Home

 Home is the quietest place, the place most calming to the spirit. I'm home as much as possible, and it heals me. I'd never considered how homeless Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were, after they left  Nazareth. How utterly homeless did Mary feel when they went to the home they were expecting to stay in, in Bethlehem, only to be told that the guest room was already occupied, and there wasn't space for them? "All we can offer you is where we keep the animals." Have you ever lost your home? (We have.) Being without a home is spirit-crushing.

They went from Bethlehem to Egypt swiftly, then to Jerusalem, then back to Bethlehem through Jesus's babyhood till the magi came. When they finally returned to Nazareth, I wonder if Mary let out a sigh of relief and though, "No more of this cray living! I've done enough, God!"

I'm very thankful for my home.

A friend gives me a waxed amaryllis bulb each Christmas. Slowly, so slowly, it rises, and gradually pushes out the first bloom, then the second. But after years, I have large clumps of amaryllis in my flower bed. So many beautiful things come slowly in life.

I celebrated in WalMart yesterday and bought a big, square tin of lovely cookies. I bought 3 bags of chocolate. (One for me, one for Adam, one for Julia. He instructed Julia to take his bag of peanut M&Ms AWAY so he couldn't eat them all.) I bought some new boxes of tea for church. 

The Yorkshire tea, in malty biscuit flavor, is for home, however.

I've decorated, although the outside of the house is devoid of Christmas cheer, I'm sorry to say. I'm at an age where I accept what I can do, and don't worry about what I can't do. In addition to our fake tree, I'm putting the appropriate ornament on our Jesse Tree each morning.

I've placed my little wooden tree with its ornaments on top of the piano.

Our old creche is assembled with its pine cone trees.

And I've hung my woven Advent calendar on a door. I was faithful to snap on only one figure each day for about the first 5 days, but then I couldn't resist; I put them ALL on. It was so much fun! The snaps are stubborn and sometimes don't work. I did save Baby Jesus, however, and will lay him in the manger on Christmas morning.

It's a jumble of figures, isn't it?

Mostly, I'm trying to get a variety of things finished before my daughter and her family arrive next week. Then I want it to be sheer family fun and together time while they're with us. I'm weaving, knitting, making lotions, doing yard work. And making Youtube videos nearly every day, which has been fun! If you have time and want to, go watch :)

I'm trying to be slow like the amaryllis. It's a gentle constant push against the hurry, a steady application of the brakes each day, all day. I choose not to go careening toward Christmas this year. So far ... so good!

Outside, doing yard stuff:

Inside, doing yarn stuff:

In the kitchen, making yummy stuff:

And I'm doing occasional poetry readings:

Fear Not!

 This final Sunday in Advent we light the Angels' candle.

The contrast of one small flickering wick against the glowing host of God's angelic army, is a shocking one. This is the candle of peace.

Why did the angels proclaim peace? Because previously they had come for war. They are the heavenly army, and God's Son is the captain of that host. He told Joshua so, when the Israelites  approached the Jordan River.

The heavenly army -- myriads, the Scripture says, which is pretty much an uncountable, limitless number in Greek -- had lost its captain. As the angel stands on the ground in front of the shepherds, telling them about the Christ lying in an animal trough, he might as well have said it this way, "We've lost our commander. He's now one of you. We've often been at war with humans, but now, because He's joined your side, we must be at peace."

We don't see God's army of angels too often in the Bible's account, before that night near Bethlehem. Jacob saw them going up and down a ladder -- going back and forth between heaven and earth as if they were out running errands. That must've been a shock! Do we think of angels back and forth, back and forth, around us every day? 

The prophet Elijah knew the angelic army was there in huge numbers, circling all the hills around the Syrian army. He asked God to show them to his servant. An army at the ready, able to obliterate God's enemies in a moment. One angel alone killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. What could tens of thousands of them do? What kind of power is that?

"Fear not!" Certainly they must tell that to everyone they meet. They inspire fear. They're not floating ladies in sparkly tiaras, singing descants. They're soldiers. 

Since when does an army of unlimited number come down to the enemy camp and say, "Peace"? Peace to all men with whom God is pleased. Peace to you, shepherds. Peace to traveling strangers who seek God. Peace to all the people, they said. 

The peace proclaimed wasn't peace among humans, obviously. It is peace between God and humans, and His army will not be called out against them so long as its commander shares their DNA. His incarnation is our salvation. He is resurrected in heaven right now, in his physical body, so that all those fierce angels look at Him and remember: "We are at peace with them." Hallelujah.

"Are not all angels ministering spirits, sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" Hebrews 1:14

Pecan Snowball Cookies

I'm putting this recipe in a post so I can find it later and not spend a half hour hunting for it next Christmas! Like other recipes, it will be on the "Cooking" page (see above, on the top bar), with a link back to this post. Phew!

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup toasted and finely chopped pecans

optional: red/green sprinkles

In mixer, beat butter 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of powdered sugar till smooth. Add vanilla. At low speed, add flour. Then on high speed beat in pecans.

Cover tightly and chill for 1 hour, hardening the butter. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Form into balls. Bake 15 minutes till lightly golden. These cookies do not brown much.

Cool for a minute and then roll in additional powdered sugar while still warm. Cool, and then roll again if you prefer.

After sending these cookies to my mother last Christmas, she told me she never wants ANYTHING else for Christmas. These cookies are her heart's desire :) 

Good-bye, Christmas

On Monday:

 One last picture of this year's Christmas tree. I took down all the Christmas decorations. It's all boxed up. 
It rained in the morning at last. Our weather for all of Christmas week was stunningly warm and gorgeous. Rain is perfect for saying good-bye to Christmas and putting things away.

 I tidied up the guest room. Six people have slept in that room since Thanksgiving!

 Adam washed his silvery hair, put on a dress shirt and new bowtie ... to go to work! He's starting a Youtube "show" channel (which I'll tell you about another time), so he has to look spiffy. 

 You can't see his right pinkie finger, but some of it is missing. It was caught in a door Sunday morning, and a big chunk of it was ... well, caught in the door. Quite painful, and then he had to get it under control so he could preach. 
I played around with some new tube paints Adam gave me for Christmas.

 To end, here are a few more photos of sweet little Isaac, everyone's darling. He was an utter delight. We could not have asked for a better Christmas gift than to have a little grandbaby in the house.

 Baby selfies are challenging!

Christmas Day

 Christmas Day was very fun! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous -- perfect Southern Christmas weather: sunny, nearly 70 degrees. We took baby Isaac outside.
He sported his Santa Suit all day long. Adam bought this for him after seeing one at the farmer's market.

 We opened presents, lounged around and nibbled a little, eating our big Christmas dinner at 2:00. Adam decided to make my mother's Sunday roast dinner: roast beef/gravy cooked with potatoes and carrots, asparagus, yeast rolls, and cole slaw - and he added stuffing too. I was in charge of cole slaw and was quite sad when we were out of mayonnaise and Adam informed me that ALL the stores had closed at noon. Then he said, "That's okay. I'll make you some mayonnaise." Which he did, and all was well. He'd made 2 batches of chocolate truffles, plus leftover cookies of various types, so we enjoyed all of that for the afternoon. Isaac was fed by a very cute elf.

 My amaryllis is blooming now.

 As Adam prepared dinner I set the table. I decided to dig out my wedding china and crystal and set a pretty table as the afternoon light filtered in from the west windows.

 Afterward, Julia and Anna crashed on the living room couches. 

Gramm decided to get the burn pile going in the pasture and spent the rest of the day (and evening) fiddling with fire, which is fun. Adam and I took Isaac outside to watch that for a little while. He loves being outside and calms right down when he's out there.
I got to chat with Kara and Philip, who are spending Christmas in Peoria with her folks, and I enjoyed talking with my mother, who is doing so much better after all her dealings with cancer this fall. I think she's on the mend at last!
Adam and I did dishes, and a silly movie was enjoyed in the living room while I played the latest "Myst" computer game ("Obduction") on my laptop. I haven't played one of those in many years.
Merry Christmas to all of you!
As I age, I realize more how important it is to embrace the Christmas that fills one's heart with comfort and hope: the infant Savior. All the Santa and presents and traveling and feasting in the world only leave a hollow place; it's fun, but it does not scrub away the sorrows of life. Somehow knowing that God Himself came to this harrowing world stripped naked, chased and threatened, a refugee, the lowest human -- yet in Him was the key to heaven for me. That is hope. Nothing in His poor life could extinguish the divine power of saving us. He overcame. He says, "I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly." That is hope. Merry Christmas!

"Just Give Us the Money" or ...

How does giving work in God's economy?

Last night we watched The Man Who Invented Christmas a second time. It's an excellent movie, I think. Clearly Dickens understood this concept: Some people suffer so that other people can learn to be generous. Tiny Tim suffered in that story so that Scrooge could be given a last-minute chance to repent, change, and open both his heart and his pocket-book.

We learned this spiritual truth years ago from our own lives and the lives of others who suffered. God puts suffering into the lives of innocent, unsuspecting people for the sole benefit of others whom He asks to help them. When the money or clothes or house or car or job is given to the needy person, it looks like that person is the recipient of God's mercy. But by a wonderful trick of God's economy (which is full of surprises), the actual beneficiary is the giver. He is changed ... or he is supposed to be. His participation in the giving is essential, and the more he participates -- the more he gives of himself in the exchange -- the more he benefits.

So, is it better for a person to open his wallet, place the $20 bill in the offering plate, and have no contact with the recipient because the church leadership gathers the money and sends a check? Is it better for a person to take a hungry person to a diner and spend $20 on a meal while talking for an hour? Is it better for a person to buy a $20 gift and drive it to the home of a child who has longed for it, seeing the child, seeing the home, seeing himself there?

We know the answers to these questions. It's better for the giver to be physically and emotionally involved as much as possible. The giving of help or cheer is not just for the sake of the recipient. In God's economy (Who can easily draw help for the poor from any source He chooses, yes?), the giving is probably more for the sake of the giver. Hmm. That thought twists our brains around and makes us uncomfortable. 

Recently Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child ("the shoebox ministry") has come under fire. Many feel that the cheap plastic toys Christians buy and send overseas are an utterly useless waste of money. Even a well-packed and thoughtful shoebox, they say, is a waste of resources. Couldn't all that money on stuff and postage have been better used as a single monetary gift to the church in the area in Africa? Buy a cow herd or dig a new well? It's a compelling argument. If you want to read more about this issue and some sticky, uncomfortable events in the shoebox world, click on the three links below:
Missionary wife breaks the silence.
Samaritan's Purse responds.
Missionary wife explains further.

All these articles are thoughtfully written. It seems there is some corruption on the level of the National Team that Samaritan's Purse is likely unaware of and will deal with eventually. 

The missionary wife extensively quotes the local pastors, who suggest this:
"If we could convince them [the donors] to just send it [the funds], it would be a very good idea, because I feel that even though this is for the sake of Christmas, the things that the kids get, and we thank God that what they are getting is American standard, but still it doesn’t really meet the needs of the children. These kids get a box – they’ve never been to school! They might get a toothpaste that is of a higher American standard, but we also have toothpaste here. So it’s nice that Christmas comes once but we can use cheaper things and in that way Christmas can go on and have a more lasting impact. Maybe we can convince some to just turn that [their box] into money. Because child-centered programs are incredibly important. And there’s a lot that can be done to mitigate the challenges that the children are facing."

The pastors make very good points. They know the needs. The shoebox contents are not as helpful as money would be. This makes givers in the U.S. scratch their heads and wonder what to do. Ditch the shoeboxes? Choose another ministry that also involves the givers individually, emotionally, physically? Doesn't it sound like the most helpful choice is simply to put $20 in the offering plate and have your church send a check?


Why does God command us to give? What changes of attitude and acts of repentance does God intend to work in us? I've seen people who would never donate $100 to mission work, happily spent it in packing six shoeboxes and paying for their shipping. Why is that? Is there a joy in giving when someone allows you to fully participate? To decide, in your own inept way, what to give to a specific child far away? Is there any value in the joy of the child when she receives hair bows or toe socks or scented soap or a puzzle of a kitten, rather than having her family get a new cow? (Samaritan's Purse does livestock donations too -- click over!)

Must it be an either/or choice? Of course not. Lots people give to lots of ministries. And this is my personal advice (worth all of a penny!): give in the way that God leads your heart. If you love doing shoeboxes, keep doing it, and pray that God uses it fully for His kingdom, because He surely can. He can accomplish just as many eternal, kingdom blessings with shoeboxes as he can with cows. God's economy works that way.

But if you prefer to support ladies making jewelry and selling it in the U.S., do that. Or digging a new well for better water for a village, do that. Or taking an Angel Tree gift to a child four blocks away, do that. Or sending a big check to a mission board, do that. Be open to the prodding of the Holy Spirit. He will direct you to give in the way that will most pry open your heart and tenderize it, which is His goal. 

God can always rise up people to help the poor, and He will do it. The question is, will I be one of them? When I give, then He takes the gift, whatever it may be, and He changes and uses it to meet His ends. That's the wonder of an economy of need and giving, ruled by the King.

Enchanted Airlie in the Rain

Since October Adam has been planning a "Christmas Date Surprise" for us -- a special date filled with Christmas beauty that I would love and we would both remember. He chose a trip to Enchanted Airlie in Wilmington. As you know, it was quite rainy that day, and this is an outdoor event. However, we took our gloves, Gill coats (sailing rain gear) and warm shoes, and we soldiered on! I'll share lots of photos of the gardens in their splendid lights. Airlie Gardens is along the water, making it yet more lovely. As we walked (twice) around all the paths and sites, beautiful Christmas music accompanied us.

 Early on the walking tour we still looked fairly dry and perky.

The Poinsettia House, where they sold hot beverages and popcorn. (We were still stuffed from dinner though.)

 Lit icicle tree:

 This exhibit, the Bottle Chapel, was my very favorite.

 It was all magical and lovely. Many families with children visited too.

 I was mesmerized by the lights in the trees.

 One of our first stops was the Airlie Oak, a stunning live oak tree in the center of a grassy sward.

 Replete with Spanish moss, the tree was underlit with alternating green, purple, blue, silver, and red glow on the moss.

 The gardens overlook Bradley Creek.

 A large fallen trunk abuts the walking pier from the creek.

 The Poinsettia House again -

By the end, we looked more like this:

It was a wonderful Christmas Date Surprise! I hope Adam does something like this every year, and I wouldn't mind going back to Enchanted Airlie again ... in dry weather.