Good-morning! Thanksgiving's come and gone and Christmas is peeking around the corner…wow…already?? Where has the year gone to one wonders?
We had a most excellent Thanksgiving Day and a wonderful weekend filled with family and friends. Kathryn and May and the high-school students did a superb job on the Thanksgiving food. (I was pretty worried because Bro Andy has done it for so many years that he probably writes his to do list with his eyes shut!) Bradie wrote and directed a skit for the high school and jr high students to perform. That was well done. Brad had a poem to share, but I forgot to get it from him. Oh, we called Andy and Sarah Jane with speaker phone and had a big group sharing of hellos and such! THAT WAS SO COOL TO HEAR THEIR VOICES!
During Thanksgiving Day, the kitchen sink disposal decided to quit working - not a good day for that. The kids dealt with that superbly. Rich has since purchased a new disposal, and Garth kindly installed it. I sure miss Steve Squires in times like that; he usually has a spare stashed away somewhere.
Dan Ricciardelli preached on Sunday morning; Ben led worship. Bro Dan spoke on how obedience and faith go hand in hand; you cannot have one without the other. He gave several great examples, but my favorite was the example of the centurion with the sick daughter.
We had a sweet sharing meeting last night with Rose, Tommy, and Gri as speakers. The theme I saw in the sharing was praise and thankfulness to the Lord and appreciation for each other. Gri led worship; I loved that. She does not get up too often any more so it's always a treat to have someone different.
I haven't heard from the Trotters in awhile; I assume Bro Andy is diligently taking his chemo. Bro George is going to and from the hospital for his chemo treatments this week. Christine Jepsen, Rich's sister, is done with her chemo for now; her platelets are low at present so that is a matter for concern. I haven't heard from Rachael Williamson concerning Shane, their little boy who has a rare form of melanoma - last I knew he was recovering from his chemo and radiation treatments. Part of his side affects were bad sun burns, chapped lips, and sores in his mouth. Samuel Wenger was recently diagnosed with some sort of blood disease. The Drs feel it is treatable; they are presently figuring out a treatment plan.
Jarred and Seth F are diligently applying themselves to building and installing the tabernacle bathrooms. After three years, we might actually be getting somewhere. Merlin had to re-route the tab water heating system since it ran on the floor where we were putting the door to the new bathrooms. It's pretty exciting.
Olivia (and Wendy sometimes) has been doing an impressive job with Sis Millie's physical therapy. She is improving and gaining strength. Olivia, mostly, goes to the Basalygas twice a day - in the morning they do arm and hand therapy. In the afternoon, it is the leg and foot's turn for therapy. Wendy makes sure all their day to day things are taken care of and fills in whenever Olivia needs to be gone (she's our Basalyga coordinator). Everyone pitches in.
Pat & Gri had a wonderful time with their grandies and lovely parents. The cabin was full and busy but the girls behaved themselves admirably and were sociable with everybody who approached them. Such sweet things! Talking up a storm and stealing the show at every turn. They stayed for 8 days and then had to leave since they had medicals in Palmer. PatLou filled his time being a very good daddy and also working with his uncle Ben Mehaffey at Alaska Blacksmithing to produce a very nice ornate metalwork lamp stand which will look very nice in their new home that they have recently purchased in Palmer, Alaska.
It will look something like this when finished:
But right now it looks like this:
PL also did some felling of trees for those who needed that done around their cabins. Spent some quality time with his Grams Floan. He even squeezed in a Snowshoeing trek up the mountain with his uncle. We miss them already! PatL is soon to start working for a French Canadian Oil Servicing Company as a slick liner. He will no longer do firefighting. I am sure he will sorely miss firefighting and the friends he's made down trough the years, however this company offers much better benefits coverage, which is a big consideration when one has a small family to consider. He will work two weeks on and 2 off which will be great since he can spend more time with his girls. GOD SPEED PAT!
Here is a link to the company, a giant conglomerate multinational organization.
It will look something like this when finished:
But right now it looks like this:
PL also did some felling of trees for those who needed that done around their cabins. Spent some quality time with his Grams Floan. He even squeezed in a Snowshoeing trek up the mountain with his uncle. We miss them already! PatL is soon to start working for a French Canadian Oil Servicing Company as a slick liner. He will no longer do firefighting. I am sure he will sorely miss firefighting and the friends he's made down trough the years, however this company offers much better benefits coverage, which is a big consideration when one has a small family to consider. He will work two weeks on and 2 off which will be great since he can spend more time with his girls. GOD SPEED PAT!
Here is a link to the company, a giant conglomerate multinational organization.
Pat Sr. left for a week of piano work up in Barrow.
And now a few thoughts on the season from The Most Important Christmas Choice by Tracie Miles
And now a few thoughts on the season from The Most Important Christmas Choice by Tracie Miles
<<
Tis' the season to be merry... and stressed. Although it should be a season of peace, this month can often make us feel more tangled up inside than a messy string of Christmas lights.
Tis' the season to be merry... and stressed. Although it should be a season of peace, this month can often make us feel more tangled up inside than a messy string of Christmas lights.
Some people dread the hustle, bustle, and emotional rustle this time of year brings, knowing that irritability, loneliness, or depression will threaten. While there are others who may love the Christmas season, but worry, busyness, family conflicts, and unmet expectations take their toll.
In either case, we have a decision. We can choose to get bogged down with stress or we can choose to bow down in worship.
Scripture gives us a beautiful picture of praise in Luke 2:13-14. When Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds sharing the good news. Then many other angels joined together and praised God.
"Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.'" (NLT)
Keeping Christ in Christmas is more than just a cliché. It is an intentional act of worship. It requires a heart of adoration, much like the angels had. When Jesus is the focus of our holiday, we're centered on His love, peace, and joy. The holidays can bring a flurry of heightened emotions and can often result in an unhealthy level of stress which can prevent us from engaging in worship and praising the One we are supposed to be celebrating.
There will be lots of choices to be made during the month of December. The most important choice we can make is to worship and sing praises to our Lord. For His gift. For His love. For His peace. And when our hearts are at peace, our holidays can be too.
Have a great rest of the week.
Have a great rest of the week.
No comments:
Post a Comment