He's Back!!!!!.........

 No need for details.

Tim's home!!!!

ONE YEAR IS OVER!!!

 Nothing but smiles and hugs.

Not even a burnt turkey could ruin this holiday.

Welcome home Daddy-o!!!!!

It Is Beginning.......

Yes, and I do not think it is just me who is ahead of the Thanksgiving curve and looking at Christmas way ahead of the actual holiday.  Pumpkins are loosing their appeal and though we have yet to sit down at the table and state what we are most grateful for this year, from what I have seen on Facebook (the guru of truth), everyone is braced in the starting block, ornaments in hand, ready to 

embrace Christmas full on.

This is what we all woke up to this morning.  

Brooklynn called early to see if our pool was frozen....No thankfully not!!

It was beautiful, short lived but a reminder that we are nearing the season!

After a trip through Home Goods the other day, I simply decided I did not have to wait until the socially correct moment to begin my Christmas holiday.  

Christmas makes us all happy...even most in dire need...because it is during this time that so many choose to actually remember those less fortunate.  Food banks are fuller, Toys for Tots is in full swing, and we willingly give when the rest of the year we seem to just forget there is so much poverty right in our own neighborhood.

So, to the attic I went and I am now in complete holiday chaos.

I intend to do this with a methodical, slow, joyful spirit.  I know when I am at the reverse end of this celebration...the part where it all has to come down...I will not be so joyful!

I think this is all okay.  Jumping ahead to start the Christmas season a little early is not just about the commercial part of the holiday.

We all love the season for there is merriment, celebration, happiness, and a strong sense of love of neighbor.  Maybe that is just what Christ has in mind.  He was the one who at Christmas time brought light into a dark world by His birth. Perhaps as we pull out the trees and holly a little ahead of schedule, if we focus on the arrival of Christ we will find even more joy in both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Possibly with all of the unrest in the world, continual news of ISIS and Ebola,  we are craving that light more than ever.

Just look at the beautiful decoration God had for us when we woke up this morning...and that was surely way ahead of schedule!

"Maybe Christmas does not come from a store.  

Maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more."

The Grinch

Privileged.....

I am not sure that privileged it the right word for the encounter I had last night.

Beautiful, touching, emotional...all of these.

When I retired I searched for things, anything that would help me fill the time I had spent in the classroom I was no longer in.  I subbed, I sewed, I shopped, I lunched with friends, and I joined multiple  ministries at church.

I was all over the map looking for fulfillment.  

Sometimes that is how it works.  You try it all and then you narrow it down to what brings you real joy.

Last night I knew things were right.  I had that found that niche and what a privilege it is and will continue to be to serve the church in the Faith Formation program.

My precious second grade class participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation last night.  

It is a huge night.  It is the second Sacrament they receive in the church...after Baptism.

They were prepared, ready, and they understood.  Were they a bit timid, of course.

Our amazing pastor talked to these kids at length before they went to confession and the ceremony afterward was beautiful.

Because we have a priest that truly loves and cares for his church, these kids were made aware of the power of this moment.  It was amazing.

Again, in this month of knowing and counting your blessings, I am so grateful to have been given the chance to work in this program with these children and their parents.

It is a privilege and an honor.  

I know where I belong now.  Sometimes it takes a little searching but God has a plan...

What a beautiful night.

"May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit".

Romans 15:13

Veterans Day......

It is Veterans Day.  I am celebrating the return of my son from a year's active duty in Djibouti.

I am proud of him, and of his wife and daughters who held down the fort here at home.

 Yes, we know the cost of commitment, but we are proud...of two boys who chose this path for themselves. 

I am proud of my Navy sons and my Navy dad.  

I wish I knew more about my dads military story...

many questions you do not think to ask before it is too late.  

Thankful for all of those who "wrote that blank check".

Remembering everyone on this Veterans Day.

It's November!.......

Yes. I LOVE November!

It is the one month I want to put on hold and slowly savor each day.

I do not want to rush through it.

People just seem happier during this time of year.  Christmas is on the horizon....

Oh, how I love Christmas!

I am seriously having to hold myself back...I am dying to crawl up in the attic and start pulling down red and green decorations.  I want to pull out Perry Como and sing "There Is No Place Like Home For The Holidays".

It is that time of the year when everyone on Facebook (except me) is listing what they are grateful for everyday.

I am just going with "generally grateful".

I don't need to list it....hopefully I am learning to just live it.

 I am happy noticing the little things....like my shopping partner, who cost me about $30 more than I should have spent by loading my basket with an array of random things.  So, I have a new brush for the sink, more toilet paper than I really needed, and the kind of mac and cheese that is loaded with yellow dye #2.

 Treasuring the amount of time that I get to spend with these two little girls just makes any day a great day.

Gratitude comes easy when you are taking walks with them.

 They say that gratitude increases your levels of energy, optimism, and empathy.

I agree with that.

I think we could all learn from the feelings we all have during the month of November.
If only we could hold that thought.

Our lists of gratitude should be a daily attitude, not just something we leave on the Thanksgiving table.

"giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father"
Ephesians 5:20

The Many Faces of Princesses..............

 Life is good when you are a princess.....

And are heading out to fill your bucket with LOTS of chocolate!!!

Happy Halloween!