Roses and Thorns
Best Described with these Two words. Here is a little update on the Christmas Break thus far. We have been going around the dinner table at night this week, while I have been at the beach with Allen’s family sharing a rose and a thorn (one good and one bad thing from the day). P.S.-This is a little lengthy-sorry!
Please comment back to me on your roses and thorns for the day/week/your christmas…whatever you would like to share.
Roses
- Christmas Caroling around Fountain Inn (my hometown) in the back of a flatbed truck along with about fifty others to about 6 elderly ladies. It lite up their faces to see people singing christmas songs to them.
- Walking around Downtown Greenville with Allen and Mom, special delivery to Salvation Army, and dinner at the Peddler-an amazing Steakhouse with a delicious salad bar.
- White Elephant Gift Exchange at my aunt’s house having giggles watching everyone picking out gifts.
- Talking to my cousin Jennifer about adoption-her and her husband are waiting for their newborn baby
- Scavenger Hunt at my house-long running tradition on Christmas morning to scurry all over the house looking for clues with money attached with each one…pretty good deal right??
- Traveling to Rock Hill to be with Allen’s Dads side of the family and getting to play and sing with his twin girl cousins…so adorable!!!
- Great conversations with Chelsie-Allen’s cousin who has been away at a Wilderness Camp in Montana.
- Good chats with His dad driving back the next day
- Opening gifts with Allen’s family- all of the boys got remote control helicopters…OMG…you would have thought all of them were 6 again…it took us 5 hours to open presents because they were playing with their helicopters!!! But it was worth it completely to watch them concentrate on driving them and then crashing them into the windows, fans, you name it they hit it!
- To Edisto for the week…beautiful beach on South Carolina Coast not far from Charleston…we have been here for a few days with the Tipping Family.
- Go Tigers-Great win for Clemson Bowl Game! Yeah CJ Spiller!
- Playing Football on the Beach
- Beautiful Sunsets
- Playing The Wii-Mario Brothers is amazing
- Warm Swimming Pool
- Family Karoake…and most of us can’t sing!
- Bike riding around the island
- Brian,my brother-in-law, worked with me for a few hours today updating this blog and teaching me a few things, he is amazing with this stuff. Thanks Man!! He does this kind of stuff for a living! you should check him out…http://www.designabouttown.com/, this is his works website.
- One-on-one talks with Wimberly and Becka, my sister-in-laws.
Thorns
- Packing up to come home for Christmas remembering last year thinking this would be the last easy preparation for traveling, because the following one we would be packing for six, and realizing things are totally changed and different than we would have every imagined.
- My friend, Krist’s grandad being in ICU all through Christmas, making family things very heavy this season
- First few festivities with Allen’s family without his sister’s being here yet, I have really missed them this year.
- Allen’s Aunt has been really sick this year dealing with back surgery, stroke, brain surgery, and now lung cancer- and seeing her so fragile and sick
- Marital problems with some family friends from Greenville
- Not seeing a lot of people over Christmas that I had planned on seeing, but hopefully will be able to reconnect soon.
- Mom had a little fall while putting up Christmas stuff- just realy sore.
- Missing my dad a good bit more this Christmas.
- Awkwardness of people not knowing what to say to me that haven’t seen me since loosing the babies.
- Doing the things I love to do with a half broken heart just wishing things were a little different.
My Heart here at Christmas…best explained
With my love and my sadness
I come before You Lord
My heart’s in a thousand pieces
Maybe even more
Yet I trust in this moment
You’re with me somehow
And You’ve always been faithful
So Lord even now
When all that I can sing
Is a broken hallelujah
When my only offering
Is shattered praise
Still a song of adoration
Will rise up from these ruins
I will worship You and give You thanks
Even when my only praise
Is a broken hallelujah
Oh Father, You have given
Much more than I deserve
And I have felt Your hand of blessing
On me at every turn
How could I doubt Your goodness
Your wisdom, Your grace
So Lord hear my heart
In this painful place
Chorus
Hallelujah
I lift my voice
Your Spirit moves
I raise my hands
I reach for You
Chorus
(Psalm 42:1-5, Acts 16:22-25a)
Please take time to read the lyrics and also look at these scriptures. During this season and all season’s my desire is to glorify and exemplify Jesus in all I do. That is not always pretty, especially when you are hurting or grieving. But I praise my God and continue to trust in His promises, and praise Him for all He has done for us. My hope this week as we go home for Christmas is to love on our families and cling to Jesus remembering all He does for us that we don’t deserve. God’s Love is so Deep, so Wide, we can’t even imagine.
I pray that each of you if you read this have a wonderful time with family and friends and feel the love of Jesus in a huge way.
On a side note…I really want to be sharing more on here, and haven’t been good at all lately, and keep saying I will do better…well hopefully I will-I want to be more real with where life is.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)I haven’t forgotten about blogging….really!!!
I am sorry I haven’t written on here in like the past two months, wow, that is a while for sure!! In the next few days I will be updating a lot more! I hope that everyone is having a good weekend!
“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” -mother teresa
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