IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LITTLE BIT LIKE CHRISTMAS

Phil and I were in Target the other day and guess what? It's beginning to look like Christmas. I see you holding your head in your hands. I nearly danced down the isle. I got so involved looking at all the finery that Phil lost me.

Now a question: Why does that dear man even have a phone if he's going to leave it in the car? Cell phones major purpose is to find the spouse at Costco and Target. And to call someone while they are driving. And to call the wrong person OR send text messages to the wrong person. Repeatedly. Like someone kept doing to me last week. (Bless his annoying little heart.)

I bought Christmas dishes for one of my daughter-in-laws for Christmas one year. Several years later I found more of them on ebay at only about four time the cost of buying them the first time. I won the bid and she was surprised. It was a good gift. I was a hero. I'm not a hero often so I particularly like this memory.

I wonder if anyone wants Christmas dishes for Christmas this year.

This is this year's patterns.

They only had a few of these so if you want some go get them soon.

All this Christmas stuff brought me... PS Maybe Jason and Elizabeth will surprise me tomorrow and exchange my regular dishes for the Christmas ones.

It's okay to serve Thanksgiving dinner on Christmas dishes, isn't it? Well, isn't it?

Please say yes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Are you ready for this bright New Year? Are you finished with the old one?

Did you accomplish what you wanted to? No? Me neither, but I survived. I laughed and cried. I had bouts of despair when God's angels stepped into my space and loved me and lent me their strength. I had times of hilarity when those same angels were with me, leaning on me, laughing until they were weak. They were my husband, my family and my friends. Unseen angels were with me too, I was mostly unaware of them, but in my heart I know they were there.

Did I change the world? Probably. For the better? I think so. For the worst? I honestly don't think so. If these two things are true then I should be content, but I'm not because I want things better. I want things easier. But ease does not bring growth. Do I want to grow? It doesn't seem so. But, really, I do. After the trial comes the strength. And the blessings.

So, I hope this year will give me just enough hard times for growth and enough ease for me to recharge and enough resources to help those I love and maybe those I don't even know. We're all in this together. I need you and you need me.

May God bless each of you to stand firm and strong when you need to and to lean upon each other with laughter as often as possible.

And may you have a great big dose of the peace and joy that we are promised in the scriptures. May this year be a good one for you and for me and for those we love.

Happy 2009!
Lynne

TODAY'S PRAYER-WISH-LIST

This morning I didn't pray beside my bed. I usually do that first thing after I've showered and dressed because that's when I make my bed. If my bed it unmade it means I haven't had my morning prayer. But, today I was going to change the sheets--note "was going to", as in, it didn't happen--and put the down comforter on for the winter. But, it didn't get done so as I was standing in the hall bathroom, un-ugly-ing my face and un-witching my hair I remembered I hadn't prayed. I folded my arms and had prayer, right there in the bathroom.

This is what I asked for: To remember the joy and the peace I felt when I lived with Heavenly Father before this life on earth. I would really like to remember it all but I know that wish can't be granted so I asked just to remember the joy and the peace. And then I asked that I could have that joy and peace with me.

Today was an ordinary day. I felt peace all day. I had a fair amount of joy too, far more than usual. I know there is no way I could have the joy of that I experienced in my pre-earth-life but what I had today was pretty nice.

So, today's plea was a success. Maybe that's all we have to do. Ask. Ask and have faith.

PS Pika, the prayer cat showed up for my prayer this morning. I don't know how she does it. And she had something to say, too.

PPS We just had family prayer as Phil has gone to bed and yes, Pika attended. She meowed, too. it's the only time we ever hear her voice.

SIX WORD FORTUNES 7-10-08

Fortunes received with aversion and joy.

THE MORNING SONGS

In another six minutes it will be Christmas. I hope everyone has a lovely day. I have been thinking of Mary, tonight, giving birth to a child far from home, with perhaps no one but Joseph to help. I remembered the births of each of my five children. Each one so wanted, loved, fussed over, worried over and finally we realized we had to cut the apron strings and let them become who they wanted to be. I love them with all my heart. Merry Christmas, my children.

Mary had to do that too--let Jesus go, let him be who he was going to be. Jesus knew who he was from such a young age. He said he was "about my Father's business." Bless Mary's heart, a woman so in love with her child and seeing him grow up sooner than any other child, leaving her--so to speak--to become who he was destined to be. She will always be honored by mothers, I think who understand a bit of what she went through. A bit.

Okay, a different topic.

This morning I woke up with a song sending words and melody into the day. I had rather a disturbing night. My troublesome knee kept waking me.When I wasn't awake, trying to get comfortable, I was sleeping with a worrying set of dreams rambling around. All kinds of weird things. Big things and odd little things. I dreamed Costco no longer carried printer paper and Phil was upset. I told him it would be okay because I had at least four reams printed on only one side and we could just turn it over. In my dream he wasn't any more pleased about it than he would be in real life.

I woke up disturbed, thinking of the big things that aren't exactly to my liking. But there was a gift for me this morning. I listened. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," was strumming through my head. The line, "Let nothing you dismay," kept returning until I finally got it. I wasn't to be dismayed. Then, over and over again came the words, "Oh, good tidings of comfort and joy." I knew I wasn't to be dismayed. I was to be comforted and to have joy. This song, those lyrics, have gone through my head all day.

And so I have been comforted and have had joy, even though it has been a hectic, I'm-not-going-to-get-it-all-done kind of a day. Even though I didn't get any advance preparations done for tomorrow's dinner. Even though I didn't get all my to-do list done and I'm beyond tired. It's been a lovely day.

I hope you will listen for the morning songs. There is always a message there for me, always. Except once when the song was, "I saw Momma kissing Santa Claus." This was not in December, it was months and months ago. I am still puzzling over it because, honestly every other morning song has a message.

I wish for you a nice morning song on Christmas. And it is Christmas now. I wish you a wonderful day and a knowledge you are watched over, cared about, and loved.

Merry Christmas.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS TONIGHT

Tonight we went to our granddaughter, Kate's preschool Christmas program. There were eleven little girls, dressed up in their Sunday best. They filed in and sat on big-people chairs with little legs sticking straight out. They wore black tights, white tights, one wore red tights covered in white snowflakes and one little miss had on legwarmers that matched her patterned sweater.

They each had a "part" to say at the microphone, our Kate welcomed us. They sang songs from Sweden, Germany, Hawaii, Mexico, and the United States of America. They had simple costume changes, and once had lighted candles--battery operated. The lights in the room were turned off. As soon as that happened one little girl got the giggles. Kate led the group and walked into the microphone. BONK! Then they all followed her in a line around the audience with their candles, they were singing all the way.

The songs were sweet. One little girl didn't as much sing as yell. One started off the evening with the sulks and slumped in her chair, her head pulled into her sweater like a turtle. Some were distracted and looked around as if they had never seen a room with walls and a ceiling before. One decided she had an itch and proceeded to scratch all over her tummy, which she bared so she could attend to it better. They told us their names and ages, most were four with one six-year-old and one announced she was "free."

We mainly watched Kate, who did an interesting interpretation of the hula to one of the Hawaiian songs. She didn't so much as use her hands in expressive movements as pat her body from side to side. When one of the songs had the line, "you better not pout," she had an expressive, "and if you do pout you are going to be in big trouble" face. She was practicing to be a mom, I'm pretty sure. She has beautiful large eyes, an engaging smile and confidence that the rest of us would do well to have at any age.

As soon as the program was over we hugged everyone--well, the family members anyway, and dashed to our church house as we were late for our Ward Christmas party. We shouldn't have worried. Our Ward was operating on Mormon Standard Time, which is "always a few minutes late." We missed the caroling but were in time for dinner. I took a salad, a variation of my Poppy Seed one (I'll post it on my cookbook site). I guess it turned out okay as I got a request for the recipe from yet another one of the beautiful women in our ward. I tell you, our neighborhood is full of beautiful woman. This one looks like a Russian princess and she might be. Her ancestors are indeed Russian.

The Primary children were all dressed up as members of the nativity. They sat in rows on the stage and sang song after song about the birth of the Savior. There were boys with towels draped over their heads, tied with cord or twine . One boy had a turban on his head that was unbelievable in its magnificence, one had a crown. There were angels, at least two Mary's (one whose real name is Mary) with baby Jesus dolls wrapped in baby blankets. The Primary presidency had supplied halo's made of tinsel to all who wanted them. The girls held their heads high so not to disturb the perfection. The boys took their halos off and twirled them on fingers.

After the Primary kids the Young Men and Young Women did several numbers with bells. It was reverent and beautiful.

After the youth, a couple, who sing like professionals--actually they almost are professionals, sang some carols that I had not heard before. They are happy and in love and made us feel like they were in love with us too.

He played the accordion, which I think was my Dad's. It belongs to my son but he Lent it to Eric--my son is Eric's wife's niece's husband. How's that for confusing? We're all just one happy family here. One day I will tell you how Trent got to become Eric's wife's niece's husband. A real love story and I was the matchmaker. The best success I ever had and the luckiest day of Trent's life.

The whole evening was delightful. Family, all watching the littlest member sing and walk into a microphone and conduct herself with regal confidence. Good food with friends all around. Wonderful innocent children and the youth, so clean and happy and anxious to read the music and ring their bells at the right time. Beautiful carols, sung about Mary and Joseph and the baby, born in the stable.

I looked around the cultural hall, filled with tables full of people, most of which I know pretty well. I had an overwhelming feeling that I was good friends with each of them in Heaven. Good friends with the children who I don't know very well since I don't work in the Primary any more. I felt like we laughed and learned and shared our lives and we should love each other here. It was a tender gift, given to me for just a few moments. An exquisite feeling of joy. I am content.

PS FOR YESTERDAY'S FLEETING HAPPINESS POST

Don't feel sorry for me. I'm not sad or depressed. The "happy" I was talking about was/is pure joy. I have felt it a few times in my life. I think this is how we felt when we lived with our Heavenly parents before coming here, to earth life. I think this was the state we lived in, pure joy.

I have felt that joy a few times in my life. The most memorable one was after I lost a baby. I was five month pregnant and the baby died. He was perfect. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong. I could not heal. I grieved. There is nothing more powerful to say than to say I grieved. If you have ever lost a child you will understand.

In prayer I finally asked Heavenly Father if I could just see my child. That night, in a dream, my oldest child, Trent, brought the baby, Stephen, to me. The baby was dressed in a blue, footed sleeper. He had dark hair, like my other children had had--this was before my blond haired, blue eyed Bentley was born. Trent gave Stephen to me and my whole being was flooded with joy. It is my most precious memory.

That's the joy I'm talking about. That's the joy that comes so rarely. That's the joy we lived with, I think, when we lived with our Heavenly parents. That's the joy I miss. Maybe you miss it too.