Merry Christmas to All

Christmas has come at last. I wish all of you a very Merry day and joyfilled season. It was a white Christmas for us here in Billings and a cold one too. Dennis and I went for a drive last night to look at lights and take some photos. We may go again tonight, depending on the weather.
Christmas Eve we opened our gifts and laughed at the dogs as they opened theirs and watched It's a Wonderful Life.. and that is what it is... a wonderful life.

Today is a day to relax... have our turkey dinner, talk to family in far off distant places, and enjoy the day together.

We miss our family and our friends but send our warmest greetings to you all... Stay warm, be happy...

Christmas Preparations

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now its time to get ready for Christmas. The tree is trimmed, the lights are lit, the presents bought (well most of them). It is a busy busy time of year. Parties and get-togethers with friends, and food, food, and more food are all coming our way.

In the middle of all the hustle and bustle, I will take a moment this Christmas and ponder all that God has given to me, however small. Sometimes we overlook gifts from God because at first glance they do not look like gifts: struggle, illness, loss .... all these are gifts too... they are given to us to help us to become closer to Christ, to build our character, to humble us.

Merry Christmas all.... and to all a good night.

I Am But A Stranger Here, Heaven is My Home

Tomorrow I pay my last respects to a dear friend, Lu Fox. She went to be with our Lord at the grand age of 90 years. Lu never looked or acted her age. She was young in spirit and on fire for Christ. I will miss her as will all her sisters-in-Christ. What a mentor she was to us!

I can hear Lu saying now.. "Don't cry for me. I am home. I am home. Hallelujah, I am home." The sorrow I feel at her departure is simply selfish. I wanted more time with her. Death is just a reminder to us to make the most of every minute we have here on earth for we do not know the time nor the place when Jesus will come to take us home. We must live each day, ready to go at any time, always right with the Lord.

No time for pettiness, or grumbling, or disagreements. No time for putting things off for another day. This one go-round is all we have and the "end of roll" comes ever so quickly.

Thank you, God, for bringing Lu into my life. I have been blessed to know one of your most dedicated and humble servants.

Home Sweet Home

Here we are, back home from a short trip to Yellowstone Park and a night and day in Livingston MT. The park was pretty quiet being that it was the last day for the roads to be open. They close the roads for the winter. Now they won't open again until April. We saw bighorn sheep for the first time and they were the only critters we did see the whole day, other than the elk that walk and sleep in the streets in Mammoth. It sure is amazing to watch those sheep scamper along the edge of rocky cliff. Pretty fearless and sure-footed to say the least.

On Monday (November 3) Dennis and I attend a workshop put on by the Professional Photographers of Montana Association on the 4 Dimensions of Portraiture and Tips for Photoshop. It was pretty interesting. We both learned some things we may use in future photo sessions.

But it is nice to be home and to sleep in one's own bed. I was so beat from the trip that I was in bed at 9:15 last night. Today it's off to work. Dennis is already at the polling station performing his duties as an election judge and I am headed to the office early to open the doors because of some training happening there.

Home ... what a comforting place it is. How blessed I am to be able to say that. How many out there don't find home to be a haven. Instead its a place of dread or danger. Pray for those people today that they will find comfort in the loving arms of Jesus. He is our Protector and our Comforter. He is all we need. Remember the old song... Love, love, love is all we need. Its true. God is love and He loves us unconditionally. Now that's a snuggling feeling.

What Makes You Happy?

Home now from Women's Ministry night. What a hoot. It's so good to spend some time in Christian fellowship. We laughed, we prayed, we ate. We wore pink, ate pink, and talked pink... breast cancer awareness that is. We shared burdens and asked God to lighten our loads.

Dennis is busy organizing his photographs, entering salons and exhibitions all around the world. I think he has had entries accepted in all continents except Australia and Antarcticia. He really does do some nice work.

And speaking of work, my new monitor was installed today... and it is big .. not 21" but 22 inches of real estate. It will be great for working with InDesign and spreadsheets.

Strange, isn't it, what makes us happy. With some, its finding that perfect item on sale, and another, its a few minutes of quiet after a busy day. It could be a phone call from an old friend or sticking your hand into a pocket of an old coat and finding a twenty dollar bill. Happiness comes in all shapes and sizes.

True happiness however is a whole different story. True happiness never fades away. True happiness comes from knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Now that's worth smiling about. ;o)

TGIF

Friday is drawing to a close and another weekend is under way. TGIF? Well, when I think of all the things I have to be thankful for, Fridays are pretty low on my list. God has certainly blessed me with an abundance of things for which I have to give thanks. First and foremost, top of the list, is Jesus Christ and because of His great sacrifice; the forgiveness of my sins and the hope of eternal life. All else seems to pale in comparison. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for my husband and the life he shares with me; for my children and stepchildren and now their children. Grandkids are such a blessing, but God never forsakes, never abandons, never leaves, never disappoints, always loves, always cares, always is there, and will be forever and ever and ever. God loves us unconditionally. Being a Christian does not make life run smooth all the time. Life will still have its ups and downs. However, through it all we are in God's protective hands. Everything has its purpose, even the down times. Without the night we cannot appreciate the sunrise, or should that be Sonrise. No matter what happens in this life, nothing can tear us away from God's love. That's true love. If God can love me like that, I have to love and appreciate the things He gives me because He has given them to me out of His great love for me. Instead of complaining about having to work all week, I need to be thankful I have a job and the God-given talent to do it well. God has truly blessed me. TGFE (Thank God For Everything).

One Day Closer to the Weekend

Ahh, it is Thursday and one day closer to the weekend. Not that I have big plans for those two days, but I do look forward to them. Two days to do something besides sitting in my office working...or at least giving the appearance of being at work. Oh, and I found out that I do 'rate'. I am getting a new 21" flat screen monitor to go along with my new computer.

I finally got the slideshow of my photographs to work on this blog, after hours and hours and hours of trying. I do hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoy taking them.

Tomorrow is my baby girl's birthday. She will be 31 years old. How in the world did I get to have such old kids. Seems like only last week I was 31. Happy birthday Rebecca. Enjoy your day.

I guess Dennis' philosophy of life is true. Life IS like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.

Another Day

Well here I am at the office. Feeling somewhat better but not completely. Looking forward to lunch.. 7 minutes and counting.

The weather this morning was a bit gloomy. Don't know if its changed as the day has wore on as I have no windows in my office. Missing work for even one day means a pile of work to get caught up on when you come back. The one nice thing about work today is that I have a new computer and keyboard... same old monitor. Guess I don't rate the flat screen yet. But this computer is fast and I can work on my desktop publishing software without the snail's pace I had before.

Tonight is our Bible Study night. We are studying The Lord's Table. Its actually a great study on weight loss. Its basis is that we are to feed on the word of God and draw our satisfaction from Him and not from food. Overeating is a sin from which we have to repent. On this study you are to eat when hungry and stop when full. No food is forbidden, just the amount. At times when you feel like snacking but you know you are not belly-growling hungry, then you turn to God's word and prayer and fill up on Him.

Well the count down is over... it is officially lunch time... so I am off home for quick lunch with my husband.

Home Sick

This morning I am home sick .. not homesick ... just at home and feeling sick. But, this too shall pass, once I run to the drugstore and buy the right kind of medication. I may even make it back into work this afternoon. Though my bounce back time is not what it used to be. That's what old age can do to you ... slows you right down. Won't be long and I will be doing the old soft shoe shuffle, dragging my shawl behind me, and muttering senselessly.

Its Monday and the start of another week. Looking kind of gloomy out there. Leaves need to be raked and dead flowers need to be pulled before the snow flies "again". Where did the year go? It is hard to believe that Christmas is only 67 days away .. and then another new year.

The house is quiet now. The dogs, Missy and Oscar, are sleeping side by side on their window seat. Dennis is gone to give platelets and won't be back for a couple of hours. I would really like to take a nap. I have been awake since 4 a.m. but oh, wait, some neighbor is trimming trees with a powersaw. There goes my tranquility.

Guess that is my signal to get moving... go out and get those drugs ... then get back into the land of the living.