Delaware Grammy

These are a few of my favorite things!!!

I’ve been so challenged by this prayer by Jill Briscoe:

A Prayer to Recover Our Cutting Edge

Dear Savior,
Sharpen my focus, quicken my lethargic spirit.
Show me where you need to grow me into a compliant child.
Give me an increasing awareness of the places where
I lost my spiritual edge.
And when I grieve your heart, may I grow weary with weeping.
Cause my shamefaced soul the consternation it should know
when I reisist your promptings.
Mend me, as you mind me, that you and I may be as one,
united in purpose as you bring a lost world to its senses.
Ready me for battle as you win my wars.
Steady me for conflict in the inner halls of your residence.
Teach me abandonment to your love and service.
Look upon me, and love me into your likeness —
before you bring me home!
I love you, Lord.
Amen.

From her book, Prayer that Works
 Tyndale House publishers, Carols Stream, Illinois.  Copyright 2000.

One of my most enjoyable annual jobs is my Christmas letter and getting the cards ready for the mail.

Why then do I procrastinate so???

Last Saturday night, we had our annual Christmas party for the families of the people who work with Certain Man at his office.  Some of these families have been coming from the very first time we had it, five or six years ago.  (I’ve actually lost track!)   We watched some of these children grow up and enjoyed learning to know them better.  Some of these are people who Certain Man worked with before Public Health moved his office to a different building.  Some of them moved with him. 

When we handed out the invitations this year, we wondered who would come and who wouldn’t.  There have been many changes over the last year in this department of Public Health.  There were twenty some families invited, but we knew from experience that less than half would come.  Even those who say they are coming are sometimes deterred at the last minute by other demands of the season.  We decided a long time ago that this night belonged first to our Heavenly Father, and it was up to Him who came and who did not.  We are always glad for each one that comes, but we don’t take it personally when someone can’t make it.

I decided to take pictures as the families arrived.  So often, I leave it until they are leaving, and then someone gets missed.  We had a great group of people (though there were some that usually come who couldn’t for one reason or another, and we did miss them).

Carol and her family

Yvonne and her girls

Judy and her daughter and granddaughter

Lance and his family

Certain Man and Donna (She’s sorta’ family)

Dana and her family

  I didn’t get pictures of the “Eating” but we did take random shots of the gathering afterwards.  We gathered together in the living room and Youngest Daughter read the Christmas Story from the Best Book of All.

And then, our faithful pianist, who has helped us for many of the years we’ve gotten together, helped us to get started singing. 

She had a little extra help, but Karen is terrific any way you cut it.

The girlies in the corner.

These two were a joy to watch

Around another corner, and up the steps.  Actual participation was pretty much 100%.
It is such a joy to listen to!

At the end, we light candles around the circle, and turn out the lights to sing “Silent Night”

Beautiful faces . . .

Quiet music . . .

Holy ground, Holy joy . . .

And all too soon, it was over for another year.

But while we were sitting around, talking as a family about the evening, Beloved Son-in-law and Eldest Daughter dropped in from BSIL’s Company Christmas Dinner. 

Of course, we had to take a picture of them, too. 
The evening wouldn’t have been complete without them.

One of my Precious Daddy’s Brothers (Jesse) married my Sweet Mama’s Sister (Gladys)  Their children and the Sibling Six of the Mark Yoder family grew up almost like brothers and sisters.  Every family reunion, we were all there.

Yesterday, Uncle Jesse and Aunt Gladys became the Great Grandparents to twins:

Picture from http://roblogs.wordpress.com

And today my Sweet Mama and my Precious Daddy (in Heaven) became the great grandparents to twin girls:

Autumn Brooke and Amber Sky– (here with their beautiful Mama, Jessica)

 
Picture from www.xanga.com/pollythepatchworker

What an incredible blessing!  What joy our hearts hold tonight! 

EDIT  My brother, Mark, Jr. and his sweet wife Polly are the grandparents of these two.  It sometimes isn’t fair at all that this youngest brother of ours has the most grandbabies.  This makes number six and seven for him.  Their oldest son, Israel and his wife, Jessica have six (with these two) and his second son, Jeremy and and his wife, Cheryl, have one.  My brother, Clint and his wife, Frieda, have two grandbabies, and my brother Nelson and his wife Rose have four with number five on the way.  And all of those grandbabies are the cutest things in the world!  I am so happy to see my brothers be Grandpas.  They are grandpas of the best order, and it warms my heart to watch them with their grandchildren. 

For the whole stories, go to

www.xanga.com/pollythepatchworker

and:

http://roblogs.wordpress.com

Interestingly enough, My Precious Daddy was a twin.  His twin, Luke, was always extra special to our Daddy.  If our calculations are correct this is the first set of living twins in the family line since they were born in 1929.  Somebody correct me if they know otherwise. 
 

On another note, word came this morning that my last Great-Aunt on my Mama’s side, (edit:  Actually, the last living relative on either side of my grandparent’s generation) Gladys Lauver, passed away in her sleep.  She was 100 years old.  Once again, birth and death mix in our lives in ways we cannot avoid.

And so our lives go on . . .  

        Certain Man’s Village this year is the best ever.  One of the things I love about him is that he is a man of many, many abilities and there is this artistic side to him that finds expression in little ways that brings order and beauty into our lives as a family that we would miss otherwise.  I took some pictures this morning so that I could more accurately show the details.     

         It is imperative that people understand that my involvement in the village is purely on the observation level  Certain Man creates this village and for him, it seems to take on a life of its own.  Sometimes people will say to me, “I moved something (of the accessories) in the village.  How long do you suppose it will take him to notice?”  The truth is, unless it is a HOUSE, He won’t notice.  In a village, people and animals move around, and so, it is not unusual for an item to be somewhere that it wasn’t the day before.  (The figurines do not become alive at the stroke of midnight, but sometimes it seems like they could!!!)

This is the ” corner view”

To the right of that picture is what he calls the “Wilderness Area”

Here there is a hobo shack (in the middle of the picture), hunting lodges, and an old grist mill.

The train track runs along the edge of the wilderness, and in the immediate front is one of Certain Man’s very, very few “Village 56” items.  The Coca-Cola bottling plant went on sale many years ago, and he picked it up.  He is quite fond of it.  This is the beginning of the downtown section of the village.

More of the downtown section.  The little sign in the front says “Daniel’s Village.”

Here the train makes a turn and goes back into a tunnel that runs underneath the last row of houses and come out on the other end (between the Wilderness area and town).

These two pictures show part of the park and the lake.  This is  the “Residential Section” of the village.

On the left end of the village, Certain Man has constructed a “riverfront” development:

Here he puts fishermen, docks and pilings.  He has a fish “shop” and other mariner type things.  There is actually a lighthouse that is just off the picture. 

And that is the “tour” around Certain Man’s Christmas Village.

Again, we are glad when people stop by and want to see the village.  It is always nice to see old friends and make new ones!

Come on over.

See the village.

Have some party mix!

This photo is not too clear — but it is a Bald Eagle, perched in the tree across the road from where my good friend, www.xanga.com/libreriaelfaro has her Spanish Christian book store.  I am sorry this isn’t clearer, but it was so exciting to get a call from Eldest Daughter, begging me to “come and see!” 

And this was the best picture that I could produce, but I think it is pretty evident that it is, in fact, a Bald Eagle.  According to the authorities, Delaware’s Bald Eagle population has been enjoying a comeback, but I don’t know that we will ever get immune to the sight of one of these majestic birds sailing through our skies unannounced. 

 It just does something for my heart that a turkey buzzard does not!

It is almost 11:30, but I wanted to show you that I am mostly done with my study!  I have the counter to do — and it will wait until Monday, but I am pleased as I can be with what is finished.  Thanks for the encouragement, and especially for those of you who prayed for me.  I could never have made it without the prayers!

Yes, what you are seeing is a baby’s dressing table.  I thought that it fit into this liitle nook quite nicely.  It is the one that Daniel made years and years ago for our first foster baby (In 1975) and it has been a part of our home ever since.  More often than not it is a “collecting place” for left behind possessions, but maybe if it is in here, that won’t happen as quickly. 

Whew!  Am I tired!!! 

Methinks I’m gonna’ go to bed!

G’night all . . .

Still plodding (not so bravely) on . . .

However, now I am

encouraged by a helper!