A Look Back - 1976

Can you guess which one is me?

Nativity Scenes

This one is tiny enough that I can hold it in my hand.  I think that is part of what has always fascinated me about it, because each piece shows intricate workmanship.  The figures glow in the dark.  I can remember begging Grandma to let me sleep in the living room so that I could look at this after the lights went out.  Unless we had company that was sleeping in my room, she would only let me sleep in the living room three times each Christmas; the day the decorations went up, Christmas night, and the day the decorations went down.  The last time we visited Grandma, she sent this home with me.  So for the last several Christmas seasons, it has sat on the dresser in my room. 

The girls went shopping with a friend early one January and insisted that I wanted this nativity set.  The friend indulged them and bought it.  Just because of the love my girls showed for me, how they wanted to spend money on a gift for me, this nativity is priceless. 

This was one of my first Christmas decorations.  The second year we lived in NE, a friend gave this to me as a Christmas gift.  It is a snow globe and a music box. 

This one usually hangs on my front door.  It was also a gift from a friend. 

It's not the greatest picture, I know.  The lighting is bad.  Oh well.  FigNewTon made this the year she was five.  It is Baby Jesus laying in a manger.  They took a baby food jar lid, glued straw in it and a ribbon around it, wrapped a piece of muslin around a small wooden clothespin and glued that on.  Such a simple craft, really; but what a powerful lesson to teach those little ones about the birth of a Savior.  What a powerful reminder, years later, still hanging on my tree. 

Again, not the greatest picture.  Have you ever tried to get a picture of an ornament?  Butterfly wrote a letter to Santa when she was six; "An ordament about Jesus birth" was top of her list.   

Snapshot Saturday

October 31, 2008

We were at a festival at Butterfly's school. 

My grandmother made the dress for me when I was a teenager. 

Great Smokey Mountains

When we left GA to go to OH, we went a bit out of our way so that we could travel through the Great Smokey Mountains. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Driving through the mountains reminded me of a trip I took with my grandparents when I was a girl. We traveled to TN, where my Uncle Lloyd and his family lived. They took us to the Great Smokey Mountains for a picnic. The fog was so thick that day that we could barely see a few feet away, and yet the view was still breathtaking. It was even more beautiful than this past Friday. Yet, I remember Aunt Jean saying over and over that she wished we would be there longer so that we could come back and see the beauty of the Great Smokey Mountains. My grandparents, my sister, and I were sitting in the car with our mouths agape just staring at the beauty all around us.

Even now, I cannot imagine how beautiful the Great Smokey Mountains would be in all of their glory. Driving through the mountains reminded me of how big and in control that God is, how small and insignificant that I am, and how privileged I am to be loved by Him and called His child.

A Memorial

A memorial is defined as something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc.

So, today, I would like to present a memorial to those people I know who have served our country and preserved the freedoms we enjoy today.

My Grandma lost a brother. He has been listed as MIA since the Korean War. Her heart still aches to know what happened to him. And she probably never will.

My Grandpa was a gentle man. He served in the navy during WWII. He never talked much about it, but whenever some exhibit or show would come to town that honored the military, we would go. Near the 4th of July, there was always an air show. He would become so animated at those shows. Sometimes the animation was excitement. Exclaiming how this or that was just as he remembered. Sometimes it was frustration, because some civilian would not honor those in uniform while we were there. Sometimes the animation was about him not liking the way some things had changed, often after a young soldier would fail to acknowledge him and his service. He taught me to say thank you to any person, friend or stranger, that I saw in military uniform. He said that without those people, my life would not be the same. He taught me to honor people while they are still with us because they won't know the honors they receive after they are gone. He also taught me to give preferential treatment to them. Whether it is relinquishing my place in line at the grocery store, letting them sit down first at a theater, or any small act of kindness that says thank you. His heart ached after Vietnam. Simply because the men and women who served our country during that war were treated so poorly when they returned home. He taught me to understand that our military personnel often do not make choices. The individuals who comprise our military follow orders. They serve without question even when they might disagree with the people handing down the orders. And they, as individuals, should be honored. I think he would feel the same way today about this current war. He taught me so well, that it is still what I do today and what I am striving to teach my girls. With that in mind, I am going to try to give honor to those people I know who are still living and have served our country during their lifetime.

DF: Thank you! I appreciate the sacrifices you make. The times that you cannot be with your family because you are protecting our country. I appreciate every holiday and birthday that you miss celebrating with your wife and kids. I appreciate the longevity of your career in the military. And I appreciate the freedoms that I have because you serve to protect them.

JF: I appreciate your valiant service during the Gulf War. I know that this service caused you difficulties even after you returned home. I am quite thankful that you so selflessly served. Thank you!

JC: Thank you! You haven't been home long. We all missed you while you were away. I am truly grateful for the personal freedoms that you sacrificed so that we could continue to enjoy ours. Thank you for your service.

JT: You were barely home and now you are leaving again. You have grown up so much since you signed up for the military. We miss you while you are not here. I talk to your dad about you at least once a month. And I am truly thankful for all you do. I pray for you daily. I pray for your safety. And I pray that you will stay strong in your faith. And that God will use you in a mighty way. Thank you!

If there are any retired service people that I know that I have missed, I am sorry. I am truly thankful for all of your sacrifices. And I am aware that the freedoms I enjoy came at a very high price. God bless you all!

Feel free to leave your own memorial in the comments to those people you know who have served our country, whether living or dead.

Snapshot Saturday

Butterfly is next to me, FigNewTon is next to Grandma

Christmas 2007

Monopoly took forever. Grandma won.

We had so much fun.

Christmas 2007 we visited my Grandma. She had just moved from her home of 30 years into an apartment and she was sad all the time. I thought creating memories in her new home would help. Sharing Christmas morning with children is a fabulous way to create memories, so we packed up and went to visit her. She is a very special lady who mostly raised me. I was glad to give my girls the opportunity to get to know this wonderful lady. We spent lots and lots of time playing board games. Grandma and I spent lots and lots of time playing board games when I was a child, too.

What is a fig newton, Mom?

The other day, Butterfly asked if she could read my blog. She was reading about FigNewton and said she didn't understand the part about cookies. My poor deprived child!! Last night at the grocery store, I bought some fig newtons for her to taste. FigNewTon's opinion of them is mixed. She thinks they are ok, but nothing she'll ask for again. Butterfly hasn't tasted them yet. I only like them if they are homemade.

They were my Grandpa's favorite cookie. He would devour a bag every day if they were at the house, but complained that they weren't any good. About once a year, Grandma would bake a batch. Then Grandpa would think he was on top of the world and tell her how wonderful she was and take her out to dinner and buy her gifts. He would treat her extra special like that for about six months, then he would start dropping hints again. They were funny like that. Grandpa sure loved Grandma. I checked out a few recipies for fig newtons on the web. No wonder Grandma only made them about once a year. Seems a bit labor intensive to me. Not something I am going to tackle this weekend, for sure.