Holidays 2009

Since writing has become a passion, well it's almost a secret obsession. I could spend my days being a slave to the written word, if I could find the way to make it profitable, I would. Until that day arrives, I will have to settle for the electronic age and those who perhaps find my musings entertaining.
As I have each year for the past few, I wrote a Christmas letter. Now before you make comments on how I should be saying Happy Holidays, I am a Christian and the last time I checked this was the Christmas season, the celebration of the birth of Christ, not the season of the sale. The season for Hanukkah, the celebration of lights.



Unless we make Christmas an occasion to celebrate all of our blessings, All of the snow in Alaska won't make it white. -Bing Crosby

MOM!!! My ghillies have holes in them! Have you seen my sheet music, I need reeds for my clarinet by tomorrow. (Always said at 8:0O the evening before, when you have to drive 30 minutes to get to the music store that closes at 9:00) I can’t find my library book, (said the morning it is due for class), Hey mom look at my arm from football,(nothing like counting the cleat marks in your child’s arm after they have been stepped on by a team mate at practice) and my favorite (so far) My glasses had an accident (said by the 6 year old who used his face to stop a dodge ball, trashing his two week old eyewear), …Our lives have been filled this year with dance, football, band, work and let’s face it the insanity that I like to call life, (and if you have been in my home, or know me you understand), but this year I am grateful to know how blessed I am that my children are healthy, that we have a roof over our heads and dinner on the table each evening. Our family has spent the year shifting into a new school routine. Jake started jr. high, Sarah Grace the 5^th grade and Joshua 1^st grade, everyone is in school all day long. We spent our summer as always with the highland dance community, (not only is Sarah Grace competing, but Joshua as well,) traveling all over the United States and Canada and spent our family vacation at the U.S.I.R in Nashville TN. In the fall we saw three honor roll report cards, watched Jakob play football for Bemis and now we look forward to his band concerts and the science olympiad. Our winter will be filled with family and friends as always and I have come to love that our days are busy to the point of insanity.

There are many families in our school, in our church parish and in our community who are not so blessed. I found myself pondering this quite a bit this season as we have participated in several fundraisers for families in the elementary school that my younger children attend, that included a used toy sale and bake sale to raise money for needy families in our school and again when my jr high school student came home and asked me for 10 cans of food for the drive at his school, evidence that the economic decline was alive and well in our own neighborhood. Another friend, who had quoted Martin Neimoller made me stop and think again… “I didn’t speak up because I was not…. and when they came for me, there was no one left to speak up.” How many of us feel like we are the last one, the one without help or hope, had those days that we are at the end of our rope, I have never been the one to remain quiet and in the corner (ok, you can stop laughing now…) but have discovered that my example has my children doing the same. Speaking up, helping others that need it, knowing that it is by good deeds that we are human, that we are Christian,……that we spoke up.

"So I challenge you, as you finish up your holiday shopping, baking and activities, remember that some where in all of that madness there is someone who needs your voice, your time, whether it is 5 minutes or 5 years, give that gift to them, give them your time, your voice and your love, I look forward to hearing your voice.