Monday, December 22, 2008

Yummy Creations

Lori Rickle made (yes, made!) gorgeous gingerbread houses for her sons class and mine as well. A few weeks ago she brought them in and set them up on our lunch tables with four bowls of candy for each student to use for decorating. The icing was homemade, also. So yummy! Lori made houses for me and Nancy to decorate, too. My first gingerbread house! I took it with me to Anhalt's that night and we sampled the sugary goodness. What a fun Christmas activity!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Remembering "Joy to the World"

I love the song "Joy to the World." When I was in college we had PC (Prayer Captain) and RA (Resident Assistant) meetings every Tuesday night. Usually we would sing a few songs to start things on the right note. (Pardon the pun!) Being the silly college girl that I was, I would always request "Joy to the World" - no matter the season. When I left, my friend and fellow RA, Hayley (a.k.a Hayles) realized I wasn't there to request "Joy" so she did it for me, in my honor. Such a silly little thing, I know. But college held such sweet memories of people and moments, and I wanted to share this holiday memory with everyone.

Monday, December 15, 2008

What more could I want?

I'm sitting here at school with some time to spare before our staff party, listening to the great music on my blog. I love Christmas music! My little brother doesn't share that passion, he can be a bit of a scrooge. =) I love him though, as you all should know. In fact, he called me today about getting a plane ticket. He needed to know where to look, and I could help with that. I was honored that he called for my help, even for something as simple as finding a plane ticket. Anyway, as I was sitting here thinking about what to write and recalling the events of the day, I thought for some reason of Christmas gifts. As usual I made a list for mom. I generally know exactly what I want and that's all I want. My list included things like new slippers (mine are falling apart), gift cards to certain stores, a crock pot, and a variety of other items I cannot even remember at the moment. After I gave mom the list I decided I need a new cell phone, so if they wanted they could just give me money toward that. But in all honesty, I don't need or want anything this year. God has given me so much more than I could ever ask for or imagine already, what more could I want? I have a mom, dad, and brother who love me and love eachother. I have a soon to be sister-in-law with whom I get along tremendously well and can't wait 'til she is part of our family. (Legally that is, she's definitely been a part of our family for a long time already=) God provided not one, but two lovely duplexes to live in this year. I had the privilege of living with my brother in one of those places. Now I have the great joy of living next door to one of my favorite families in the world, and close by several others.
God has literally given me furniture, cash, and a big gift card (the amount was big, not the card!). I say that God gave me those things because the cash and gift card I found in my box at school after thinking and praying about specific needs, and there they were. No one but God and me knew about the need, and I sure didn't put those things in my own box! The furniture now in my house came almost entirely as gifts from friends and family. Without them, without God's provision, I would be eating dinner on the floor and my guests would have to sleep on the floor. I may not have the nicest furniture in the world, but to me each piece is a treasure.
God has given me a job that is my greatest joy in the world. He has given me sweet, smart students. He has given me money to fix the car that He provided two years ago. He has strengthened old friendships and introduced new ones. God has worked in the lives of numerous indiviudals to bring my focus to Himself and His great glory. God has used tough, nasty situations to teach me valuable lessons. God has given me strength for today and hope for tomorrow. Because of His Son, I have victory over sin. I'm dead to that! And by His grace I am and will continue to be alive to God's purposes in my life.
This is long- winded and I apologize. Thank you for being patient. I ask you to think this year what God has done for you, and I hope you can say, "What more could I want?!"