Running

Today Jennifer had to get up early to go to a meeting in Madison, so I had to get the two girls up and going before their sitter came to play with them. Luckily, Sierra was in a good mood when she got up, so getting her going was easy. She got dressed, ate breakfast, brushed up, and was anxiously awaiting the sitter to show her how she learned to whistle. Scarlett, on the other hand, was one tired baby.

When she woke up, I was already running. I had to get her dressed, change her diaper (two times, since she thought it would be fun to wet the new diaper as soon as I put it on her), and get her bottle ready - which she was not anxious to have. The whole time I was also running around making sure I had everything ready to take to the office.

But then, right before I was about to leave, Sierra came running up and gave me a hug and a kiss. This is something she does every time I leave or return from somewhere, but today, it had a different meaning. With all the running I was doing, I was reminded in that short little moment that the other "stuff" would wait. Having a moment to hug my girls, share a time of love and affection, was much more important than trying to remember everything that had to be packed and taken in to the office.

We all seem to be running a lot more in the month of December, and we need these gentle reminders about what is important and what can wait, or even be forgotten. The true value of life is in the relationships that we have, the other "stuff" is all secondary.

So may we all take a moment off from running. May we be blessed with the time of hugs, love, and affection. And may we celebrate the relationships we have in our lives each and every day.

Creation

Our confirmation class started studying the Apostle's Creed last night, so we looked at the first article - I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. In talking about this article we spent quite a bit of time talking about the gift of creation and how we are called to be stewards, or caretakers, of this blessing.

One of the things that I noticed is that the youth in this class are so different than the ones I started teaching 12 years ago. These youth are very globally conscious - they want to make a difference, they want to be involved, they want to leave the world in a much better place than it is now. It is exciting to see how active these 13 and 14 year-olds are and how they know that their actions make a difference in the world.

So as the roads are icing up and I am preparing for a long and cold winter, my thoughts this morning were on the gift of creation. We truly have been blessed with such a wonderful place to call home. We have been blessed with the abilities to make a difference and leave this world in a better place then when we came into it. But to do this will take work, and some sacrifice, on our behalf. But, when we make these changes, the rewards we and gerneations down the road will reap will be huge.

So today, may you celebrate the gift of creation in your life, and may you be blessed with the strenghth to make a difference in the world.

Snow Day

Yesterday I got to spend half of the day at home as a snow day. My meetings were cancelled because of the storm, so the family gathered around the kitchen table and made a ginger bread house. We had a Wii competition (Jennifer won, of course), and we sat by the fire and listened to Christmas music. It was a wonderful little break in the midst of a storm and busy days.

Growing up in Montana, we only had school cancelled once in my high school career, and that was due to 50 below weather, not snow. I remember that day, and doing everything I could to get out of the house and meet up with friends. My how times have changed.

Being able to have time with family, to sit around a fire, to laugh, dance, and do puzzles is a true blessing. It is time that warms the soul and builds memories for a life time. And to have a day like that in the middle of December is a real treat.

It also got me thinking about all the running around that comes with this month. The busy-ness of shopping, baking, and decorating the house. Sometimes we run through December and miss the blessings of time with family and friends because we have so much on our to-do lists.

So today, may you make time to be with those you love. May you be blessed with a day of fellowship and fun. May you truly celebrate this season rather than running through it.

Sleep

There are times in my life when I struggle with sleep. My mind is racing and I have a hard time shutting down for the day, so I sit up and read, listen to music, or watch TV. Eventually sleep will come, but there are times that it takes a while.

Just after Scarlett was born the struggle with sleep was even greater. She was getting up a couple of times at night, and Sierra decided that it was fun to wake up before 6:00 am - so exhaustion set in early on those days.

But lately, the girls have done very well at getting their rest. Scarlett is only up once a night, normally around 5 (after going to be around 9:00) and Sierra sleeps until after 7:00.

And that has opened the door for me to get more rest as well. It is amazing how much better life is when you have a full night of sleep behind you.

We all need rest in our lives, and God knows this. That is why God created the Sabbath - a time for us to rest from the daily grind, spend time with him, and recharge for the week ahead. The Sabbath is essential for all of us, because we need to refuel before we do the work that God has set before us.

I once heard the church described as a Filling Station. We come in (our Sabbath time) to get fueled up in worship and then leave to do the work we are called to do in the world. I think this is a great analogy because God is at work in the world, and we need to be fueled up to do that work. And with all the busy-ness that December brings with it, we need the time of rest, that time of refueling, more than ever.

So may you be blessed with the joy of rest in your life, and may you be refueled to celebrate all that God has given to you.

Unintended Results

Yesterday I went home in the afternoon, as I normally do on Wednesdays, and was preparing to come back for Wednesday night activites. We had a nice little snowstorm, and the activities were cancelled, so I got to stay home with the two girls all afternoon. Now Sierra was not all that happy about it, because she wanted to come to SPYFF (the wednesday night program we have at church) and so she was a little upset about being home. So I had to try and be creative, coming up with something for us to do in a snowstorm while Scarlett napped the afternoon away.

Oh how I love books - they help out in situations like this one. Last week I happened to check out a book the had craft ideas for preshoolers. Since I am not the "craftiest" person on the planet, I need help in this area, and I got it.

So we opened up this craft book, and had our own little SPYFF session at home. We turned on the radio, sang Christmas songs, and out of paper plates, straws, and a little creativity, made a turtle whose head moves. Then, when Jennifer got home, I cleared off the driveway and they made their pizza, and we had dinner.

My goal for yesterday afternoon was to relax during nap time with the girls and then come back and do what needed to be done. This did not happen. Instead, I had the unintended result of an afternoon filled with imagination and creativity. An afternoon the I got to bond with one daughter, and watch the other sleep for 3 and a half hours (over time I am sure that Scarlett with be coloring and cutting with as much enthusiasm as Sierra).

Quite often in life we are thrown curve balls. The plans that we have fall apart, and we need to regroup and try something else, something new or different. That is part of the joy of life. In many ways, we need to adjust our attitudes, and embrace change as a friend, rather than something to be feared. This is not easy to do, but we we do it, we get these unintended results that turn out to be real blessings.

So today, may you be blessed with the opportunty of an unintended results. May you be blessed to have the chance to embrace change and celebrate new possibilites. May you be showered with joy, love, and the experience of God empowering you to do something new.

Snow

I know that it has been a long time since I have posted anything, and my goal is to get back on here every other day or so. Today I was motivated - by snow.

I love snow. I love watching it fall, sitting by a fire, enjoying the flakes coming down. I love getting out into it - skiing, making snowmen, and just playing as when I was a kid.

On Sunday we had a nice little snowfall, so Monday morning Sierra was all excited to get out and play in it. After I shoveled half of the driveway, she threw on her snowpants and was out helping daddy. It was a blast watching her with her little pink shovel pushing at the snow, trying to do what daddy was doing.

Soon she tired of it, so she took her shovel and went to the porch, being independent as only a 4-year-old could be, and cleared it off, at least somewhat. Finally dad was done, so we started to play. A snow fort was built, and then destroyed by the invading Sierra army. Paths were made, snowangels appeared (I forgot how cold it was making a snow angel), and the sled was dragged around the yard. Overall, it was a great morning, and the two of us had a lot fun, followed by hot chocolate by the fire.

During this entire time, I was reminded of the gift of imagination. When we were playing, Sierra's imagination was running wild, and it was a beautiful thing to see. She reminded me how simple little things can become wonderful adventures, all with the right imagination and the willingness to be a kid again.

Imgination is a true gift from God. We are given the freedom to create, to become something else, to grow in freedom - all when we allow ourselves to imagine new things in life. Spending time with a child, and meeting them where they are - whether that be in a snow castle with ice princesses dancing around or a wilderness path through dragon infested lands - it opens us to a new kind of freedom. One that we had at kids, but seemed to lose over time.

So today, as I watch the snow fall, I am excited to play in it again. sure, the driveway will be a pain, but the joy of dancing with the snow princess will be worth it.

So may you be blessed with the freedom of imagination again in your life. May you be strengthened with the curiosity of a child. And may you always remember that God has blessed you with his love, his grace, his imagination - treasure that blessing, for God has given it to you.

History

Over the past few weeks I have been quiet on this blog. Part of that was having the time to blog with everything else going on (and trying to figure out when to sleep:). The other part had to do with the elections. One of the things I try to be very deliberate about is not making my political views known, as I have the honor and priviledge to serve people from all walks of life on the political spectrum. I love politics, I love true debate that raises the public awareness of issues, I love the process and the dream that is America.

Going into today we all knew that history would be made - either an African American would be elected president or a woman would be elected to the second highest office in the land. As I spent time preparing for this election, I kept thinking about what a blessing it is to be in a country where this can take place and where we all have the freedom and ability to look beyond a persons race or gender and see the gifts and abilites that person has been given.

And now we enter into a time of preparation for new leadership in this country. My first thought is to pray for our new leaders, asking that God watch over them, protect them, and give them the wisdom and insight that is needed to lead this country. My second thought is that I am so tired of the negative junk that comes out in campaigns. It is way too easy to tear people down - the hard work is building others up, and that is the hard work we are called to do as Christians. We are called to seek out those who are struggling and in pain and embody the Gospel as we enter into their pits of life, walking the walk with them. My prayer is that we can all work past the differences that separate us and unite in our love of God, neighbor, country, and world.

So tonight, as I watch the closing speeches, may we all celebrate the gifts that God has given to us. May we all work together to put the negative junk behind us and celebrate the gifts that are in others. And may we bless others as we have been blessed.