103rd Christmas

 My family had the joy of sharing Grandpa's 103rd Christmas Eve with him! While waiting for supper for Mom, Dad and Grandpa (Elsa and I packed our own), we brought Christmas into Grandpa's world, so narrowed by very little hearing and near-blindness. Though he can no longer come up with names of favorite carols, he "sang" along with some! And in this photo he was intently listening to the Christmas account from Luke chapter 2.

Next came a cozy meal at our own table set in the quiet family room of the nursing home. 

Thanks to my aunt, Grandpa got to enjoy some favorite Norwegian treats: lefse and flatbread. Mom also brought lingonberry sauce from the freezer so he could have some traditional flavors along with his hamburger and soup.

We all missed Grandma and her wonderful hostess role on this night with so many memories. (See this post for photos and memories.) But we reminded Grandpa how she, our Dorothy, and Dad's special parents are now celebrating better than ever... think of it, with Jesus Himself! 

Back home we finished the evening with a special, live-streamed service from the church of Pastor Allistair Begg, followed by our advent reading and more singing together with the piano and Dad's trumpet! 

"Angels from the realms of glory...

Shepherds in their fields abiding...

God with man is now residing!"

Merry Christmas! 

Incarnation

in·car·na·tion 

noun 

"a person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or abstract quality"

The Son [Jesus] is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.

Hebrews 1:3

The Nativity scene in Grandma's basement
before it moved to my house.
More photos HERE

"The story of the Incarnation has informed and inspired humankind for centuries. It was not a noble lie; it was the noble truth. It was the single greatest life to change the history of the world. At His birth, shepherds who raised sheep for the slaughter at Passover came face-to-face with the perfect Lamb. Born into the household of a carpenter, the very framer of the universe entered history. Offered gifts from rulers from afar, He Himself was the greatest gift of all - the King of kings and Lord of lords. All the power of Rome tried to stop Him. He came to free the captives. He came to announce liberty to an enslaved world."

Ravi Zacharias in Jesus Among Secular Gods

Have a Merry, Mighty Christmas! 

Sunset Tonight

"The heavens declare the glory of God..."

       

More About Valleys

"The basic question is not whether we have many or few valleys. It is not whether those valleys are dark or merely dim with shadows. The question is how do I react to them? How do I go through them? How do I cope with the calamities that come my way?

With Christ I face them calmly.

With His gracious Spirit to guide me I face them fearlessly.

I know of a surety that only through them can I possibly travel on to higher ground with God. In this way not only shall I be blessed but in turn I will become a benediction to others around me who may live in fear."

- Phillip Keller

Continued from this previous post 

Autumn Greens

Dad's raised-bed-turned-greenhouse produced lettuce and spinach for us long after frosts had killed every other green in sight. He and Mom carefully tucked blankets over the plastic every night and let in what sunlight showed its face some days to give us delicious salads into November!

Winter Begins

Winter arrived early this year with snow-days in October. They soon settled in to stay - well ahead of the official beginning of winter.

November 9th was rather chilly for the well-drillers who had to pull our well and replace the pump. We were grateful to have running water again after a patchy day and a completely dry night!

November 14th held the perfect warmth for building my first snowman of the winter. :-)

After it melted and toppled that afternoon, I combined the remains of the top three sections into one lump that has had no chance for further melting in the past month of cold, grey skies. Seen while advancing up our driveway, it now looks rather like you are being greeted by an Easter Island head.

Despite the cold and darkness (and increasing symptoms of chronic illness), winter is still a favorite season for Elsa and me. 

The subtle colors of the sky above our monochromatic winter fields glow with unique beauty. Tree silhouettes form a gigantic winter bouquet against the colorful backdrop.

This is my Father's world...

Bad Nights

"I want to return to the matter of a previous letter, the temptations of some illnesses, for I think that many may be where I am now. When “something to give you a good night” has failed, and a long string of failures, or what your nurse calls “bad nights,” lie behind, so that you begin to reach the end of your sanguine expectations – then is the time that mental mosquitoes, silly and small, can swarm about you, or something lizard-like crawls and darts. One, the worst of the tribe, changes color as you watch. Nothing is too fantastic for the chameleon.

"There may be no good reason for sleeplessness; the clamors of acute pain have passed. How futile, then, is this way of spending time, a way that will make tomorrow so much harder, so much more ineffective. With that comes the high, thin note of the questing mosquito, teasing the ear. It is a long-drawn Why?

"And then, like tired children, we turn to our Father:

"It is Thy hand that settles
     Tired flowers’ affairs, and piles a starry heap
Of night lights on the jasmine. Touch my petals:
     Put me to sleep.

"And still we do not sleep. Why?

"I have found that in the end that prayer is answered, if not by sleep, then in something even better, the peace that passes all understanding, peace without explanation, peace that can take the edge off the morning’s weariness and make the impossible possible."

- Amy Carmichael, Rose from Brier