Christmas comes too fast.

I thought I had a head-start on Christmas this year. Cards getting done, not much shopping, but now it's down to three days and it seems like a mountain of stuff to be done. Why is it no matter how much planning goes into getting ready, the last minute stuff STILL seems overwhelming. I'm not enjoying going out into the -43 windchill to pick up these last minute things. I actually dragged my 2 and3 year old grand-babies out in this kind of weather and they were crying within 20 seconds because of their frozen little cheeks. What a mean grandma-mama. Well tomorrow is another day,to get those last minute things. Wish me luck.

The Best I Knew How

Do any of us wake up one morning and say, " I think today I will make a decision that will mess up the rest of my life. A really really stupid decision that will hurt everyone I love and make their lives miserable". I think we ALL try to do the BEST that we can do for ourselves and for others. The best we can do may not be what others expect of us. The best we can do may not even be what WE WISH we could do but it is ALL we can do at that particular time. We make decisions that we believe are good decisions at the TIME we make them. Looking backward in time, when time has passed and we grow, we may THEN say ---"What a dumb decision that was". At the time the decision WAS MADE, it was still the BEST choice we could make. We can learn from the past, but we can't re-live it. We can become wiser and make different choices later on, but what is done is done. Personally I think I live with TOO MUCH regret as I am a "reflector" by nature. I ask questions like, "should I","would I", "could I", have done it better. The truth of the matter is I did the best I could.

MORE Beautiful than this

You who created all things;
You are more beautiful than the sun rise
More magnificent than the sun set
You are brighter than all the stars that shine
More brilliant than the sun in it's glory
All You have made is glorious yet, You out shine them all

You who created all things;
You have more splendor than the streets of gold
More majesty than the angelic host who cry day and night "Holy, Holy, Holy"
You are more beautiful than the azure sea before your throne
More glorious than the emerald rainbow over your throne
All You have made is glorious yet, You out shine them all

You who created all things;
You are more wonderful than the Christmas story
More marvelous than the Easter story
You are Resurrection, You are LIFE
Still, You are greater than your Salvation plan
All You have done is glorious yet, You out shine all

You are all things Loving
You are all things Kind
You are all things Just
You are all things Fair
You are all things Merciful
All You are is glorious yet, YOU out shine all.

Experience

I have been praying for a friend who has been going through a difficult time. I often will pray for people but this person I felt like I was carrying some of her sorrow or pain. This morning the difficulty was resolved in a positive way and I woke up feeling that freedom had come for her. I could FEEL the release of the negative forces that she had been living under and knew she was free. Later today I was told just HOW this difficulty was resolved but I already KNEW in my spirit that it was finished. I wish spiritual things were as clear to me as physical things. I know spiritual things are truly MORE REAL than physical things as they are eternal and the physical is only temporary, but because we live in this realm physical things SEEM more real. I am learning, on this journey. HELP ME to learn QUICKER!

Life Changes

I've been thinking a lot about the life changes we go through. In adolescence we decide who we are and how we are going to act and react in life. We decide what is acceptable, funny and permissible. In adult life we decide how we are going to raise our kids, do business, what kind of hobbies and recreation we will engage in. We decide the 'pay off' in volunteering, both for others and ourselves. We know what importance we place on money. We contribute to society with time, energy and finances. As we get past child rearing years, we once again need to reinvent ourselves--almost like in adolescence. What do we contribute to others. Energy is low. More time is spent just doing the everyday tasks of life. More time is spent resting than contributing to others. Who am I now that I'm not a high energy contributing member of society? I need to find my value to myself and to others. Back to the same decisions I was making in adolescence. Is this the circle of life???