Soundtrack

I haven't had much room in my head lately to think about blogging.  If you look in my sidebar under Incredible Families, check out Amber's Adventure.  My granddaughter has been through much this past week, and taken us on quite the roller coaster ride.  Leaving the hospital last Thursday, the two Grammies and Amber's home care nurse had a very quiet, teary ride home.  Thursday, however, is Choir night and this Grammy is the choir's accompanist!  It is very difficult to read music if I'm crying, so I thought it would be good for me to go and give my eyes a much needed break.  It was a good idea in theory, except we were doing a first read through of our Easter cantata!  The week before we read through the first two pieces and ended with a Palm Sunday-themed, very joyful "Hail, Hail, Lion of Judah" which left this week's practice with three mournful songs in a row.  THREE IN A ROW!  I could not find the image of Snoopy that perfectly conveyed what was happening to me.  Can you picture it?  He's dancing and joyful and then Schroeder changes the music and the dancing slows a bit, then the ears droop, the eyes get big, the chin quivers, then the sniffing and finally the sobbing and howl.  (wish I could have found the image).  By the time we hit the third piece, my ears were drooping and it was getting very difficult to read the music.  Thankfully we launched into "He is Risen" just in the nick of time.  Each day God gives me a new song, and I am so very grateful for this precious baby girl and so very grateful that He carries us through this and each step of her life in the palm of His hand....or better yet, under His wings.

Reflectively Christmas

How has it taken 50 years to click?

Sometime in late October, the question being asked in our house is "Where's your list?"  We pester until a list appears, put on the fridge so everybody can see it, with wants, needs, suggestions for Christmas.  This year my daughter reluctantly put up a list, saying she didn't want to know what she was getting.  I was a bit taken aback at first.  From the age she could hold a pencil and scribble, she would produce Christmas lists.  I've saved a few over the years, mostly because the misspellings made us all howl.  Not wanting to come up with a list??  It dawned on me that what she was really saying was that the people who love her should know her well enough to know what she needs or wants, what would make her feel loved by opening. So, I diverged from her list and put a few things in a bag that I thought might be special to her and I think she was pleased and surprised.

I find myself overcome on Christmas, usually tearing up over gifts.  I don't deserve any of it.  I am not a great housekeeper, not a great cook, I forget to stay caught up on ironing, often I forget to keep enough groceries in the house to make a decent dinner.....and yet, Christmas comes and I am blessed by things I didn't ask for yet suit me to a T.   Someone loves me.

How amazing this demonstration of grace and love on a small scale.  How AMAZING that God sent his only son to live here and DIE in my place!