I love the passing of time

My inbox has been awesome today! Just got this forwarded from The Puppy Lady. I don’t know her at all, have only exchanged a few emails & phone calls re: puppies -and- met her once when she brought them over. So, when I saw that subject line, “FW: A Letter From Jesus Christ, concerning His birthday celebration.”, I felt kind of disappointed, because I thought she was going to turn out to be one of those people who forwards me right-wing, religious, hater emails full of half-truths & intolerance. And, I like her, so far - I like her heart that is taking in these dogs & finding them homes. I like doing it, too. I thought, “Great, now I’m going to have to politely nod my head & smile whenever she starts going on about this kind of thing”.

Then, I clicked into the email.

It ROCKS! It is perfect! I don’t know who originally wrote this, but they are my hero for today.

Subject: A Letter From Jesus Christ, concerning His Birthday Celebration.

Dear children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you’ve forgotten that I wasn’t actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of you’re predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although, I do appreciate being remembered - anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth just, GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can & may remember Me anytime , anywhere, you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching explaining who I am in relation to you & what each of our tasks were. If you have forgot that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile it could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn’t make so much money on that day they’d close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love & Good News to those who have never heard My name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here’s a good one. There are individuals & whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don’t know them (and I suspect you don’t) buy some food & a few gifts & give them to the Marines, the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me & they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

P.S. Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me & do what I have told you to do. I’ll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above & get to work; time is short. I’ll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember,

I LOVE YOU

* This is not my original work * Although, it says how I sometimes feel so very nicely. It arrived in my inbox this morning, in the form of my newsletter from the Debt-Proof Living website. Direct link to the article is here. It was so nice that I want to share. (It’s a good newsletter, by the way - lots of good tips to keep you on track as you try to pay down debt & get back in financial shape - you should sign up!)

So, here it is…

A Lifetime of Memories Packed Away for Another Year

Thirty-seven times I’ve packed up this decor, these lights and holiday baubles. And I’m glad the people in my family don’t insist on helping because for me this is like taking a trip through years of memories. Besides, I know how everything should be put away. It must be the same as last year and the year before and the year before that. Any other way just wouldn’t be right.

There’s not one thing in all of these boxes that doesn’t symbolize an event in our marriage, a season in our family’s life or a small boy’s best work.

As each adornment comes to rest in its pre-appointed position, a wonderful thing happens. I start to relive the past years through the collective memories of past holiday seasons. There’s something about chubby faces framed by Mason jar lids and macaroni angels that bring the tears and wash the soul.

I’m immersed in the wonder that I’ve been given another year to know my boys and my husband. I recall with amazing acuity the seasons through which we’ve traveled. With 20/20 vision I see how things did work together—those situations we questioned did happen for a reason. Trials did bring triumphs and little boys did become good men.

I force myself to pause momentarily and remember the failures and mistakes. They have a way of keeping everything in perspective. I can’t help but reflect on the events of this season. The traditions we repeat year after year are what bring a sense of security and warmth in the midst of our hectic and fragmented lives.

The stabilizing effect of holiday traditions has carried us through difficult times. When there was little money to buy gifts, our unchanging traditions diverted our attention from what we didn’t have to what we did.

It never ceases to amaze me that hardly any of us can recall the gifts we received as recently as last year. But we remember exactly what we did, who came to visit and everything that contributed to the warmth and wonder of the season.

As I put everything away (solo, of course) I think about how quickly time passes and how soon I’ll be unpacking again. I daydream about what might happen in the next all-too-short twelve months. I wonder what possible challenges or dramatic changes we’ll face in the coming year. Our lives could be altered drastically by the time I open these boxes again.

So with the joy of the season past still lingering and the promise of the year to come beckoning, I cram the last box into its spot and slide the door closed, hoping everything won’t melt during the summer heat. I haul out the vacuum and replace the furniture exactly as it was before.

Just saw the movie this evening. It rocks!

These are some of the best puppies ever!

All 4 know that they should use the paper for their bathroom with only an occasional mistake. They all slept through the night quietly last night (not so good the first night, though). They play nice with the kids. Our other pets are still a little nervous around them, most notably our male dog, Charlie. The other dog, Maggie - the one who was a breeder at a puppy mill - seems to actually like them. We’ve been putting them in her crate to sleep with her at night & I’m sure that she’s the one who kept them still & quiet for me last night. I actually heard her bark at them and I think that, before that, I’ve only heard her bark 3 or 4 times since we got her, years ago.

We’re talking about putting up a puppy cam so that the whole world can enjoy their antics I’ll let you know if we ever overcome the technological hurdles & do it!

The puppies came last night! Four adorable black & white puppies of unknown breed (looks like there might be some australian cattledog/shepherd and lab, maybe?) We’ll keep them for about 3 weeks, socializing them, moving them towards housebreaking (although - they all know to use the paper, already), then they get put up for adoption.

I have to get to kindergarten, now for the class party, so no time to talk about how much fun this is!

Last night, as I was reading the kids ‘The Magic Dreidels’ (again), Allison turned around & asked me, in a good natured way, “Don’t you ever get tired of reading the same story every night”. I said, “Nope, I still like reading ‘The Stinky Cheese Man’ & I think you heard that every night you were here, backward & forward, reading every word of the Jacks story to the Giant, for your entire year when you were eight years old”. (Actually, I said “Not really - do you remember at all how many times you heard ‘The Stinky Cheese Man’ when you were little?”) She said, “Yeah, but that was a really good book”.

She signed up for next year’s classes, yesterday & told me that she was going to be taking ‘Contemporary Living’ in her 2nd semester next year. ‘Contemporary Living’ is the class where one of the lessons involves carrying around the ‘pretend baby doll’ for a week or so. I know that I’ve told her how I felt about those dolls before, but told her again, anyway.

I think those dolls actually encourage teen pregnancy. Taking care of an electronic doll is NOTHING AT ALL like being a parent to an actual real child. The only thing on the line in those classes is your grade. And, the doll is like a video game - it’s not alive, you don’t love it, it can’t die or get sick (at least not for real), it doesn’t have emotions & a mind that you need to deal with & try to guide. You just have to ‘take care of it’, make sure it doesn’t cry.

I think that kids who carry that doll around & pass the class think “Hey, that wasn’t too hard at all. I took care of that doll OK, so I’ll bet I’d be able to be a good parent, too! I’m going to go out and make a baby to love me”

Got an email from the puppy fostering lady - she says she’s got a transport of puppies coming up next week & wanted to know if we’re still interested. We are! I’m going to call her back in a bit to get more details.

This morning, Maggie (rescue basset hound who’s still coweringly scared most of the time, after years of living with us being nice to her all of the time), was romping around the living room after she got out of her crate & went outside. This is unusual for her, but we’re seeing it more & more lately. Shelby noticed & said to me “Maggie’s probably practicing being happy! Look, she’s running all around with her tail wagging and she doesn’t even look sad!” That’s probably right, though. I think she just never learned how to be happy & just needs some practice

And, it makes me feel happy

Volunteered in Annie’s classroom this morning. My niece, Andrea, usually does Tuesday mornings - I’m just backup for days like today when she’s got meetings at work or something like that that keeps her from going. We painted & glittered snowflake ornaments at my ’station’. I love being in there & being a part of her days.

I still have flashes of panic, thinking about what might have been, if that stranger had grabbed her. I’ll watch her sleeping in bed & imagine her sleeping in a bed at the stranger’s house, after crying herself to sleep. I’ll see the stories on the news about missing children or, worse, when they find the body of a child who was missing & feel anguish imagining Annie in that child’s place, myself in the parent’s place. I think, for a minute, that I now know how they must feel - those parents. Then, of course, I realize that I don’t know how they feel at all - I’ve still got her here.

That whole 5 minute experience that happened to the kids with the stranger, though, makes the tempera paint smell all that much more wonderful. I have to keep on remembering what’s important in every minute.

I made a dress!

The zipper is done in a rather haphazard fashion, there are lots of hanging threads & un-trimmed seams, the back of the neck is uneven. But, it’s done. And, once she’s got it on, it doesn’t look half bad

Of course, this girl would look good in anything ((())))