Goodbye 2008!

As Mouse was leaving for work this morning, and passing out his usual good-byes he said, "Have a good day and remember, make the most of this one. It's the last for 2008." I find it so interesting how December 31 is such an important day for all of us. It marks the end of our calendar year, our fiscal year personally & corporate for many. But it is not these tangible ends that cause us to pause. It is the more emotional endings that are brought on by this last day of the year. I thought it would be good for me to take a few minutes and recollect what 2008 meant for me and my family.
In January, I left a job I had been working for more than 6 years. I was excited about my new venture but so sad to be leaving a place I had learned to love. We attended more basketball games than ever before. With all 3 W's playing, we were in a gym 2 or 3 days a week and several hours on Saturday.
February was full of basketball too as well as the start of Baseball season. We moved over to the Warner Robins American Little League. Home of the Little League World Series Champions. Between basketball and baseball, we did little else.
March brought a lot more events for 3W Attractions, Inc. We started getting into our busy season. We also celebrated several birthdays. Mouse, #1W, NeNe, and a big one for me. 40!!!
In April, Mouse and several of my Bunko girls and their husbands made a trip to Biloxi to celebrate my birthday. SO MUCH FUN!!! #1W and #2W tried out for a role in the play "Jack and the Beanstalk" put on by our community theater. #1W was the Fairy Godmother and #2W was Jack. It was a crazy time with baseball practice, games and play practice. Really put a lot of miles on the old Tahoe.
May always bring a craziness to our schedule only surpassed by December. 3W Attractions, Inc was out of control and between ball, field trips, exams and year end parties, we met ourselves coming and going. We also had a great visit from some relatives. They came to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday. We ended the month with 2 extraordinary performances of "Jack and the Beanstalk"
June was spent playing All-Star baseball, basketball camps, swimming, and more baseball and trying to adjust to no school. Most of us were loving life about right now.
July 5th, we left for Daytona. Our family vacation spot. We love it; can't say enough about it; wish I was there right now. We celebrated #2W's birthday at the beach. On the 18th, my Poppa died. It was the 200th day of the year. The day my whole world was shaken to the core.
August we were back to school. Missing Poppa. We helped Mouse's grandmother celebrate her 100th birthday. We made another one of those great trips to Biloxi. It was wonderful to get out of town for a few days. The end of the month we started, Cross Country, Football and Soccer. (Here we go again:)
September saw meets, games and matches all over Bibb and Houston counties. Lots of fun!! Missing Poppa.
October was a busy month. #3W celebrated his birthday, Mouse and I had our 14th Anniversary. More football and Soccer and of course Halloween. Halloween is the busiest night of the year for 3W Attractions. Missing Poppa.
November brought the Peanut Bowl, overnight camp trips, sleepovers and basketball tryouts. We also celebrated what would have been Poppa's 81st birthday. We missed Poppa. #3W was voted the Soaring Eagle for his class. Thanksgiving came and went. Trying desperately to be thankful. Another visit from family carried us into December. Only 2 weeks of school, Christmas parties and lots of shopping, is how we spent this month. My mother took the W's and me to see Scrooge at the Macon Little Theater. It was spectacular. #2W had a wonderful Christmas program at school. We decorated the most beautiful Christmas tree to date. Desperately missing Poppa. Were overindulged by our families with gifts. And here we are on the last day of December. The last day of 2008. As much fun as we had this year, I can truthfully say, I am glad to see 2008 go. I am hopeful that 2009 will be a better year for our business and our family. I hope it will be year of healing and peace not only for us but for our country as well. That is my prayer as we end 2008. I am looking forward to what 2009 holds.

HONORED

I was honored to be one of the thousands at the Hartsfield International Airport on the Saturday before Christmas. I know you think I'm crazy using that word to describe how I felt at the busiest airport in North American on one of the busiest days of the year but that's the word, HONORED!

It had been quite a morning. My alarm went off at 5:00am so I could call Mouse and wake him up in his hotel room in Indianapolis. (Did you know that Hilton Hotels don't have wake up calls? It was news to me too :) I couldn't go back to sleep so I got up, showered and after a couple cups of coffee, wrapped a few gifts. Before leaving town, I had to see the 3W Attractions truck off and get gas. Then, it was off to the most miserable place on the planet. THE HARTSFIELD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT the weekend before Christmas!! Can you imagine a more horrible place to be? Mouse was coming in from a business trip and we had planned to spend the afternoon finishing up our Christmas shopping. The drive to the airport was pretty uneventful but after arriving, I drove around the parking deck forever trying to find a parking place. I did happen to find one pretty close and then proceeded to walk into the Baggage Claim area. O MY GOSH!!!! I never imagined the airport could hold so many people. I pushed my way through to the waiting foyer and tried to find the best place to wait on Mouse. As I was looking around at all the people, I suddenly heard the crowd erupt in applause. I turned just in time to see two soldiers emerge from the breezeway. An older gentleman, with a USO apron on greeted them, shook their hands and pointed them toward a door. Before they were gone, the applause started again. This time, a man and woman jumped over the cording meant to divide the passengers from those of us waiting, and grabbed their son for a huge hug. The scene replayed over and over again as more and more soldiers came through that breezeway on their way home for Christmas. It didn't matter if it was one or twenty, the crowd applauded for everyone of them. Some were just passing through on their way home while others had family members there waiting to receive them home for the holidays. I wish I had words to describe the looks on their faces. Joy, ecstasy, pride don't even come close. As usual, I found myself crying. These people were experiencing something most of us have never felt. Certainly not me. Now I hope you understand why I was HONORED to spend my morning at the busiest airport in North America on one of busiest days of the year.

What's Your Need?

What's your need? I posed this question to myself this morning as I waited to deliver the Christmas gifts my bunko group donated to a needy family in our community.
My list went something like this:
I need.......New living room furniture, my carpet cleaned, more gifts for my children to even up their Christmas, and a vacation from the chaos I create for myself and my family.

As I sat in my car thinking about "my needs", I was so ashamed. Not one of the things on my list are needs. My family doesn't "NEED" anything. For several years, I have been involved in buying toys and clothes for families and even worked for an organization who was the recepient of these types of donations. I was always eager to talk about what I had purchased for this family or that child but you know, I never once wanted to be the one who delivered the gifts. That would have made it too real. Some how this year, I ended up with the items and was the one to deliver. It is a lot different buying the gifts and wrapping them up than delivering them and talking to the people. I was overwhelmed with the generosity our group showed for this family but that feeling was overshadowed by the mother's response. As we filled up (literally) her car with all the clothes, toys, and household items for her family, she could not even speak. What was such a small gesture from each of the 12 of us, was an enormous blessing for her family and her children. I left that parking lot this morning with mixed emotions. I was very proud of the fact that we were able to provide for this family but I was also very saddened by the fact that I take for granted how blessed my family is. What if my list of needs looked like theirs? How would I feel if I needed help to provide Christmas for my family? I have no answers to these questions? We are so blessed!!!!!! How do we ever forget that? I will remember this morning for the rest of my life and hopefully the next time I start having that "NEEDY" feeling, I will think about what real needs are.

The 12th Day of Christmas

On the 12th Day of Christmas, we rang 12 bells. Tonight, we made 12 bell ornaments and hung them on our Christmas Tree. We also read a poem called The Christ Bell. My good friend, the semi-slacker mom, sent it to me in an email. I loved the words of the poem and obviously the shape. It, looked like a bell. I'm sure it took someone a lot of time to set it up. I have tried to re-create it here but it won't post in the shape. You will just have to enjoy the words. Our plan for the next few days will be to read each of the verses contained in the poem.

THE BELL

I KNOW WHO I AM

I am God's child (John 1:12)

I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)

I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)

I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6 19-20)

I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)

I am a personal witness for Christ. (Acts 1:8)

I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)

I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)

I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)

I am a minister of reconciliation for god (2 Cor 5:17-21)

I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)

I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)

I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21 - 22)

I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28)

I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15 : 16)

I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)

I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His Life (John 15:1-5)

I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3:16). I am complete in Christ(Col. 2 10)

I am hidden with Christ In God. I have been justified (Rom 5:1)

I am God's co-worker (1 Cor 3:9; 2 Cor 3:16) I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)

I am confident the good works God has begun in me will be perfected.(Phil. 1:5)

I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col 1:14) I have been adopted as God's Child (Eph 1:5)

I belong to God

Do you know who you are?

I felt like the bell was a fitting way to end our challenge. Bells are rung to announce a major event or occasion. They are rung on both happy and sad occasions. Bells are rung at Christmas to announce and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Today, bells are a common part of our Christmas celebrations. We use them to decorate our homes, sing about them, and festive embellishments on gifts. Christmas bells are such an integral part of our holiday celebration that it is hard to imagine the Christmas season without their beautiful sounds.

The 11th Day of Christmas

On the 11th Day of Christmas, we spent 11 minutes reading the Gift of the Magi. I read the story many years ago but I don't think my children had ever heard it. I certainly did not remember the names of the characters especially their last name. This is such a wonderful story of giving and sacrifice. It is an excellent example of the true spirit of Christmas. If you haven't heard the story or if it's been several years like it had been for me. Re-acquaint yourself with it for it is beautiful.

The 10th Day of Christmas

On the 10th Day of Christmas, we used 10 Hands. Tonight, Mouse, the 3W's and myself put together a homemade blanket for Project Linus. We will be taking it to the Bibb County Chapter Meeting on Saturday. For those of you who don't know, Project Linus is made up of thousands of volunteers across the United States. Their mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer "blanketeers." Together, they have distributed over 2 million blankets to children in need since they began in 1995. My friend Kristy over at The Doles Family Zoo clued me into this group when she found out about our 12 Days Challenge. It fit perfectly with our quest to re-discover the true meaning of Christmas. During our research, we found that we know 2 very special children who have been the recipient of homemade blankets from Project Linus. We are looking forward to attending the Bibb County Chapter Meeting on Saturday and donating our handmade blanket.

The 9th Day of Christmas

On the 9th Day of Christmas, we sang 9 Christmas Carols. We picked our favorites, #1W played them on her keyboard and we sang them together. They included: Jingle Bells, Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Holly Jolly Christmas, Rudolf, We Three Kings, Up on the House Top, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. We love Christmas music. Around here, the radio stations start playing these songs right after Thanksgiving, so we can enjoy them for an entire month. We learned that caroling began as a mix of singing and dancing that people did at festivals all throughout the year. St. Francis of Assisi created large nativity scenes outside of his churches so that people instead of just clergy could celebrate Christmas. He translated many Christmas carols from Latin and encouraged people to sing these songs during the Christmas season. This practice of singing Christmas songs outside the church spread throughout Europe and it was a natural next step for these Christmas carolers to start walking through the neighborhoods around the churches sharing these festive songs. People have been sharing the Christmas message with caroling for the past 1000 years!!

The 8th Day of Christmas

On the 8th Day of Christmas, we read 8 verses from the Chapter of Matthew.(Matthew 1:18-25) My Bible is the NIV and the Birth of Jesus section uses exactly 8 verses to tell the story of his birth. I have read it directly from the Bible many years ago and have read it from our Children's Bible numerous times but the W's never have. Tonight, we read it from the "Real" Bible. It was a little difficult for the #3W to understand but with the other 2 interpreting, we got through all 8 verses. I wonder what I would do if I were presented with a challenge like Joseph and Mary. The faith they must have possessed is mind boggling. I can only pray for faith like that.

The 7th Day of Christmas

On the 7th Day of Christmas, we shared 7 Thanksgivings. During this time of year, it seems that everyone is always focusing on our wants. We used the 7th day of celebrate what we are thankful for this year. Our family has suffered a great loss this year, so it seemed even more appropriate for us to focus on the blessings we have. We all learned how lucky we are and how truly thankful for each other and to God for what he has bestowed upon our family.

The 6th Day of Christmas

On the 6th Day of Christmas, we cut down a 6 foot Christmas Tree. Mouse and I started the tradition of going out on the first Saturday in December and getting our Christmas Tree. This morning, we all piled in the 3W Attractions pickup truck and rode over to Robert's Tree Farm and began the meticulous task of choosing our Christmas Tree. I was struggling today with a task for our challenge. After seeing this beautiful, 6 foot, Leland Cypress, I knew the Christmas Tree was what we would be using today. On our way home, we talked about where the tradition of the Christmas Tree came from and how long people have been doing it. I even wondered if people all over the world decorate trees at Christmas. After decorating our tree, we got on the computer and found the answers to our questions.

Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas in about the year 1500. The story goes, that he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth. He wanted to simulate the reflections of the starlit heaven that looked down over Bethlehem. The tradition most likely came to the US during the American Revolution with German immigrants. The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when a farmer hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal. I love traditions. I think they are the glue that binds families together. They are how we define our memories and what keeps us close. I am really enjoying learning the history and hope my family will remember so they can share with their families and keep up the traditions.

The 5th Day of Christmas

On the 5th Day of Christmas, We gave 5 G-o-l-d-e-n Coins. How many times have you dug around in the bottom of your purse for some change to drop in the Salvation Army's Red Kettle? I can't even begin to count, but every time I drop a coin or give some to the W's, I always wonder how much money could they possibly raise in those little red kettles. How about $100 million!?! That's what the Salvation Army is hoping to raise this year from coins and small bills during it's Red Kettle Campaign. They raised $118 million last year. Most of those bell ringers volunteer their time to stand out in the cold ringing those bells in the hopes that folks like us will drop a few coins in their bucket for the Salvation Army. In some areas, it is difficult to find volunteers , so paid bell-ringers are recruited from homeless shelters and halfway houses. They are paid minimum wage and many have been the recipient of the charity's donations.

A Salvation Army captain from San Francisco started the 1st kettle fundraiser in 1891 and by 1897 the program was nationwide. That year, it helped to provide Christmas meals to more that 100,000 people. The story of William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army in 1865 is fascinating in itself, but the 8,000 salvation Army locations, 3 million volunteers and the nearly 30 million people a year who are assisted by this charity is staggering. It is the 2nd largest charity in America. A fact that is truly astounding when you consider that it isn't based here but in London.

So today, on the 5th Day of Christmas, we took 5 gold coins, found us a bell-ringer and dropped them his little red kettle. He told us thank you and we offered the same to him. He then, whistled Jingle Bells for us and in quiet voice, offered a "God Bless You, Merry Christmas."

The 4th Day of Christmas

On the 4th Day of Christmas, we got 4 WISHES. We created wish lists today that consisted of 4 wishes each. The catch was that these wishes were not for ourselves. I had to come up with 4 wishes for #1W. She had #2W. #2W had his little brother #3. #3 had Mouse and Mouse had me. We decided on who had whom this morning so that we had the day to think about that person and what we wished for them. The only rule was that it could not be something you could buy with money. We shared our wish lists over dinner tonight. It was so sweet to watch the expressions on the faces of the one who was receiving the wishes. They delighted in the few moments of positive, individual, undivided attention. The most interesting part of the the whole event was the wishes bestowed. Some were very simple, like the Big Deer #3W wished for Mouse and the wish for a good grade on the spelling test tomorrow by #1W for #2W. Others were deeper and somewhat more thoughtful like Mouse's wish for me to find peace in the coming year. I so wish for that too. I enjoyed thinking seriously about my daughter today and being able to verbalize some of my wishes for her. So far, this may have been the best learning experience of the 12 Days Challenge. I also learned to never under estimate the mind of a 6 year old. This morning, after we had handed out the assignments for the wishes, #3 piped up with this incredible line,"If I was making wishes for #1W and #2W, I would wish for them to have a better attitude." I think he got this challenge, what do you think?

The 3rd Day of Christmas

On the 3rd Day of Christmas, we found 3 WiseMen. I'm sure you all know the story about those Men from the East who followed that star. Like me, you probably know all the words to the Christmas song "We 3 Kings". I can tell you honestly that I thought I knew alot about these men. NOT!!! I didn't have a clue. I thought I might take the liberty of sharing a little bit of the information I learned about these men with you.

There is no real record of how many Kings came to visit Jesus. Because 3 gifts were recorded, it was assumed that there were only 3. There has been much debate over their names but in the 8th century it was finally decided that the WiseMen were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. These Magi were noble pilgrims who followed a star to Isreal to pay homage to the Christ Child. They humbly offered their gifts to Jesus. Caspar is young , European and offers gold. It is this gold that finances the Holy families coming flight from Israel and also symbolizes Christs immortality and purity. Melchior is middle aged, Persian and offers myrrh. Myrrh was a fragrant gum that ancient Isrealites believed brought strength to children. Myrrh was blended with wine and offered to Jesus on the cross and mixed with the aloes that were used to help wrap his body before he was placed in the tomb. Balthasar was elderly, Ethiopian and offered francincense. It is a resin used in incense for worship and symbolizes prayer and sacrifice. There is a lot of speculation as to who these men were. Some think they may have been Jews who knew the predictions of the Old Testament. Others believe they may have been Gentiles from high positions who received a special revelation from God. Still others believe that they came from different lands representing the entire world bowing before Jesus. I didn't share all this information with the 3W's. I was afraid I might lose them as I may have lost you but I have found all this so interesting. We ended our 3 WiseMen story with Christmas M&M's story shared with me by my good friends over at the Doles Family Zoo. It was a sweet way to end our 3rd Day.

The 2nd Day of Christmas

On the 2nd day of Christmas, we made 2 kids smile. Make A Child Smile is an organization celebrating 10 YEARS. They set up their website to tell stories of courageous kids who are battling life threatening illness. They feature children every month and ask you to send a card of gift to Make them Smile. There are many children listed on their site but we chose 2 of the featured kids to Make Smile. We read their stories, learned about their families and interests and are working on cards to send to both of them. At the bottom of the page of their site are these words that I found very fitting for our 12 Days Challenge. Maybe you will think so too.

"It's not how much we do....but how much love we put in it"

The 1st Day of Christmas

On the 1st Day of Christmas, we received one candy cane. Do you know the legend of the Candy Cane? Neither did we. Here it is:

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness for his savior, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. The white symbolizes the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus. The hardness of the candy symbolizes the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church and the firmness of the promises of God. The candy maker made the candy into the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior, and a symbol of to represent the staff of the Good Shepherd. The candy maker decided to stain it with red strips, representing the stripes Jesus received prior to His crucifixion for our healing. The large red stripe represents the shedding of his blood on the cross for our salvation.

For GOD so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten SON, that whosoever believeth in HIM should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE. John 3:16