Holidays are for Families

Thanksgiving has come and gone and yet the sentiments of Thanksgiving will always be with us.
Our children in Missiouri have celebrated this holiday for the first time with just their immediate family. They were delighted to have that time to themselves. My husband and I spend time cooking side dishes while Sean took care of the turkey and dressing. We had a great meal together and were delighted to have Alisha's parents stop by. We were all very thankful for this wonderful day.

Today Bob and I will bring out some of the Christmas decorations and start decorating the house. I am delighted this year that I will be included in helping with the Walk through Bethlehem that our church puts on for the community. It will bring a deeper meaning to Christmas. In another week I will begin to make 5 dozen special cookies for a cookie swap. Although this is a difficult time of year for many families with the recession, it is a very special time of year for my family. We will be celebrating the birth of our savior. I will be attending the membership classes this month and will again join the church at the end of the month. I am so very honored to become a member of the church and dedicate my life to Jesus. I have great Christian friends.

I am honored that my daughter and her family has kept me in her prayers and hope that our entire family will join in our dedication to Jesus. I love you all.

Vacation Time

It is a beautiful morning. Grandpa and Grandma are preparing for a visit to see our children and grandchildren in Nixa. Cindy is staying an extra week to enjoy the family. The other members, Grandpa, Sean and his girlfriend will travel home in a week. We are all so excited.

Red Wagon for All

When I was in Washington D.C. for America's Promise, I met Colin Powell and his wife Alma Powell. Lori, Executive Director of Youth Count, Amy, Youth Board member and myself had the opportunity to represent Yavapai County at the Best 100 Communities Celebration. What a wonderful opportunity. No matter what age you are, you are never too old to volunteer and I chose to join AmeriCorps as a Promise Fellow for my volunteering. Life means so much more when you help someone else.

Grandma's on the Shelf

As I was cleaning the garage today, I found a lovely redwood box. Inside the box was a plastic bag with what appeared to be dust. It suddenly occurred to me what the dust was. It was grandma. Last May, my mother in law had passed away. Her body was cremated. My husband and his sister spread her ashes however they apparently had not spread all of them. I quietly replaced the plastic bag and the box where I had found it, back on the shelf. I believe that will be enough garage cleaning for today.