2016

WITH CHILD

a gasp, a cry
an exhausted mother's sigh
a father's teardrops
a heavenly umbilical cord cut and tied

a sweet aroma of fresh hay
a tiny gurgle as rosebud lips find milk
a whispered prayer
a naming as God commanded

a squeak of rafters as birds and mice gather
a gentle breeze to fan the fire
a clip and clop of a donkey's feet
a quiet baa-aa and a gentle moo

a ray of starlight
a flutter of angel wings
a silence
a moment realizing God's sacrifice- His only Son

a yip of a sheepdog on th hillside
an owl's hoot as he hunts
a rowdy laugh from the inn
a braying camel on the dusty road

a mother and babe sleep
a father watches
an angel guards
a world waits

May you be blessed with a quietness in your soul.

Selah...

Shalom, Connie

[written by me]

"It’s Looking A Lot Like Christmas"

  Snow at my house.

I just need to ask, how does Christmas look?

I have watched PBS's Christmas in France. The customs varied from area to area- Paris celebrated differently than they did in the countryside. There were beautiful, snowy scenes; even a horse-drawn sleigh. Is that how Christmas looks?

Or is it the Christmas pageant with little ones dressed in shepherds robes or wearing crowns like the 3 kings? Is it the live manger scene in front of the big church downtown? Or it is the Christmas tree with colorful gifts underneath? It is midnight mass? The company party?

Having been a nurse for 50 years, I have worked many Christmases caring for sick, injured, sad, lonely, dying people? Is that how Christmas looks? 

For each of us it is different; and it may change from year to year.

As I prepare throughout Advent for the celebration of Christ's birth, I try to envision Christmas from the viewpoint of the angels, of Joseph, of the shepherds, of Mary, and so on. But I never thought of Christ's birth from His grandmother's point of view.

Guess it's because my son left today to join his family in another state. The weather is bad.  I'm not sure if he arrived safely. He may be stranded.

As a mom, I am wondering if he's in an airport or was he able to get a room? Are my grandkids okay? Do they have a place to lay their heads tonight?

Is that what  "Christmas" may have been for Mary's mother? Was she worrying about about Mary traveling when she was so close to her delivery time? Was she concerned that they'd find a place to stay? Did she realize that it would be more than days, more than even weeks or months before she'd met her grand baby? Did she understand who this baby was?

Was "Christmas" a day of continuous prayer for Mary's safety? Or had this mother disowned her daughter? Was she going to accept a baby that wasn't even Joseph's? How would she react when the King decrees that all males under two must die?

So many questions...

All I know for sure is that I want to…

¯Go Tell It On the Mountain that Jesus Christ Is Born!¯

Selah...

Think on this.

Connie

PAUSE

This season of the year is seldom a time of stillness. 

Our already busy lives just shift into a higher gear.

Pause.

Take a Breath.

Think calmness, serenity, gentleness, quiet...

Be still!

Selah-

Connie

My Secret is Out

The best news this year is the official completion of my third grandchild's adoption. He now has a forever family! 

SAM* has been with my son's family for over a year, but as a foster child I was not able to share anything about him.

On July 4^th, 2014, he called me Gramma for the first time while watching the fireworks from my backyard. My heart did a happy dance.

Sam will be 8 this month. He is in 2nd grade and does well at school. He likes small cars & always seems to have one or two in his pockets. One of his first visits to my apartment, I showed him where to find all the Matchbox cars. I think it was the first step toward accepting me as his grandma. 

He has quite an adult vocabulary and is not shy about sharing his opinions. Over the summer he took swim lessons, fall of 2014 he played soccer and he loves their trampoline. He’s very active and talkative from the moment his eyes open until bedtime.

It has filled my heart to overflowing watching my son, who I adopted when he was 7 weeks old, enfolding his adopted son with an abundance of love. The family has adjusted well...good thing because this is FOREVER.

I love Sam’s hugs. At first, he copied whatever his brother and sister did, but in February I received the first spontaneous hug. It felt so special! I knew I was really becoming his Gramma. 

This past summer he gave me a small golden-colored glass heart. saying, "I bought it with my own money, Gramma. And I would only get the gold one for you." 

This cherished heart sits on a small mirror in a place of honor.

By the way, Sam and I have a goal: to walk the Loop together. [That is the street they live on. It is one mile around. I haven’t been able to walk it since 2006.] By the time I complete cardiac rehab', I hopefully can do it.

So glad my secret can be shared with you... because my #3 grandchild is very special just like his big brother and sister.

* Name changed for privacy.