the 18th and then my kids and sister on Christmas Eve.  It is tradition that both Eric and Tonja and family spend the night of Christmas Eve here.  We are pretty much people, wall to wall, but it is a great time.  It seems every Christmas someone is sick.  This year it was Faith and Luke and I got a call from my sister that this morning she woke up so very very sick.  I do hope that the sickness does not get spread around.  I am praying for that.

Tomorrow it is back to work.  I work only 2 1/2 days this week, and then next week it will be 3 days and then I go back to 4 days a week and more then likely for at least 6 weeks, I will be working full time.  That's OK.

We had the first truly all brown Christmas in Minnesota since I have lived here and I moved here in 1964.  At first I was rather disappointed that it was not gong to be a white Christmas, but it has been so nice for traveling that I have actually enjoyed it.

That's it for this post... just a little update for anyone who is wondering what Sandi has been up too.

I Get So Upset

It was Jim's birthday yesterday.  He has 4 kids.  Of the 4 one,,,, ONE,, called to wish him a Happy Birthday.  Not a card, email message - - - NOTHING!!!!  

I know that my 2 kids would do anything to have their Dad here to wish Happy Birthday.  I don't care what kind of relationship you have had with your dad, and I know it was never terrible, he is still your father and that alone should earn him respect.  I don't know what it was like before we married, but since we have been married I know that he has NEVER ignored their birthdays.  Usually we take them out or have them over and what does he get in return??? NOTHING, not even an indication they acknowledge it.  To rub salt in the wound, both my kids either called or sent him an email card.  I don't get it. 

Well I guess that is a long of enough rant!!

Tired ,,, oh so tired.

I have felt like I could sleep 24/7 lately and I am on the verge of crying almost at the drop of a hat.  I have been trying to figure out what in the world is wrong with me.  Today I realized I am missing Gil sooooo much.  He died way to young.  I need him here.  I REALLY need him.  Sometimes all I want to do is go and see him.  Life can get so heavy when you don't have the person that you really want to share something with.  I know that this is a really downer post, but tonight I feel like I cant get much lower.  I feel nothing but sadness.  I don't remember ever feeling like this before in my life.  Maybe there is something physically wrong with me that is making me feel this way, I don't know.  I do know that I had a piece of toast this morning and then it was time to make dinner and I realized I hadn't eaten all day and I didn't feel particularly hungry.  I did eat dinner and tried one of the cookies I made.  I also feel so cold at bedtime.  I crawl in bed and the core of my body feels cold and it takes forever to warm up.  Maybe it wont be long before I see Gil.  One never knows.

I do love Christmas so I don't know why that would be the reason for the black cloud, but I have heard and read that holidays can do that to a person, but Gil has been gone for almost 10 years already.. Oh my goodness... how can that be.  I MISS HIM!!!

Advent

An Advent reading from Isaac Villigas

As a church we are waiting for something that we don’t know how to receive, a guest for whom we know not how to prepare, a savior who arrives... in the most unexpected place: the womb of a young, poor, unprepared, and terrified girl. Mary doesn’t believe the news at first. “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” she asks (v. 35).

Furthermore, the Messiah isn’t supposed to come from her belly. Not her. She comes from the wrong side of town—that slum called Nazareth—and everyone knows that nothing good comes from Nazareth....Mary exemplifies insignificance and weakness. She is a replaceable part in the machine, from a village of disposable people.

But that’s exactly the sort of place where God shows up. That’s where the Messiah comes from, where salvation is born, where good news begins.

* * *

As hard as we may try, we don’t know how to prepare for God to show up. God happens in ways that we least expect and at times when we feel most unprepared.

That’s the way God works: Jesus comes anyway, despite our bumbling about or lack of preparations. Jesus comes anyway—and that’s called grace. Jesus comes even if we don’t think we are ready. Jesus comes anyway, even if we don’t think it makes any sense, even if we doubt. Jesus comes anyway, even if we are terrified, even if we can’t muster up the courage to believe.

After all, Mary doesn’t believe at first. She doubts that Gabriel’s news can really come true in her life. She isn’t ready. She has not met the prerequisites for this news to become reality. But the messenger from God doesn’t ask for Mary’s permission—which, I think, is one of the more scandalous details of this story. The angel doesn’t ask, “Will you do this, Mary?” No, Gabriel simply announces this wonderful and terrifying news: this will happen.

And what is Mary’s response? She says something incredible. She’s terrified, completely surprised, and she says: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word” (v. 37). Mary surrenders control; she welcomes the mysterious workings of God. She embraces God’s plan for the world, even though she doesn’t know how it will turn out. It’s a risk. And she says yes to God.