Isn’t it easy especially at Christmas to be focused on self? We can easily be consumed with all that we still need to do – buy, wrap, bake, write, attend, host and clean, that we become task oriented instead of people oriented.

The line of people ahead of us at the grocery store are delays while we wait instead of opportunities. The cashier is the end of our wait, instead of a person who needs the Good News that we have to share.

Our focus can even be turned so much to the small circle around us – our family – that we don’t see the opportunities that are at our fingertips. People are so needy at Christmas. Those that are hurting due to a loved ones’ death in the past year are even more desperate during the holidays. Those that are sick, or waiting on a sick loved one at the hospital, are even more lonely or anxious. Those that are financially hurting really feel the crunch now, when not only are they trying to make ends meet, but they’re also trying to come up with a little extra to purchase gifts for their families.

On Christmas Eve a few years ago, our family began going to the hospital to pass out bags of homemade Christmas goodies to the people waiting in the ICU. We go to be a blessing, and always came home having been blessed! Then that evening the girls always did a sister Christmas performance using the piano, violin, guitar, etc. That will not happen this year because Whitney has married and will be at her home for Christmas, which is as it should be! So, I’m praying about how the Lord would want to use me and my family to be a blessing to others at that time. It would be easy to say, “Things will never be the same now that Whitney’s married” and just sulk, but we would miss out on being used of the Lord. I’m looking for a new tradition to begin this year – something we could do for others – especially on Christmas Eve. It will take the focus off of changes and shine the light on others’ needs instead of my own.

So, tell me, what do you do that enables you to serve others at Christmas? Any thoughts about a new tradition we could begin? I’d love to have folks in our home in the evening, but know it’s time for others to be with their families. Hmmm…. I’m open for your good suggestions!

With love,

Details. Most all women want them. Most every part of life requires them for things to run smoothly. The wedding this past weekend is a perfect example. What bride doesn’t spend a good many hours working through all the specifics of her upcoming wedding? There’s the colors, the dresses, the flowers, the cake, the music, the placement of people on the platform, the timing of when each thing will happen, the registry, the invitations and much more! Rarely does any wedding happen with all the details falling into place perfectly. If there’s not a huge glitch, there is usually at least a little one.

As I’ve been reading through the story of Christ’s birth in Matthew, I have been especially attentive to all the detail that had to be in place for the perfect Son of God to fulfill God’s perfect plan of salvation.

• The timing was right; it was before Mary and Joseph were married. She had to be a virgin.
• The placement of all the people was right – Mary was engaged to Joseph, who was in the line of David.
• The location was right – Jesus was born in Bethlehem, as was prophesied.
• The movement was right – Joseph took Mary and Jesus and fled to Egypt.

My point is that God’s plan was perfect and was fulfilled perfectly. There were no glitches. No part of God’s plan fell through. Though Satan would loved to have thwarted it, the plan of salvation was fulfilled, beginning with the perfectly orchestrated birth of God’s Son.

How thankful I am for a God who worked out every detail so I could be saved. This same God is also concerned with every detail of everything that touches my life and yours today and is able to take care of it perfectly.” Why?

“For with God, nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37

We got home mid-afternoon on Saturday, so I had time to pull a Sunday dinner together, simple as it was. Alli’s boyfriend, Dan sacrificed and drove up to help us with the load of things we had to bring back; he’s such a willing servant (with an ulterior motive, but that’s okay!).

Menu

We love this Asian Salad. The regular recipe has lots of oil and sugar, but this is from Cooking Light and is much reduced and is every bit as good! It’s has a nice crunch to it and is a nice change! The ingredients might seem strange, but try it anyway!

Asian Noodle Salad

1/3 Cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 T vegetable oil

2 T honey

2 T soy sauce

1 T margarine

1/4 cup slivered almonds

2 T sunflower seed kernels

2 (5 oz) pkgs Japanese curly noodles, uncooked and crumbled (Ramen Noodles)

8 cups shredded napa cabbage

2 cups shredded carrot

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, an cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Spoon mixture into a bowl; cover and chill.

2. Melt marg. in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds, sunflower kernels, and noodles; cook 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, tossing occasionally. Spoon mixture into a large bowl; cover and chill. Add vinegar mixture to noodle mixture; let stand 15 minutes. Add cabbage, carrot, and onions, tossing to coat.

Yield: 12 servings

We did a chocolate fountain at the wedding reception and I have lots of maraschino cherries left over that were opened. I also have lots of candy canes. Anyone have good Christmas recipes for these ingredients? I had thought of making peppermint bark, but not sure what else I could do.

Trust you’re enjoying this week before Christmas. Don’t let the moments pass you by without taking time to ponder the wonder of this season.

With love,

Well, Friends, I’m off to Greenville today to see my daughter get married on Friday night. The Puffs are packed and I think I’m ready. Should be a lovely Christmas wedding. Before I go, I’ll finish the tour of our house.

The guest room already has a Christmas touch because of its red and white theme, but the little bear is a Christmas bear and sits on the bed ready for guests to come visit!

Isn’t he cute?

The kitchen with the knife and spoon decorated pencil tree in the corner.

This is a zoomed in picture of my snowman display on the high shelf. I love grouping them all together. I’ve been collecting these for years and they each have a special memory.

The little tree on the kitchen counter was in our school room when the girls were small. Wow, we’ve had that a long time!

The master bedroom only has a couple additions – the greenery on the headboard and the little tree on the wall.

Our headboard is new as of this past summer. I thought the light colored wood would be so pretty with the greenery on it.

Have a great end of the week and I’ll catch up with you on Monday and tell you all about the Big weekend!

Love,