Saturday, December 19, 2009

It's Saturday evening.  This is the time of the week our family winds down and begins visiting.  All are tired, but glad for our "weekend"...church tomorrow and this week, a day at home to finish all those last minute projects and wrap gifts.  I'm sure there will be a game or two of Catan and Rook awaiting us too, as well as a 1000 piece puzzle of the Nativity waiting for a few more pieces to be added.

     It's funny how this time of the year makes me long for New England more than any other time of the year.  It's not that I'm not happy here, I am.  But there's something so very special about driving through the winding, hilly country lanes and seeing white candles glowing in every window, their light peeping through the branches of huge trees surrounding the old houses...salt boxes, colonials, etc.  These houses, surrounded by their old stone walls bring a feeling of peace and continuity, knowing that hundreds of year ago, there were also candles in the window, real ones, to guide and welcome the latecomer home.  The brooks, tumbling over their rocky bed, gurgling, even under the ice, that gurgled for other children all those years before.  As a child, I often wondered how many other children sat on the bank where I rested, building, fishing, or just letting their thoughts drift as mine so often did.

     We all have these memories and feelings, just from different places...it's nice to visit with them now and then, before coming back to where we are now, hopefully more at peace and ready to move on, and enjoy where the Lord has us now.  It's good to see where He's led and know that the best is yet to come.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Wanderings...

Hello, everyone...

I make no guarantees that I will post more regularly than my son, but I'll give it a try.  Don't even know that I'll ever have anything to say worth reading, but you can always ignore it :)  So, here we go...

It's snowing today.  We are wishing for snow so very much, but it seems we're perpetually in the eye of the storm, with those around us getting much and our ground is barely white.

     But life goes on in the store, in spite of the lack.  Gingerbread is baking, sugar cookies are being decorated, the boys are packing Christmas sprinkles and lemon drops.  Christmas music plays in the background.  

     In just a few minutes, Herb and I will be headed to the bank in town to make our road officially ours again, after a surveyor moved our section corner, moving our road onto our neighbor's land.  It's been a long haul.  I will be glad to have it finally over and settled.

     The children found an absolutely glorious tree that is now filling our house with it's wonderful scent.  The children began to put the ornaments on last night, complete with colorful wooden bead garlands and candles.  Our ancient hand-made calico angel sits atop, placed there by Emilee (sitting on Noah's shoulders).  This is a family tradition that is precious to us.  So many of the ornaments are memories of special outings, vacations or events.  Even the ratty ones continue to appear, as someone can't bear to part with them.

Off to the bank now...