Extra Thankful Thanksgiving.
Monday morning, the week of Thanksgiving. The kids all have early release today and tomorrow then they are off for Thanksgiving. We will celebrate Thanksgiving with the usual suspects, all the family from here, extended family and our New Mexico family who drives in. I am extra excited about Thanksgiving this year, this is Rob's first year in 18 years that he has not worked 20 hour days at the bakery leading up to the day of Thanksgiving. He said to me yesterday, wow, I can see why so many people like Thanksgiving now. The holidays for us have always been stressful because of Rob's work schedule, this year now that he is at DRI has opened some space up in our life for family time and time to do the holiday planning together. I am extra thankful this Thanksgiving.
I was telling my sweet friend Yvonne yesterday I had no real inspiration for our family Christmas card this year. I generally start thinking Christmas card idea's up in September. Here we are the week of Thanksgiving and I hadn't come up with a new idea. Yesterday was a nice warm day, and I really wanted to grab a couple of pics of my kids before the weather cooled off. They are so much more pleasant when they are not freezing cold and their mother has a camera in their face. I had exactly 6 minutes to shoot our Christmas card pic yesterday due to our schedule, and it all came together. I created our card and ordered them last night. Whew!! It all came together quickly. I wanted my kids to wear clothes that they loved, not necessarily matching for the card, Jack's clothes for church yesterday were totally classic Jack, plaid shorts, totally different color plaid shirt, and his purple high tops. I loved his ecclectic look, Derek had put on a Bears shirt in honor of the game last night, and Sophie found a casual outfit. I loved the personality that comes through. The last couple of years we have done a family pic for the card, but this year decided it was easiest just to use a pic of the kids. As we were driving down our street to take the pictures, Jack says, "What is dad not coming? Did he not make the Christmas card picture this year?" I laughed. Told Rob that and he laughed too.
Books, I can't seem to get through a book here lately. I am reading a couple, On Writing Well, is the book I have next to me right now. I think I will be taking tomorrow morning off to do some extended Bible study and have some personal time just reading and hanging out before my kids are done with school this week. Today is going to be a bit crazy, so I might as well get as much done within the craziness today and rest tomorrow.
I did do my study this morning in the book of Mark. Mark is a special book for me for several reasons, but today my reading was in The Message version. I feel like I am reading stories I have never read before when I read The Message, it is a great way to read the stories of Christ, and the stories in the Bible, they seem to be a bit more accessible in todays common language.
I have a Message/NIV Side by side Bible. So I often read the Message side then re read it in the NIV to remind me of the version I am more familiar with. I love having the two versions right next to each other.
I will leave you with the words of Christ as spoken to the woman who touched his robe from the Message. Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague."
I find it interesting that she was healed, but Jesus then said "Be healed of your plague." She was already healed, but I think that Jesus was reminding her that she should choose to move on from the negativity she could carry around with her, the feeling of brokeness from her past. He told her to live well, live blessed. That's a choice isn't it? Praying that today I choose to live well and live blessed. Thanks be to God.
I was telling my sweet friend Yvonne yesterday I had no real inspiration for our family Christmas card this year. I generally start thinking Christmas card idea's up in September. Here we are the week of Thanksgiving and I hadn't come up with a new idea. Yesterday was a nice warm day, and I really wanted to grab a couple of pics of my kids before the weather cooled off. They are so much more pleasant when they are not freezing cold and their mother has a camera in their face. I had exactly 6 minutes to shoot our Christmas card pic yesterday due to our schedule, and it all came together. I created our card and ordered them last night. Whew!! It all came together quickly. I wanted my kids to wear clothes that they loved, not necessarily matching for the card, Jack's clothes for church yesterday were totally classic Jack, plaid shorts, totally different color plaid shirt, and his purple high tops. I loved his ecclectic look, Derek had put on a Bears shirt in honor of the game last night, and Sophie found a casual outfit. I loved the personality that comes through. The last couple of years we have done a family pic for the card, but this year decided it was easiest just to use a pic of the kids. As we were driving down our street to take the pictures, Jack says, "What is dad not coming? Did he not make the Christmas card picture this year?" I laughed. Told Rob that and he laughed too.
Books, I can't seem to get through a book here lately. I am reading a couple, On Writing Well, is the book I have next to me right now. I think I will be taking tomorrow morning off to do some extended Bible study and have some personal time just reading and hanging out before my kids are done with school this week. Today is going to be a bit crazy, so I might as well get as much done within the craziness today and rest tomorrow.
I did do my study this morning in the book of Mark. Mark is a special book for me for several reasons, but today my reading was in The Message version. I feel like I am reading stories I have never read before when I read The Message, it is a great way to read the stories of Christ, and the stories in the Bible, they seem to be a bit more accessible in todays common language.
I have a Message/NIV Side by side Bible. So I often read the Message side then re read it in the NIV to remind me of the version I am more familiar with. I love having the two versions right next to each other.
I will leave you with the words of Christ as spoken to the woman who touched his robe from the Message. Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague."
I find it interesting that she was healed, but Jesus then said "Be healed of your plague." She was already healed, but I think that Jesus was reminding her that she should choose to move on from the negativity she could carry around with her, the feeling of brokeness from her past. He told her to live well, live blessed. That's a choice isn't it? Praying that today I choose to live well and live blessed. Thanks be to God.
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