Coming and Going

The Christmas holiday has come and gone...so quickly! It was great to have a whole week off from school to prepare for Christmas day and gatherings with the family. Christmas Eve service at The Branch was great. I was moved to tears by the sense of gratitude the service brought to me. It is difficult to be humbled by such a gift as God's son. Having my adult children with me there just brought the point home even more. Being with family Christmas Eve, Christmas day and yesterday was great. Sharing food, laughter and gifts is so much fun. Now that it has passed and we still have this whole week off to recover, put some things away and celebrate the coming of a new year, I continue to be grateful for what I've been given...grace, peace, comfort and plenty "things" to enjoy in this life. Thank you, God, for all of it; in this life, for my family; in the next life, eternity with you.

Christmas Eve Eve

This has been such a good week, being home from school/work and having Curt and KrisAnn home with us. There's way too much good food around, but I'm loving it and seem to be making more all the time. I'm excited about what the next few days hold for us. Tomorrow we have dinner and open presents with Deneen's parents, but before we begin those festivities, we're going to an early Christmas Eve candlelight service. I think slowing down and taking time to remember the grace and peace I've been given through Jesus will be a nice reminder of things I'm often too busy to recognize on my own. On our way back, we plan to take some pizzas and Christmas goodies to the fire station near our neighborhood. How grateful I am that those folks are always on call for our safety! Saturday will be huge! We'll open presents at home with C & K and then begin preparations for a full table filled with my mom's chicken dressing, my brother's smoked meat, turkey and a dozen yellow, starchy foods. By the end of the day, we'll be fatter, happier and basking in the glow of a fire and close family. Sunday will truly be a day of rest, a day off before taking the short trip to Dallas to have one more round of Christmas with my older brother and all of our family. The meals will be a little lighter, but the food will be fantastic once again.
I so love the way we have Christmas traditions, from the food to the family gatherings to the decorations to seeing friends from far and near. I am grateful to have a job with many days off surrounding the holidays and even more grateful for the love poured out by God that just abounds this time of year.
Merry Christmas!

Holiday Cheer

What a nice day this has been. Cold air this morning...countered by hot coffee, reading and resting. We spent most of the day decorating for Christmas. We already had lights on the outside of the house, but now the tree is up! It has lots of twinkling lights and all the ornaments except those waiting for KrisAnn and Curt to come home and put on. There are Christmasy things on shelves and doors and walls, and the house just feels so festive and comforting at the same time. It's back to work tomorrow, but just for another week, and I swear, I'm going to come home and enjoy this atmosphere every day. No counting days 'til the end of the week. Instead, I'm going to enjoy each day and whatever blessings it brings. I am looking forward to time off...time to spend with family and friends and to remember just how blessed I am.

Christmas Lights

Went out to run a couple errands and do a little shopping and really, really enjoyed driving through neighborhoods and seeing the lights. Being somewhat cheap, no, frugal, I have always been a do-it-yourself kinda guy. Getting older has put a crimp in that style, but that's a different story. Anyway, driving through the neighborhoods and seeing the lights that families have put up really blesses me deep down. I'm not much into the neighborhood themes that a bunch of folks paid to have erected in their yards. I like the simple, throw the lights up on the eaves, drape 'em across the bushes, wind 'em around whatever's available look. The spot light on a wreath on a pretty doorway is good, too. There's just something very special about people taking the time to get into the holiday spirit, making their kids happy and sharing the joy with their neighbors and those of us just out driving around.

Thanksgiving

I figure it's nice to start with a title that has a double meaning.
What a great week this last one has been; a week away from work, both kids (don't know what else to call my 20- and 22-year-olds) home from school, time with extended family, taking down old trees, putting in a new one, time to watch movies, listen to music, stay up late and sleep late. Worship at The Village in Denton today helped remind me of how much I have to be thankful for - my family, my health, my incredible wife, my amazing children, a job I love to do, a great house and yard, really, the list just goes on and on.
The double meaning? As I sit and type this, I'm listening to one of my all time favorite collections of music, George Winston's December. The first piece on this album (OK, it was a CD, now on iTunes, but my first copy of it was a vinyl album) is Thanksgiving, and it is just beautiful. I have been listening to GW for close to 30 years, have seen him perform 3 or 4 times and I am still in awe of the beauty and creativity of his music. I can't play the piano myself, but once again, I am thankful that KrisAnn can. One of my favorite things about her being home is the time she spends playing. There is just such a wonderful peace in the house when it is filled with piano music.
It's back to school tomorrow...a three week stretch before the Christmas break. I am praying I will carry the spirit of Thanksgiving (the holiday and the music) to work over these weeks and that God will bless me and bless others through me.

Day One

The idea of writing my thoughts in a blog is a little scary. Doing so on a regular basis may be wishful thinking, but I think the process might be good for me in a number of ways. I enjoy reading and writing, though I am much better at reading. I would like to be a good writer but have never been a real student of the process. My written work is so much like my study of mathematics that it becomes mechanical and predictable and, frankly, interesting only to those of the same persuasion. So, I think this exercise of writing my thoughts will at least give me an outlet and maybe, in the process, improve my ability to communicate.

Now, the next issue. What do I write about? I have interests. I think a lot. I read some. I have a sense of humor. I definitely have opinions. I'll be deciding where to begin and go from there.