Update Prayer Request for Madden

Hello dear prayer warriors.  I received a comment on my prayer request post for Madden from her mother.  It appears that her baby lived for 5 days after being born in September.  While her daughter’s time here on earth was short, the miracle of her birth and the miracle of 13 people coming to Christ at her funeral will last for eternity.  Please continue to lift this family up in prayer, asking God to cover them in peace and healing. ~Briggie

Christmastime Is Here?

So, Thanksgiving has come and gone and now the push for Christmas is upon us.  The television has bombarded us with Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads to let us know we can get those great presents at a great price.  The mailman has delivered enough sale circulars to paper our walls and our email inboxes are over-flowing with reminders of the same.

I can’t speak for everyone because not everyone is in the same situation as I am, but I think I can safely say that we need to focus on what is important.  We need to focus on what we can do, and not what we can’t do.

We can change the channel when luring commercials come on.  We can toss out the sale circulars that tempt us to spend money we don’t have.  We can hide our credit cards and save up our change.  We can delete and unsubscribe the emails that urge us to check out their websites.

Check out your town’s (or those nearby) list of events, many of them  have tree lighting ceremonies with all kinds of things to do with your family.  Have your own tree lighting ceremony complete with stringing popcorn garland (make extra for munching), make pinecone ornaments, or use last year’s cards with ribbon as ornaments to trim your tree then make some hot chocolate and watch your favorite Christmas movie.

If you have little one’s in your home, have them make Christmas cards rather than buying boxed ones.  Make sure they send a few to our service men and women overseas.  If your family is on the grown up side, consider making your Christmas cards using some photos from prior Christmas’ to bring back fond memories for everyone.

Start a new tradition.  Maybe you gather everyone together and bake a traditional cookie as well as a new recipe or make handmade ornaments.  Get friends and family together and go caroling or help decorate each other’s homes.

Have a ‘Secret Santa’ Christmas.  Write each person’s name on a slip of paper.  Gather everyone together and have them pull a name from the hat – not sharing with anyone who they picked.  Set the rules of the exchange such as price limit, when gifts will be exchanged, whether it should be a handmade or store bought gift, etc…  Then, to make things even more fun, follow-up with a ‘Silly Santa’ exchange (or Yankee Swap).  My family did this last year and it was so much fun, however we did not open the gifts until everyone had a gift and the trades were completed and we opened them one at a time.  Make sure you keep a camera handy.

We can choose to believe in the magic of Christmas.  We can choose to be happy.  We can choose to stay hopeful.  It’s our choice to make, it’s my choice to make and so I choose all of the above.

Giving Thanks???

I am counting the days until Thanksgiving and Christmas and trying to figure out how I am going to pay my bills and have anything leftover for gift giving and holiday cooking let alone being thankful for what I have.

I am trying my best not to give in to the sorrow and sadness that keeps trying to creep into my spirit.  Every time a commercial comes on there are car ads, or department store ads telling me how I can get that special person a special gift at a special price and I get a knot in my stomach knowing I need a new car but can’t afford one, and would love to get the special people in my life that special gift but don’t have the money to do it.

I know that even though our family is going through a very rough time, there are others with less than we have.  I know that even though I am behind in some of my bills, there are those that have lost their homes, cars and more.  While I keep my thermostat set low to save on my gas bill, there are those with no heat or home.  I know that while I have to cut back on buying extra special treats for the holidays, there are those with nothing to eat today.  I know that it’s not the number of gifts you give or how much you spend, but the thought behind what you give.

It took writing out my thoughts to remember I have so very much to be thankful for.  While it’s not great I have my health, while it needs repair I have a home, while it’s not gourmet I have food, while I could be a bit toastier I have warmth, while it’s not designer or in style I have clothing, while it needs a lot of repair I have a car, and while we’re not the Waltons I have family and friends who love and care for me and I wouldn’t change for anything. 

I can’t turn back time to when I had a great paying job and money and great credit and I can’t predict the future, so I have to live in the day and be thankful that I am here to experience it.

I pray that His peace that surpasses all understanding is yours.  God bless.