Yokemates

As far back as I can remember, I have not kept a New Year’s Resolution. It’s been years since I even made one. I already have a pretty sensitive ‘guilty conscience’ over the silliest things – or at least my husband thinks so. From time to time, I have expressed that I felt guilty for over-indulging at a holiday meal or a special restaurant. His response would always be “Why feel guilty? Maybe stuffed, but guilty?” So, where did my guilty feelings over food come from? Perhaps growing up in the era of Twiggy (a very thin model) affected my thoughts on food. Or, perhaps it was the result of my family’s way of doing things when I was a kid. When we visited the local donut shop, we each ordered one donut. When we had ice cream, we had one scoop of our favorite flavor. Those portions were always more than satisfying.  And then one day, I was handed a bowl of ice cream, with multiple scoops in the bowl, and I was literally dumbfounded. Could this all be for me? Two scoops I co...

After the worship service, a few families lingered while enjoying each other’s company. Resting on the floor, in the center of the scene, was a newborn tucked neatly inside of her car seat carrier. One little hand peeked out from the blanket. Her fingers so tiny, yet perfect. Spying the baby, a little girl came toddling over in her sparkly Christmas dress. She stopped to admire the one nestled inside and crouched down on her knees. As she leaned in to watch the sleeping baby, her chubby little hand gently touched the baby’s fingers. Her eyes were glued to this precious little bundle. Feeling the softness of the blanket, her little fingers started patting the one that was held inside. What a treasure, and what a moment to treasure. Before the moment passed, I just had to interrupt my husband’s conversation  - “You have to see this!” Such a sweet moment of awe and wonder. Cozied up in a blanket and twirling about in sparkles were two very precious little girls. Two girls born ...

God is alive and well, and He is at work in our lives! Yes, the God of all miracles is still working miracles today. I have no doubt that people are witnessing God’s miraculous touch all over the world today, but what happened to get me so excited? Did I witness a miraculous healing? No – at least not this week. Did I experience a dramatic moment of reconciliation and forgiveness? Not this week. Did I receive a substantial gift that balanced out an outstanding account? Not recently. What did I experience? The gift of a miraculous healing in my heart! God blessed me with an unexpected moment - a healing that only He could do. This healing has been taking place over the past several years through much prayer, discipline and determination. However, God took me a giant step further in my journey of healing, and it was quietly unveiled to me during a Sunday worship hour… As I stood holding my granddaughter, I was not only praising God through song but I was also prais...

As a child, one of my favorite Christmas traditions was opening up the windows of our Advent Calendar. Keeping my anticipation in check was the hardest part. (Or, maybe it was when I tried to reclose a window so others wouldn’t notice I cheated and took an early sneak peek!) This simple tradition never failed to increase my anticipation factor as the countdown to Christmas Day drew closer. Ahhh, it was a simpler time in life! As I grew up, got married and had kids of my own I found Christmas traditions a bit more complicated. My husband was of the “everybody opens gifts at once” mindset, while I was brought up with the “one at a time” rendition. To remedy the clash of expectations, we created new Christmas traditions with our children.  Probably the most anticipated tradition was the annual trip to the woods to pick out our Christmas tree. Not only was the mini hike in the snow a fun family outing, but the event always concluded with a yummy treat! Those days are now but...

It seems like the world gets a bit crazy the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The lines in the stores increase, and with each passing day it becomes apparent that we are a society that has no understanding of what it means to wait. Drivers are less tolerant of fellow travelers. Everyone seems to be in a rush and a bit more on edge. The clock is ticking, and the Christmas deadline looms before us all. Without warning, we can easily get sucked into the chaos of a world that is exploding with indulgence. We push our budgets to the breaking point at the expense of extravagance. Even the most cautious and conservative can find themselves wishing for fulfilled dreams and storybook endings – all wrapped up with a bow and delivered on the 25 th of December. Christmas can be a time of so much fun, and yet it is a time that can be so hard to navigate wisely. Our priorities can easily get sidetracked if we’re not careful. So, perhaps it is time to ask the question… What i...