CONTENTMENT

In the past couple of years since blogging I've come to find a word or verse that become my focus for the new year. This year will be slightly different as I've found a phrase that totally fits my life. Beto's grandfather attaches this phrase to all of his emails and weekly updates from the mission field in Mexico. One day I read it and it pierced my heart as though the Lord were speaking right to me.

As we end 2009 and enter into 2010 I am grabbing hold of this phrase and claiming it as my very own. I long to find contentment in my life and stop all the wondering of "why" and "when" and "if only." I have already added this phrase to the bottom of all of my emails and every time I send an email my heart is reminded to let go and let God. I know that is an old saying, but it's one I need to really work on.

Happy New Year to each one of you and may God's blessing be poured out upon you one hundred fold. May you find peace, prosperity, and contentment in your lives. Peace that sinks down deep and penetrates your soul. Prosperity that can be found in more than monetary things, and contentment in whatever state you are in. May you know God is ALWAYS in control!

"Contentment is knowing God is enough" ~ phrase for 2010

Just a quick peak at our holiday

Christmas Eve started off with these two coming home to share some time with us.

We enjoyed our traditional Christmas breakfast together and later Alicia cooked up some yummy chicken fajitas for lunch. They spent part of Christmas day afternoon with us before we got busy packing for our trip to Dallas and they needed to head across the state to be with Alfred's family.

Texas! Yay, we made it just fine and no flight issues. I was quite concerned about the nasty weather to the west of us since we were heading to Minneapolis for our lay over, but we made it just fine and hit Dallas earlier than expected.
We enjoyed our first night by going to the Cheesecake Factory, my favorite! It's always great to see Beto and Lindsey. Beto and Dave have been enjoying some computer games and Beto's new PS3 that Lindsey gave him for Christmas. Men will be boys you know!

Lindsey Joy has had some fun getting new pillows and accessories for her bedroom. She was happy to show her momma the new goods! Lucy the cat had to get in on the photo.
We decided to have a turkey dinner Sunday afternoon before we opened Christmas gifts. Jenna and Jay do not eat turkey so Jenna decided homemade mac and cheese sounded much better.

Jay showed up with two boxes of fresh donuts form his donut shop. He knows how to make this chocolate lover smile. Lindsey Joy made a french silk pie and I'm just waiting to dive into that about right now!

We feasted on some amazing food created by Lindsey and were filled to the brim. We moved to the other room where Beto graced us with the gift of his guitar playing and some singing of Christmas caroles. I love it when he plays and it always brings me to tears. Lindsey read Luke 2 from the Bible and reminding us of why we celebrate this season. We then exchanged our gifts.The biggest excitement has been the news that Jay and Jenna became engaged on Christmas Eve. They have not set a wedding date and will plan ahead depending on Jenna's college schedule. It looks like it will be a ways away, but for now they are happy to look ahead to their future together. Oh yes, the ring is gorgeous!!!!

I guess it's time to find that pie. I hope your Christmas was wonderful! I've enjoyed reading about some of your experiences and look forward to reading more in the days and weeks ahead.

For now, I'm off to enjoy my kids!

And the countdown begins

I guess it's official and Christmastime is really here! I received my first gifts this week from two of my coworker/friends. Don't you just love the olive oil bottle?! The really fun part about it is that it contains dish soap. This pretty bottle can sit on my counter by my sink and look good instead of my bottle of dish soap that has been a pet peeve of my mother for years. The second unwrapped gift is a stack of candles, oil and wicks. Anyone who knows me knows I love candles!

Time is ticking away and I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas eve. Can you believe that I have not wrapped one, single gift? This has to be the strangest year ever for me in regards to Christmas. It's hard to think of packing gifts instead of wrapping them and putting them under a tree.

Tomorrow night Alfred and Alicia will drive in from Chicago. We are excited to have them come and share our extended family party and stay the night. We will share breakfast on Christmas morning before they hit the road to Alfred's family. We are praying for safe travels as the forecast is predicting freezing rain. Just a fun side note, Alicia was excited to tell me that a baby baluga whale was born at the aquarium this week. It's only the second one to be born there. She said, "Baby whales are really cute!" It just cracked me up! She loves her job! My girls used to sing a song about baby baluga's in the deep blue sea when they were small. It was on some TV show which I can no longer remember, but the memory makes me smile now. How amazing that Alicia gets to see a real baby baluga!

In a moment of being totally out of my mind I offered to work tomorrow. I could feel the pressure closing in on my manager and decided she needed to keep her sanity for the holidays. Apparently I lost my sanity quite some time ago! I'm losing a ton of hours with the holidays falling on my work days and our vacation so decided I would pick up a day. Being the morning person I am NOT, getting up extra early tomorrow will be hard, but once I'm at work it will be fine.

Saturday morning we will be up and at it by 4:30AM!! Oh Lord help us both! We will be flying to Texas for the week to finish up our holiday celebrating with the rest of our kids. Heading south and away from the snow is sounding better every second! I can already taste the Cheesecake Factory! Oh yeah! Yes, our vacations always center around food!

I can go away and relax knowing my kitty will be fine. My dear niece is going to come and stay with her. This momma gets nervous about leaving her little, fat cat home for an entire week. I know, I've turned into an old cat lady, but hey, she's all I have...oh yeah, the cat and DAVE!

I hope you are all set for your holiday celebrating. I've already had way too much sugar and treats. At work we get loads of gifts in form of sugary treats from clients. I have no self control!
I look forward to hearing all about your Christmas celebrations soon. Happy Holidays to all!

(Just an update on my friend Dawn's sons: Her oldest son remains in ICU. He was out of bed for a very short walk and now remembers his name and the year. He constantly tells his mother that he loves her. For this we are thankful, but continue to pray for progress and healing in his brain. I talked to her second son last night. He is doing well. He has a very sore neck and a headache. He remembers nothing of the accident which is leaving him with guilt regarding his brother even though the accident was not their fault. We pray for this family constantly during this holy season and in the weeks ahead! Thanks to those of you who have offered a pray on their behalf.)

O Holy Night

Recently my dear friend Becky posted this on her blog. I was totally blown away! I must admit that I grew up a "Gaither kid". My parents were huge Gaither fans and somehow it's just apart of me and my fond memories of childhood. I remember when the Gaither's came to our city and my mom was apart of the local choirs that sang backup for them. It was a really BIG night for all of us!

All these years later I love to watch the Gaither reunions on television. I can sing along and my heart just swells with love for my Lord and for my commitment to Jesus Christ which I made as just a little girl so very long ago.



I have never heard a voice quite like David Phelps! Even if this is not a style of music you love, please tell me you are not moved by this man and this song?! My spirit can't help but cry out, "How great is our God!!!!!"

Thanks Becky for sharing.

Dr Laura where are you when I need you?

So what is a woman to think when she writes a blog post and gets a comment suggesting she read about about the subject of how to stop whining? I quote, "A good book by Dr. Laura called Stop Whining helped me" Where in the world do you go with a comment like this that gets left on your blog by someone that you cannot even trace? I know, she left another comment apologizing for the fact that the comment sounded horrible. I have to admit that it made me laugh right out loud.

Today of all days I needed a good laugh. I needed a bit of good old Dr Laura. I love Dr Laura. She never beats around the bush, but just says it like it is. I tend to be passive aggressive and I find it extremely hard to just be totally honest and say what I feel for fear of hurting peoples feelings. (I guess blogging is maybe not the best place to air feelings if you are a bit sensitive to what others might think when they have the freedom to say anything in response.) I later let things build up inside of me and then let it all out at the wrong time and when it involves a situation that has absolutely nothing to do with what's really bothering me. Yep, a good old dose of Dr Laura might be just what I need (or not!)

As for the whining, I sure don't mean to whine. The one thing I never want to convey on this blog is whining. I will admit that sometimes I voice situations in my life that are not always ideal and to my liking, but I'm striving to grow just like everyone else and learn from the hurdles and bumps in my life. If you've ever read my sidebar you will read, "I hope to use this blog as a way to unleash my feelings, hurts, hurdles, and more than anything my victory as I watch my daughters grow into their adulthood." This is not always easy and sometimes it's just plain awful for me, but I'm learning to lean and I pray that I'm growing along the way. If you ever think I'm whining you have the right to call me on the carpet about it! Please do!!

Today the small and little things of life have all gone by the wayside. My dear friend and co- worker's sons were in a serious car accident. Her boys are the same ages as my Alicia and Jenna. As a matter of fact they all went to school together. The boys were rear ended last night by a drunk driver. Her younger son was released from the hospital with a bad concussion while her older son needed to be cut from the remains of the car and transported to the hospital with severe head injuries. The next 72 hours will be critical for him.

It was a somber day at work. Our boss was gone and we were down to just a handful of us at the office. We all hard a tough time focusing and just felt the need to pray and talk. I was able to speak to my friend when she called the office just to hear my voice. Oh, don't you think that didn't just do me in! Bless her heart, I just wanted to hold her. She cried on the phone and said, "I just needed to hear your voice." In tough times we just need the ones we love!

So, if I sound whiny and like I'm in need of a good kick in the back end when I'm missing my kids or dealing with the big "M" issues that come with my age I ask you to just sit back and laugh along with me or maybe cry along with me. Life does not always hand us a silver platter to serve our things up on. Some days are pure bliss and some are pure crap, and yet I AM BLESSED!

Please stop and pray for my friend Dawn. Life is difficult for her in a way she never imagined or asked for right now. I know she needs to feel the Lord in a super natural way.

Oh, as for me, if you have any other books to suggest to help me through my funk...bawahahahahahahah!!!!!!!! I'm okay, seriously, I AM FINE!!!! Thanks anyway! The fact that the suggestion brought laughter was great! After all, "A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bone." Proverbs 17:22

~Just Me ~Just Thinking

Wow, can you believe Christmas is next week?! I guess I haven't really stopped long enough to think about it. I'm a bit caught off guard every time someone at my job wishes me a Merry Christmas.

I'm not quite sure where my focus has been lately. I'd love to blame it on the hormones that seems to rage quietly within causing strange havoc on my emotions and slight havoc on my body. I know, it sounds like a terrible excuse, but I'm afraid it's legitimate. You know the old Christmas song that begins with, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Well, let me tell you, this is NOT what I would describe as the most wonderful time of life, LOL. It's all pretty good, but once in awhile I wonder who or what has taken over my body and my emotions leaving me feeling like a junior high girl totally out of control. Oh, joy to the world and all that stuff, hurray to being almost 50!

I've done very little shopping up to this point. I have a few things to buy and only one party to think about. In two days we enjoy an office luncheon with my boss and then it's looking ahead to Christmas eve when we have my extended family party. I have a feeling this is going to be the very first year ever without any of my kids here. It's okay, really it is. I've made up my mind that it has to be okay. Sometimes I find myself doing really well with it all and then someone says something really insensitive and suddenly the floods gates come bursting open. I hope and pray that the dam stays locked up tightly and the key thrown away this holiday because I really don't want to face the sad part of not being a family. I'd rather focus on when we can be together again even if it's not on Christmas eve or Christmas day.

The day after Christmas we fly to Texas. It's hard to even plan with the holiday happening first. I feel like everything is mixed up this year and I'm a person who has always lived with a major plan for everything. I guess change is good and I need to roll with it. It will be good to see three of our kids again. It's been since August since we've seen Beto and Lindsey. Wow, the weather was warm and the sun was actually shining way back then. I hope we get at least some nice weather in Texas. If not we will remember that we are there for our kids, not warm weather!

With Alfred and Alicia both starting new jobs they are hanging in the balance with the possibility of coming home. I'm doubtful about that happening, but hope to visit them sometime this winter for a weekend. Alicia is now working at Shedd Aquarium and I can't wait to go visit. I've never been to the aquarium and she's excited to take us! No, she is not training the sea animals, LOL. She's in the marketing end of the business and totally loving it! She has a major commute into the city each day, but we are so thankful for her job and a job she loves!

For now I look forward to 2010 and pray that the Lord will work in my heart to teach me contentment. I've sought after it for it for such a long time, but really feel now is the time for the Lord to do a work in me. My heart struggles more than ever with just resting in contentment. I'm always wanting something more and different for my life and I'm not sure that is how I should be living. Although I'm extremely content with my little house, my quiet neighborhood, and my quiet life I long for things that I cannot control. I pray for release from these longings and search for a new contentment that is only possible with the Lord in control of my life.

I guess I've rambled on long enough. It's time to rest my tired brain. It's been a long day. I'm pretty sure I hear my bath calling me. If you are used to finding me on Facebook you might notice that I'm no longer there. I've decided to take a break and focus more time on other things right now. I closed my account temporarily to keep me from the temptation of wandering right back to my old habits. Yes JM, I'm missing you and MR already!

Happy last week before Christmas to all of you. Hope you feel happy and at peace (unlike the crabbiest people in town that I helped at work yesterday.) Something I learned as a little girl was J.O.Y = Jesus, Others, Yourself. I hope you take time to spread His love in the next week and throw crabbiness out the window!

Love to you all!
Ginger

Happy celebration of 80 years!

My Dad and Mom

My Dad and my brother

Eighty years! What does it mean to live eighty years? I'm not really sure. My dad as of yesterday has experienced just that, eighty years. Being the man he is, he required nothing of anyone yesterday. He didn't want a big party, he never needs gifts, and won't even give suggestions. I think being with his family is the thing that makes him most happy.

This past week my dad needed carpal tunnel surgery. He didn't make a big deal about it and insisted he could go to the hospital with my mother and they would be just fine. I know the surgery isn't a long or complicated deal, but it's still my dad. The weather here was blizzard conditions and I didn't want my mom driving them home once my dad was released. I didn't want her sitting alone while he was in surgery. I didn't want her alone just in case... I just wanted to be there. So we headed out in the storm, weathered the surgery just fine including much laughter and goofing around which is classic of my parents. I drove us home with white knuckles as the winter winds blew and the snow blocked my vision as it whipped across the highway. I was sadly reminded when looking at my father in that hospital bed that he would soon be eighty years old. Where has the time gone?

Saturday came and my dad was doing well. He was ready to get out of the house and head out for dinner to celebrate. Dave and I offered to treat him as our gift. There was no big party by his choice, no balloons or extravagant gifts, just a nice night out. Two of my brothers had plans due to the holidays and couldn't come along, but my middle brother was able to join us.

What can I say about my dad? He's a strong man with strong convictions. He raised his family with a firm hand, but a loving and giving father are what defines him. His faith in the Lord is evident to all who know him. He has a sense of humor and has a way of making us all laugh. He calls my mom "mother" and they have been married for almost 60 years. He can cry at the drop of a hat. Tough and tender are the two words I would chose to describe him best.

I'm blessed to have such a wonderful dad. I'm blessed to see him celebrate eighty years of life! I'm blessed to have been given his faith and freely accepted it. I'm blessed to be his only daughter. I'm blessed to love him and to call him "Dad"!