For Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25th, 2024

 

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25TH, 2024

The moments of our lives may be bright with possibility, dark with fear or sadness, or even plain everyday gray, but God's glory never fades.  May God's glory shine into the exciting lights, upsetting darks,  and boring grays of your every day.

Slightly adapted from one of my morning devotionals

In TEXAS

 Sunrise:    7;25  am

   Sunset:   5:40   

pm

Life is a special 

occasion!

Hallmark!

Today  is Christmas Day which is a time deck the halls with boughs of holly and be merry!  

This is a Christian holiday, marking the birth of Jesus and is a joyous occasion celebrated with loved ones near and far.  Traditionally, festivities often include a feast, gift exchanges, church celebrations, a visit from Santa Claus and holiday parties.

In 1649 to 1660, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas carols and parties in England.  He thought the Christmas should be a solemn holiday and the only celebrations should be church services.  This law obviously didn’t last.

So hang up a Christmas wreath. enjoy some delicious Christmas cookies at home, kiss a loved one under the mistletoe, or take part in a gift exchange.  However you decide to celebrate today, make sure to wish your friends and family a Merry Christmas! 

 

If you you cannot see the bright side,

 polish the dull side 

THOUGHT  FOR TODAY

Christmas is, of course, the time to be home - in heart as well as body.

Gary Moore

We started celebrating after church yesterday and the celebration continues today! Well we got to the church but it was too full for us to go in, so we turned around and came home again.   It’s is so nice to be living with family and enjoying it all with them.  My daughter is preparing a special dinner for us to enjoy !  And there are plenty of Treats to enjoy too! Candies, cookies and different kinds of pies to enjoy too! 

I got a special pair of Chrismas PJ’s to wear and may just stay in them the whole day!  They are comfortable and cozy so why change.  It’s a day at home for us.  

Santa was very good to me this year and I can truly say, I want for nothing more!  Now I just have to figure out where to put it all.  My room is a terrible mess and it is my job to get it all sorted and put away before the New Year comes.  My daughter doesn’t keep a messy house and gave me orders to get it all cleaned up. 

The pictures today are from past family celebrations.  

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Wednesday! and a Merry Christmas DAY too! 

COUNTING MY GIFTS

Christmas is the day that holds all time together.

Alexander Smith

Counting at least 3 things every day that I'm thankful for.  There is truly is always something to be thankful for.

12,990.for a very joyfilled and Merry Christmas 

12,991. for the celebration of Jesus’s birth. 

12,992. for a church to attend and family to be with

Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence is fullness of Joy!

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

 

Almighty and eternal God,

Protect our military

as they discharge their duties

with the shield of your strength,

may the power of your love

enable them to return home in safety

that with all who love them

they may ever praise you for your loving care.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters and EMT’s.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

ADVICE FOR TODAY

He who has not Christmas in his heart  will never find it under a tree.

Roy L. Smith 

a smile,a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

Love,

ma

To see my blog The Next 20 Years click on the link below:

https://the-next-20-years.blogspot.com/2023/03/for-march-11th-2023.html

For Christmas Eve, December 24th, 2024

 

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24TH, 2024

The moments of our lives may be bright with possibility, dark with fear or sadness, or even plain everyday gray, but God's glory never fades.  May God's glory shine into the exciting lights, upsetting darks,  and boring grays of your every day.

Slightly adapted from one of my morning devotionals

In TEXAS

 Sunrise:    7;24  am

   Sunset:   5:39  

pm

Life is a special 

occasion!

Hallmark!

Today  is National Eggnog Day which celebrates a popular beverage served during the holidays, so it’s appropriate thie occasion is celebrated on Christmas Eve.  

The traditional recipe for eggnog is milk, cream, sugar, beaten eggs, spices and sometimes alcohol.  The type of alcohol depends on the country it is made in. In Europe , eggnog is is made with white wine.  Americans drink it with bourbon or rum while Peruvians use brandy and Germans use beer.  

There are a few theories about how eggnog got it’s name.  One story claimed that eggnog was first called egg n grog, which eventually shortened to eggnog.  According to other sources the names comes from the Old English word for strong ale, nog..  The theory suggests that the combination  of the words egg and nog refers to any drink that contains both eggs and alcohol.

Regardless of how it got its name it has been a favorite holiday beverage for centuries.

Celebrate and make or buy some eggnog to toast the holidays!  

If you cannot see the bright side,

 polish the dull side 

THOUGHT  FOR TODAY

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.  Let your heart be light.

Judy Garland 

I’ve never tried to make my own eggnog, I buy it at the store.  My daughter says they don’t like it but she would pick up a small container of it for me.  I like it with or without alcohol, I just like to sprinkle a little nutmeg on top of it. It’s definitely one of my favorite beverages for Christmas!  

This Christmas eve we’re going to be going to church services.  We started going Christmas Eve years ago so that the kids could stay home Christmas Day to enjoy their gifts.  At home in Ohio it was a children’s service and the kids could participate and be angels or shepherds.  That is what the pictures are of today.  I don’t know what will be happening at our new church as this is the first Christmas Eve service we have attended here. 

DS#2, his family, and my daughter and her family will be attending together and then come home and have our Christmas dinner and celebration together at my daughter’s house.  It’s going to be a Merry Christmas here !  

I put my Christmas letter to my friends and family on my blog the Next 20 years. The link for it is shown below.

I hope you all have a TERRIFIC Tuesday! and a Merry Christmas Eve too! 

COUNTING MY GIFTS

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality.

Washington Irving 

Counting at least 3 things every day that I'm thankful for.  There is truly is always something to be thankful for.

12,987. for a Christmas to celebrate with family 

12,988. for Eggnog, a favorite beverage of mine. 

12,989. for all my family both near and far way !

Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence is fullness of Joy!

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

 

Almighty and eternal God,

Protect our military

as they discharge their duties

with the shield of your strength,

may the power of your love

enable them to return home in safety

that with all who love them

they may ever praise you for your loving care.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters and EMT’s.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

ADVICE FOR TODAY

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.

W.T. Ellis 

a smile,a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

Love,

ma

To see my blog The Next 20 Years click on the link below:

https://the-next-20-years.blogspot.com/2023/03/for-march-11th-2023.html

For Monday, December 23rd, 2024

 

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 23RD, 2024

The moments of our lives may be bright with possibility, dark with fear or sadness, or even plain everyday gray, but God's glory never fades.  May God's glory shine into the exciting lights, upsetting darks,  and boring grays of your every day.

Slightly adapted from one of my morning devotionals

In TEXAS

 Sunrise:    7;24  am

   Sunset:   5:39   

pm

Life is a special    

occasion!

Hallmark!

Today is Roots Day which is the perfect time to celebrate your roots.  Many people  take their family history for granted, and never take time to learn about the stuggles and triumphs of their ancestors and the history of their family name. 

It is our genealogy that makes us who we are today, so take time to sit down with your older relatives and talk to them about the past.   You may hear some funny stories and learn a few things about your family that you never knew before.

Celebrate today and create a family tree!  Enjoy! 

If cannot see the bright side,

 polish the dull side 

THOUGHT  FOR TODAY

To understand  and reconnect with our stories , the stories of the ancestors, is to build our identities. 

Frank Delany

I know a lot about my family history, thanks to the many talks my parents had around the dining room table. They would often talk about hard it was growing up in the great depression.  My mom told about how poor they were and often only had beans for dinner.  She said they never got Christmas gifts, if they were lucky, they would find a piece of fruit and some nuts in their stockings.  She also told of her family moving to Ohio from West Virginia so they could get a job.  She moved too and met my dad then decided to stay here.  When times got better her mom and dad moved back to the farm they had in West Virginia.  At one time my great grandfather was a wealthy man and gave each of his son’s a farm to run.  Their original farm had burnt down but they were able to get another one not far away and that is the farm I always got to visit when I was a child.  

My dad told stories of the neighborhood he grew up in.  It was a hodgepodge of many different nationalities and the church he went to undertook the job of teaching them english so they could converse together.  He also told us about how they would dig a hole in the ground to store vegetables during the winter.  They’d fill the hole with hay and then put the vegetables in and cover it all with dirt.  They’d have to dig it up again in order to get their vegetables to eat.  They didn’t have refrigeration to keep things in .  So this worked instead.  

Many of the families worked at the steel mills by the lake and moved there for easy accessibility.  

I could have listened to their stories for hours, but I learned after they were gone, I should have ask more questions.  There are a lot of unanswered questions we have today.  

I grew up during the 50’s and 60’s which was a much more prosperous time.  We weren’t rich, but always had enough of what we needed.

I try to pass as many stories as I can to my children so that they’ll know where their roots are.  If any of them have questions they only have to ask.  

A couple of years ago DDIL#1 gave me a membership to ancestry. My DNA verified most of what I already knew.  I love that they give me more information too.  

It’s another lovely day here in Texas.  The sun is shinning and it will be in the 70’s which is perfect ! 

I hope you all have a RELAXING Sunday!

COUNTING MY GIFTS

Counting at least 3 things every day that I'm thankful for.  There is truly is always something to be thankful for.

12,981. for my family tree that made me who I am today.

12,982. for bright sunny days

12,983. for lot of stories to share

Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence is fullness of Joy!

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

 

Almighty and eternal God,

Protect our military

as they discharge their duties

with the shield of your strength,

may the power of your love

enable them to return home in safety

that with all who love them

they may ever praise you for your loving care.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters and EMT’s.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

ADVICE FOR TODAY

Our history begins before we are born.  We represent the hereditary influences of our race, and our ancestors virtually live in us.

James Nasmyth

a smile,a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

Love,

ma