Motherhood: A chance to die Topic: Holidays/Vacations
Fellow lady blogger, Barbara, at Stray Thoughts had such a wonderful entry for Mother's Day that I am borrowing part of it. She has posted parts of letters written by famous missionaries to their mothers. Go over to Stray Thoughts to read letters by Jim Elliot and Hudson Taylor to their mothers.
What I wanted to post today are letters written by Amy Carmichael and her mother. One of the hardest things I can think of would be to give your child to the Lord in service to Him. Most often, it means they will live far away and we may not see them as much as our hearts desire.
My parents gave me willingly to the Lord when I felt that call at age 16, not knowing that I would live most of my adult life far away. Now that my own daughters are entering young womanhood, I realize what a huge sacrifice that was, and I hope I can open my hand, die to my own desires and say,
"Take her, dear Lord — Thou wilt take the most loving care of her, use her in Thy service and for Thy glory now and where Thou pleasest, for Christ’s sake." ~Catherine Jane Carmichael~
From Amy to her mother:
My Precious Mother,
Have you given your child unreservedly to the Lord for whatever He wills?…
Oh may He strengthen you to say “Yes” to Him if He asks something which costs.
Darling Mother, for a long time as you know the thought of those dying in the dark — 50,000 of them every day, while we at home live in the midst of blazing light — has been very present with me, and the longing to go to them, and tell them of Jesus, has been strong upon me. ..
But home claims seemed to say “Stay”, and I thought it was His Will; it was perhaps til yesterday. I can’t explain it, but lately the need seems to have come closer, and I wrote down a few days ago…why I am not going.
1. Your need of me, my Mother. 2. The great loneliness it would mean to my dear second Father. 3. The thought that by staying I might make it easier for others to go if He called. 4. My not being strong.
But in His sight are these four things worth staying from those poor heathen for? You have given me three-quarters up as it is. My dear old Fatherie is the Lord’s wholly, he would not let me kept out just for him. The other two things surely I could trust about. Still, they seemed to say “Stay”.
Yesterday suddenly the impulse came to have a good talk with my dear Fatherie…and after it I went to my own room and just asked the Lord what it all meant, what did He wish me to do, and, Mother, as clearly as I ever heard you speak, I heard Him say, “GO YE.”
I never heard it just so plainly before.; I cannot be mistaken, for I know He spoke. He says “Go”, I cannot stay.
Mother, I feel as if I had been stabbing someone I loved. It is Friday now, I could not finish this yesterday, and through all the keen sharp pain which has come since Wednesday, the certainty that it was His voice…has never wavered; though all my heart has shrunk from what it means…the certainty is there…nothing but that sure word, His word, could make it possible to do it, for until he spoke, and I answered, “Yes, Lord”, I never knew what it would cost.
These are the verses He gave me…”If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.” “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
“To obey is better than sacrifice.”
Many difficulties have risen in my mind, they seem very great, the “crooked places” seem very crooked, but it seems to me that all He asks is that we should take the one step He shows us, and in simplest, most practical trust leave all results to Him.
Mother, I know that very few of our friends will think I am right. Those who don’t know the Shepherd’s Voice themselves will be quite sure I am very wrong and mistaken, but He has said, “Walk before Me, and be thou perfect.” He knows, and He won’t let me disnonour Him by making a mistake and following my own fancy instead of Him. If it is so, He will show it to me, but if it is His Will, I must do it. There isn’t much of gladness in this letter, I’m afraid, but I don’t feel anything except sore at the pain this must bring to my loved ones.
Good-bye, my Mother. May He come very near to you and strengthen and comfort you.
Your Own Amy
P.S. Some of these things may cross your mind as they have mine.
What about leaving my God-given Father who does seem to need me a little? Cannot I trust Him to care for him? If He tells me to leave him, He won’t let him suffer. Clara Bradshaw met Hudson Taylor once, and he prayed, “Show this child of thine what blessing she is keeping from her own father” — by staying when He had called her.
If I stayed, might I not keep those dearest to me from God’s richest blessing? But this is a very hard bit to think of, I can hardly face it steadily yet.
“Health” you will think of. He won’t let that hinder if He has said, “Go”. Then as to the money — I don’t see clearly, but I believe He will show us about that. If He does not, I will take it that that means “stay”, for He could not mean me to let you suffer wrongly. But I think soon the boys will be able to help.
To Amy from her mother, Catherine:
My Own Precious Child, He Who hath led will lead All through the wilderness, He Who hath fed will surely feed… He Who hath heard thy cry Will never close His ear, He Who hath marked Thy faintest sigh Will not forget thy tear. He loveth always, faileth never, So rest on Him today — for ever.
Yes, dearest Amy, He has lent you to me all these years. He only knows what a strength, comfort and joy you have been to me. In sorrow He made you my staff and solace, in loneliness my more than child companion, and in gladness my bright and merry-hearted sympathizer. So, darling, when He asks you now to go away from within my reach, can I say nay? No, no, Amy, He is yours — you are His — to take you where He pleases and to use you as He pleases. I can trust you to Him, and I do — and I thank Him for letting you hear His voice as you have done. I shall not speak of your dear loving letter or my feelings. How weak we are. But He knows our frame, and remembers. “Go ye” — my heart echoes. “Oh send forth Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me — let them bring me into Thy holy hill and to Thy tabernacles”, met my eye as I opened my Bible — do you see what the holy hill and tabernacles meant to me in this connection? I never saw it before — and then in the next page comes, “Therefore God has blessed thee for ever.” All day He has helped me, and my heart unfailingly says, “Go ye.” He only knows what this means and will mean to me — to you — to us all. I dare not think — but His grace is sufficient, Amy. Let us keep our eye on Him — and then no wave will swamp us — and He will bear us up in His arms. Oh, isn’t is strange we are not more cheerfully willing followers — to think of His wonderful everlasting love to us, and how little He ever asks in return. Amy, darling, today I got a moment’s glimpse of it all, and how small this life seemed. When we are dying, how very little will it seem that He has asked us to give up for Him. So, my precious Child, I give you back into His loving arms, saying from the depths of my being, “Take her, dear Lord — Thou wilt take the most loving care of her, use her in Thy service and for Thy glory now and where Thou pleasest, for Christ’s sake. Amen.”
For dear Mr. Wilson I feel so much, perhaps more than for myself, but God has his happiness in His keeping. He cannot and will not make a mistake. All other points are minor and must wait — the one thought has been enough today. One step is all that I am equal to — all else will be clear. “The Lord is mt Shepherd, I shall not want.” “Goodness and mercy shall follow me” — and those who trust — “all the days of my life”, and we shall all gather from the north, south, east and west in His home above, and will cast our crowns at His feet, saying “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.” Til then may we each one be found faithful.
Ever my darling child’s loving Mother.
For days, it seems to me now, the Lord has been preparing the way, Amy, for your letter.
From Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur by Frank Houghton
You can read more about Amy Carmichael’s mother here
The Triumphal Entry and the Ultimate Triumph Topic: Holidays/Vacations
John 12:12-16 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!"
Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.
Revelation 7:9-12 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
"Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"
Let's give it up.......for Lent! Topic: Holidays/Vacations
This is a reprint from 2 years ago...I can't believe I can measure my blog in years now! I love this holiday season.....I hope you make the most of it this year! Our church is doing a prayer emphasis, complete with booklets!...this year. We're praying for the entire world in 40 days. We're going through a daily prayer guide called Seek God for the City 2007, put out by WayMakers organization. Day one is today and we are seeking God on behalf of the Americas and the Caribbean.
So I guess this year, instead of giving up something, we are doing something extra....making time each day to pray for our world. However you remember the Lenten season, just make sure it's about Him and not about you giving something up.....I know that is always a struggle for balance for me when I do it!
Here were my thoughts from Ash Wednesday 2005:
Lent....something which a lifetime Baptist is a little ignorant about. I remember growing up in suburbia with Catholic friends coming home on Ash Wednesday with smudges on their foreheads....curious. Then the thought that they had to eat fish on Fridays.....horrid! None of them could reasonably explain these mysteries and so I didn't think much about it until the past few years. Now when I see the ashes smudged on foreheads, I think of sackcloth and ashes...of grief over one's sin in preparation of the Easter season.....remembering a Savior's suffering for my guilt. It is a good thing, the Lenten season. It's good to set aside 40 days of reflection, prayer, fasting to prepare for Easter.
As a mom and teacher, I've been searching for years on how to make Easter a truly spiritual celebration instead of just a fluffy Springtime holiday. The past few years I have been studying Passover and the rich theological comparisons and prophecies about the perfect Lamb of God. If you've never done that, I recommend it. =) Although the Passover studies have been really enriching and meaningful, Lent causes great personal reflection and action...it's a time of growth and sacrifice....and things that cause change.
So at the school we are observing Lent and preparing ourselves for a celebration of the most amazing event in history....the Ressurection of Christ. I would absolutely love it and be really really, if not eternally, grateful for any suggestions you may have on observing the Lenten season....especially if they are for kids' activities or devotions for kids.
So repent and be baptized, prepare ye the way of the Lord, behold the Lamb of God and let's all give it up for Lent! =)
The Fullness of Time Topic: Holidays/Vacations
Join us over at Sting My Heart to see other bloggers' nativity sets or to add yours to the list!
Merry Christmas!
Rustic nativity set, handmade by my husband our second Christmas together.
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ?Abba, Father.? Now you are no longer a slave but God?s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. Galations 4:4-7 NLT
El Shaddai Topic: Holidays/Vacations
I got to go to church on Sunday. Last week I missed being there because I had no voice. My cold had turned into laryngitis and I couldn't even make a squeek. All week I've been whispering and wheezing at my family. My teens finally started whispering back at me.....then they were trying to startle me to hear me 'scream' without a voice. (kind of a high pitched wheeze) They're evil that way....
It was nice to be back in church. I just hate missing during the holidays especially. I love the decorations, lights, smiles, hugs and songs. It is killing me that I can't sing them out this year. I'm still a little hoarse (not a pony, hoarse!). So I just quietly sang my own little alto part during the worship time. If I sing loudly (like, say...in the car), it comes out as hoarse at first and then...all of a sudden, HONK! I'm serious, that is just what it sounds like...it's awful! So there I was, mouthing the words, pretending to sing. The spirit was willing, but the vocal chords were weak.
Then our worship leader introduced a song, not a Christmas song, but as we sang it, the spirit of Christmas was felt in every heart. I'll just post the second verse and you'll see why. And as I sat there, pretending to sing, tears were pouring out of my eyes. Messiah came, He came as a frail human being....a baby born to a poor family, working hard to help support them, studying in the synagog, growing in favor with God and man. And all the time He was El Shaddai, God Almighty..... it's enough to make you shout!
....if only I could!
El shaddai, El shaddai, El-elyon na Adonia, Age to age You're still the same, By the power of the Name. El shaddai, El shaddai, Erkamka na Adonai, We will praise and lift You high, El shaddai.
Through the years You've made it clear, That the time of Christ was near, Though the people couldn't see What Messiah ought to be. Though Your Word contained the plan, They just could not understand Your most awesome work was done Through the frailty of Your Son.
El shaddai, El shaddai, El-elyon na Adonai, Age to age You're still the same, By the power of the Name. El shaddai, El shaddai, Erkamka na Adonai, I will praise you till I die, El shaddai.
Carnival of Christmas! Topic: Holidays/Vacations Mary at Owlhaven is hosting a Carnival of Christmas for Blogging Chicks today. You are invited to go and read the wonderful entries the ladies (Blogging Chicks) have written on Christmas!
Christmas tour of homes 2006 Topic: Holidays/Vacations BooMama is hosting a Christmas Tour of homes today. Go there to peek inside a lot more homes of bloggers!
Welcome to our home. Our welcome bear is dressed for the season.
Our tree, decked out in collected ornaments from our travels, homemade ornaments, snowflakes, snowmen, ribbons and sometimes dried flowers. (I haven't bought any yet this year)
This is my Christmas card station, equipped with all the necessities like stamps, cards, copies of Christmas letter, address books and return address labels. But I also have to have my hot drink and iPod filled with Christmas music. Charles just got the last of almost 200 cards mailed!
Also in the dining room is our Week of Prayer for Foreign Missions prayer guide. Our denomination does a huge prayer and fund raising emphasis for our foreign missionaries in December, so it is a part of our celebration. This year we are praying for missionaries serving in West Africa, where AIDS is ravaging, orphans abound and demon worship is prevelent.
As we pass through the house, don't mind the silly girls on the couch. They are doing 'platypus' lips and we don't want to encourage them. Actually these are some of my favorite decorations, the kids and friends and family who come through our home and the smiles they bring!
This is our first nativity scene. My husband built it out of cedar (leftover scrap wood) from the building of our neighbor's new home in 1985. It was in Oklahoma and the new home was the parsonage, which had been destroyed by a recent tornado. Charles was the youth pastor and we lived next door. We set it out every year.
Thanks for visiting.....grab a peppermint biscotti on your way out... I had some requests....sorry to not include this before! =)
Crushed peppermint candy canes Chocolate chips or candy bar, melted in microwave and put in small ziplok bag with the corner snipped off with scissors.
Preheat oven 325? Cream butter and sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add the peppermint extract. Sift flour, baking powder and salt, add to wet mixture and beat til smooth. Stir in crushed candy canes. On a floured counter, divide the dough in half and roll each half into a long roll, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 10 inches long. Set the rolls on a baking sheet at least 3 inches apart. Bake in the top third of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Cool the rolls for 5 minutes, slice diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay slices flat on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake another 10 minutes. (I just baked them once for about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack and then drizzle melted chocolate from ziplok bag onto one side of cookie. Cool and store in airtight container.
Enjoy these dipped in coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
For busy moms at Christmas.... Topic: Holidays/Vacations It's getting busy! Are you feeling it.....our old friend stress? I am too and now I have a cold and laryngitis! This is my third day without a voice.....and a cough is setting in. *good grief* I decided to pull this entry from last year, I know I find it encouraging, nudging....I hope you do too!
This was an email from my friend, Sue. She sent it to me in last December. When I posted this last year, we went to church with Sue and loved her humor and sincere comments. She died a few months ago of cancer. It's a reminder that you never know what a day...or a year...will hold. Time is precious and so are our family and friends.
It is a dear reminder of how we can get sidetracked, sometimes by good things, and neglect the ones closest to us! I wish the author was listed, but on these email forwards, it usually is not. 1 Corinthians 13, the 'love chapter' of the Bible, has long been a chapter of the Word that I try to study up on…..it is so basic…so fundamental in how we treat each other…….read on this for a few minutes and then meditate on the real thing.
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way. Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure!
Celebrations Topic: Holidays/Vacations
I have a few friends, who I greatly respect and honor their choices, who choose not to celebrate Christmas. You have probably heard some of the reasons, and to them it is very important. I in no way want to dishonor that, but I simply want to tell you about my journey in why we celebrate Christmas.
I thought this through a few years back because some friends and I were talking about how to make Christmas more of a celebration of the Incarnation than selfish gift craziness. So here are a few thoughts for you to ponder as we go through our traditional Christmas seasons.... It 'just so happened' that I had just done a study and research project on the Jewish feast days a few years ago, in order to teach the feast days to my kids while we were homeschooling. All their feast days reminded me of our own elaborate holiday celebrations. I realized that God LOVES a celebration.
He required it!
Every day celebrating Christ is essential in our homes, but He Himself set aside these Jewish feasts to celebrate and remember important things in their heritage, setting up lavish traditions and visual reminders for the Jewish people. These were also, we know now, to point to the Messiah, fulfilled in Christ. So now I have no reservations about putting up lights, decorating the house, sing carols about the blessed event, baking special treats, setting up the manger scene and wanting to surprise people with special gifts....like God did for us. What a surprise those shepherds got that night, hmmm?
I hope you are having a very merry Christmas!
If you have ideas on how to really keep our focus on Christ, let me know! I'd love it! And I may add to this post as the next few days roll by.
Thanksmas season updates Topic: Holidays/Vacations
We had Thanksgiving dinner at the church a week ago and the whole place was packed! We paid for tickets this year because it was catered by Boston Market...it was really good food. We sat around table of 8-12 and ate family style, passing the serving bowls around which the deacons brought to each table. There was a ministry there called Set Free from down town Phoenix that our church helps support and 2 of their guys gave testimonies. This ministry helps get men off the street (they live there for up to a year), requires them to get off drugs and alcohol and provides daily discipleship, counseling and worship. They are always so inspiring to be around. It's so true that he who is forgiven much loves much. They are exuberant!
We sang songs of worship and thanks around the tables too, led by a powerpoint with beautiful video behind it. During dinner, the powerpoint screen had cartoon turkeys telling jokes. My back was to the screen, but I heard each joke because Maggie was reading them out loud and laughing her head off!
Example: *turkey with serious look on his face* "What would Jesus eat??"......"FISH"
or
"As you're enjoying your dinner, I just want you to think about my wife and kids at home."
Silly....but we had a fun time, wonderful testimonies of thanks for what God has done and worship together.
************************************** Here at home, we had 15 for dinner on Thanksgiving. We had the usual, traditional meal, with my mother-in-law's dressing recipe, my neice's mashed potatoes and fancy almond green beans with carmelized shallots *yeah, they were good*, rolls, cranberries, maple glazed turkey and gravy. I also tried a new recipe for corn pudding....it was a hit and easy schmeazy! Then more relatives came for dessert, which we had outside by the fire with coffee and cocoa.
We are very thankful for God's great blessings of famiy, comfort, healing and growth.
************************************** My daughter tried to justify starting Christmas almost the evening of Thanksgiving by saying she is most thankful for the Christmas season. It was also the only weekend she will be here with us to help decorate until right before Christmas. So we rushed out and brought in the lights and boxes. We bought a real tree this year, after years of using an artificial one due to our wood stove heating in the old house. We bought it from the cutest little Boy Scout tree lot, it was so quaint with light bulbs on wires strung across the top of the lot and they even had wood burning in a metal barrel in the middle. (I felt like Charlie Brown and Linus!) The smell in our house is amazingly piney!!!!
And the weather finally turned chilly!
************************************** Are you going to see The Nativity Story? It is in theaters December 1.
************************************** Do you celebrate Advent?
I found this today off the Advent website above: "Advent is the special season that comes just before Christmas. The word advent comes to us from the Latin word adventus, which means "coming." Advent is a beautiful and worshipful way of preparing our hearts and minds for the celebration of the first coming (the birth) of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a time of preparation as we look forward to His Second Coming."
************************************** I hope you have a wonder-full Christmas season!
Songs of Thanks Topic: Holidays/Vacations
We are so detached to the harvest season, living in American. Our food comes from grocery store shelves and is available to us all year round. Full cupboards, full refrigerator, plenty of things on hand to simply pop into the microwave. I want to consider the people who wrote these hymns of Thanksgiving. They are so basic...thank you for grain, for the seasons, human love, a Savior, for the beauty of nature, for bringing us through another year with food to eat and sound minds and bodies. They are beautiful hymns and bring us back to the basics of giving thanks.
Click on the titles to see the hymn's background and hear the tune. Happy Thanksgiving!
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known. The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing. Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.
Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining, Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine; So from the beginning the fight we were winning; Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!
We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant, And pray that Thou still our Defender will be. Let Thy congregation escape tribulation; Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home; All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied; Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.
All the world is God’s own field, fruit unto His praise to yield; Wheat and tares together sown unto joy or sorrow grown. First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear; Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.
For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home; From His field shall in that day all offenses purge away, Giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast; But the fruitful ears to store in His garner evermore.
Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring Thy final harvest home; Gather Thou Thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin, There, forever purified, in Thy garner to abide; Come, with all Thine angels come, raise the glorious harvest home.
Thanksmas Topic: Holidays/Vacations How's the Christmas shopping going? *errrg* That is not a good question to ask me this time of year. It's not that I have many gifts to buy, but it reminds me of all the things I need to do in the next 5 weeks. (5 weeks!!!) I do like doing said 'things'.....it's just that the pressure of having a list of things to DO intimidates me greatly! *whimper*
See, I told you that as the holidays wind up into gear I'd probably blog more in order to avoid the DO's.
So I'm thinking today as I sat in the park with my sister and our kids, "Gee, I need to think about Christmas stuff.....er, no, I have to think about Thanksgiving! But Christmas DO's need to get rolling! However, first we need to make it through the Thanksgiving cooking and shopping." mmmmmhmmm If someone wants to know my opinion, I think we need to space these 2 very meaningful holidays further apart....at least by 2 months. That way we could enjoy each one for it's own meaning and busyness.
Thanksgiving could be such a wonderful celebration if it were not for the after Thanksgiving sales the next morning ....or football for that matter! It just so happens however, that this is exactly what I think about when I think of Thanksgiving. Here is why:
For many years of our 22 year marriage, my husband and I had a Thanksgiving ritual. We would go to Oklahoma every year for Thanksgiving, quite a drive. But I would have my Christmas lists in hand, because I would go through the stack of 'the day after Thanksgiving sale' fliers Thanksgiving night. We stayed at Charles' parents' home, so with them to watch the girls, we would sneak off at 4:00am and go by ourselves to stand in line for very, very reduced prices on gifts for the girls.
We would pick the store that had the most list items and attack, Charles going to the toys or sporting goods department while I went to the music or clothing departments. We would meet at the front, waving like crazy at each other over the pressing masses of people and come together all happy and slightly giddy from the good buys we had found. Then more stores and more good buys. Finally, we would go out to breakfast, and back to his parents house to wrap the loot before the kids could see it!
We would get all of our Christmas shopping done, plus buy gifts from his parents to our kids for them, so that they didn't have to get out in the Christmas crowds.
And yes, doing this year after year did get tiring. I would try to wimp out of doing it each year, but Charles would talk me into it again. He really enjoyed it way more than me..... that was annoying! Our kids are older now and we don't do that tradition anymore. It just isn't necessary and Charles does most of our Christmas gift buying online. Now the day after Thanksgiving sales have gone the way of memories for us.....or the dinosaurs....left to future generations to follow in our steps.
It was quite an adventure, very very COLD, but a memory we'll always giggle at.....how silly we are to enjoy such madness!!
We're not having a huge crowd this year for Thanksgiving and my sister is helping me a lot with the cooking......so I think there may even be time in the day for a little reflecting.....some actual giving thanks for making it through this stress-filled year.
Happy Thanksmas....er, Christgiving....ummm, we really do need to do a petition or something to get more time in there and seperate these 2 great holidays....
From Amy to her mother:
Mary at 
It's getting busy! Are you feeling it.....our old friend stress? I am too and now I have a cold and laryngitis! This is my third day without a voice.....and a cough is setting in. *good grief* I decided to pull this entry from last year, I know I find it encouraging, nudging....I hope you do too!
How's the Christmas shopping going? *errrg* That is not a good question to ask me this time of year. It's not that I have many gifts to buy, but it reminds me of all the things I need to do in the next 5 weeks. (5 weeks!!!) I do like doing said 'things'.....it's just that the pressure of having a list of things to DO intimidates me greatly! *whimper*
We would pick the store that had the most list items and attack, Charles going to the toys or sporting goods department while I went to the music or clothing departments. We would meet at the front, waving like crazy at each other over the pressing masses of people and come together all happy and slightly giddy from the good buys we had found. Then more stores and more good buys. Finally, we would go out to breakfast, and back to his parents house to wrap the loot before the kids could see it! 
sister is helping me a lot with the cooking......so I think there may even be time in the day for a little reflecting.....some actual giving thanks for making it through this stress-filled year.
