Stories and other stuff

Today's blog is about writing my blog.  Sometimes when I start a story it just kind of takes a life of its own and turns out to be something I never intended it to be. I started out with a story about a Christmas tree and chances are it's a story you won't read.  A simple little story kind of turned into something I hadn't intended it to.  Rather than sharing it with you, the reader, I decided to just e-mail it to someone who I thought would appreciate the story.  For the rest of you, I'm sharing the story of what I came to realize at the end of the blog, which is this: For the first time in my adult life, the shoe is on the other foot.  Or to be more precise, I'm in the middle of walking a mile in someone else's shoes. To be precise precise, they're a pair of 7 1/2s. I've spent many a holiday away from home.  For years, I celebrated my birthday with my Guard family, not my real family.  I spent Christmas of 1990 in Saudi Arabia, which in itsel...

Good morning, gang. On Wednesday, I shared with you the story of the pumpkin.  This kind of picks up where that story left off and I thought it appropriate given the season. The radio message I referred to on Wednesday concluded on Friday and if you'd like to hear it, google "insight for living".  It's a message about God working the impossible and the theme is taken from where Jesus fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish.  The message goes on to talk about how God works the impossible in our lives and I can tell you first hand that this is the absolute truth! Circumstances we find "impossible" are nothing for God.  I believe this and I strongly believe in the power of prayer!  There are too many instances of God working His plan for me not to believe, nor for me to not trust fully in Him.  In His time, in His way, things will work out according to His will. It was hard for me at first to trust God.  I talked of this before, I thin...

Well, I've put it off just about as long as I can.  I've wrestled with the decision.  It's cost me sleepless nights. I've been torn between what I want to do and what I guess I ought to do. I've been wrestling with the decision for weeks.  I know what the right thing to do is.  I want to do right, I suppose, in this circumstance, even though my heart isn't exactly in it.  What I want to do, I guess, isn't the thing I ought to do.  How many times in life have each of us faced those circumstances.  Prolonging the inevitable though has come at a cost.  I guess that's the way of the world, too... one of these days, I guess I'll learn the lesson. The signs are clear.  I can't put this decision off one more minute.  It's the day I have to decide... so there's nothing left to ponder, nothing left to think about.  The time has come! It's time to go out in the cold and hang the Christmas decorations on the front of the house!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I slept in a little bit today.  Maybe it was the weather, but I just couldn't get going for some reason.  I finally got up about 9:00 this morning, had a cup of coffee and set out to start making the pumpkin pies. I found the pie plates and put the crusts in them.  Then it was off to the pantry to get the stuff to make the pies.  Sugar, check.  Spices, check.  Canned milk, check. Eggs, check. Pumpkin... um, where's the pumpkin?  I know we had a can because it was there the other day when I made sure I had the ingredients. I looked (and not just looked like a guy, I moved stuff!) and couldn't find it.  I hollered down to the mother-in-law and asked her if she moved it or something.  We looked everywhere and both of us will tell you, it just wasn't there.  Annoyed a little, I got dressed and headed to the grocery store to get another can of pumpkin. I mention from time to time, that my tastes in radio have changed a bit over the last...

WOW!  A blizzard.  I can't remember the last time we had a good 'old fashioned' blizzard here in Utah.  Usually it's a midwest thing.  It's been so long, I don't think people remember how to deal with one!  Well, ready or not, here it comes.... We're as ready as we can be on Lark Circle.  The snow blower has been serviced.  The winter gear is out and ready.  The furnaces are cranked up, warming up the cavernous house.  Wood is next to the fireplace and blankets are available to bundle up and keep warm, in the likely event the power goes out.  The truck has a full tank of gas because I have to go to work today.  No closure yet and I hope they don't wait till it gets here before they get smart and call the whole thing off for the night. The family of pussycats is hunkered down.  June fixed them a place to stay warm and dry, so no worries there.  Moo, the fat little one that likes me may become part of the family tho...

As promised, today's topic is just up to you....if you have something to share about what you're thankful for.  I'll get the ball rolling.  Today, I'm humbled and just thankful for God's grace and forgiveness most of all.  It's been a rough year, but in my heart, I'm truly thankful and full of joy at God's willingness to forgive us when we fall. What are you thankful for this year?