Big States and Southern Cooking
We find ourselves on the road again once more. We left yesterday afternoon and headed to my dad’s new home in Edenton, NC. I know we have a South Carolina address but only we live a few miles from the North Carolina border. Fort Mill is basically a suburb of Charlotte. I could not believe how long it took to drive across this state. It took 5.5 hours. Even with all the traveling we’ve done I still have a small-New- England-state mind-set. 5.5 hours from where I grew up and can traverse 5 states and be almost in Canada.
Well, we made it and we have had a great time. My dad fixed up his garage and we have a cozy little apartment with a futon, a Murphy bed, and even double bunks that fold down from the wall. My dad has had a lot of fun being retired this year and having time to do the things he’s always wanted to do.(Things like design and construct his “man cave” and his toy train display). My aunt drove down here as well with her husband and my granny (yes, I have a granny and she is the sweetest lady). Even one of my cousins came with her girls. We spent a warm, southern, rainy day chatting over ham, sweet potatoes and butter beans. It has been a very nice day.
Tomorrow morning we pack up and continue the journey north. We will arrive in CT some time tomorrow night. We do not have a lot of plans as of yet so call us if you want to get together. (803-431-4545 or 803-431-4540) We will be in CT for two weeks and given how Christmas and New Years fall on Sundays this year it puts a damper in church engagements, but we are up for creative scheduling, so give us a call.
Early Christmas
We celebrated Christmas early again this year. Early Christmas had become an annual tradition when we lived in the states before. We would always have our own family Christmas morning a week or two early before going to share Christmas with our families – it has been a fun tradition that we reprised this year. Buying gifts can be tough when you don’t know exactly what the future holds, but we went musical this year and invested in some instruments that can travel anywhere with us.
I posted last month about being in a place of hopelessness . . .I love that it is Christmas time now. Christmas is hope. I think at times the birth of Christ is made out to be such a sweet Precious Moments event that we forget what it really means. God, the creator of EVERYTHING, who has neither beginning nor end, who lives outside of linear time –CHOSE to enter time and space and live as one of his created beings – all for the sake of love. Have you ever considered the fact that God preferred to give up all his glory to become a human – to be born knowing he was going to give his life to free us from our slavery to sin and live in perfect harmony with himself.
He chose to die rather than live without me or you.
Talk about an amazing love story. However, his death couldn’t have happened without first his birth. So at Christmas we celebrate the beginning of this love story – God entering the world as a human, a helpless baby – so we could know and understand him and his love for us and our need for him. I am so grateful for the gift of Jesus.
Thanksgiving
We all have many things for which to be thankful. This year I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for all the people God has put in our life. From old friends form grade school who are still a part of our lives to new friends that we make everywhere we go – no meeting is accidental. God keeps me forever in awe of his ability to have the stories of our individual lives intersect at pivotal moments.
We are blessed this Thanksgiving to spend a week with good friends in Kansas. We met the Harris family while we lived in MI and have remained friends over the last several years. They have moved almost as many times as we have since those Michigan days but we always manage to find time to reconnect. This year we took two days to drive out to Wichita to be with them. It was wonderful. Our 5 plus their 6 equaled a house full of 11 happy children.
We were hoping to receive answers during that week but God had other plans. God doesn’t live in our linear time line. He sees all and knows all – all at once . . . .we had great and inspiring conversation but we didn’t receive concrete answers. So we wait. We continue with visiting and sharing what God has done in and through us. We are so blessed to have so many with whom to share.