...a word from Kathy

Cross posted from Adventagain.blogspot.com W onder in a child's eyes is a spectacular sight.  The open amazement and awe is so very beautiful to behold.  In fact, one of my Christmas joys is to see our children experience the wonder of their gifts.  I look to see if they 'really like' their gifts; I look to see the wonder in their eyes.  And I know immediately if we have slightly missed the mark for the look of appreciation is so very different from the look of wonder or awe.  And today, even with our grown children I want them to experience wonder!  Perhaps they are too old now.  Perhaps wonder is a child-only event.  In fact, in looking for a picture to express 'wonder' for this writing, I struggled.  And it perplexed me that all the pictures labeled as 'Christmas wonder' were of children.   I could not find one single picture of an adult expressing wonder.  Why is that?  Are we so mature, so hard-hearted, so immune that ...

Cross post from Adventagain.blogspot.com W hew!  What a few weeks we've had in our family! We've experienced overwhelming joy and overwhelming tragedy.  And yet, life keeps moving, the sun is still rising every morning.  And a Christmas tree stands in my den so here we go again!  The turkey is still in my freezer and the calories are still on my hips but I've got to make room for more activities.  And if my Christmas activities and happenings are not enough I can also work on our daughters upcoming wedding plans!!  (we are so excited for those two to be wed).  But truly, I find myself thinking I have no room for anything else. Or do I?  I certainly have no room for another scone or piece of pie....but somehow I make room!  I certainly have no more room on my calendar but somehow things keep appearing and we make room.  We make room for what's important to us or expected of us, right? Mary made room...certainly her life was interrup...

Cross post from Adventagain.blogspot.com T here are many joys to being in friendship with people from other countries.  We talk about customs, fashions, family routines and EVERY other subject.  But one of my favorite times is when foreign visitors ask questions that are both completely simple and completely complex.  These type questions absolutely stump me.  Let me give a few examples: •Ms. Kathy, why do people in the US put trees in their homes during the Christmas season?  And what do those round objects on your front door symbolize? •Ms. Kathy, I enjoyed your church environment but why is everyone so sad? •Ms. Kathy, could you explain the Holy Spirit? These questions are real examples.  But today, I want to ponder this question: Why do you celebrate Christmas?  What's all the fuss about? Why was/is there so much excitement about a baby being born? Why indeed?  Ellsworth Kallas, a favorite author of mine, calls our celebration of Chri...

Photo: InkedFingers.com B ig news, the precious girl is engaged to be married.  How can this be, her mom pondered.  Wasn't she just born yesterday?  How can she be all grown up and ready to marry?  But oh, what joy the mother felt when she saw the sheer delight on the daughter's face.  The utter joy in her eyes was unmatched as daughter and mom shared the moment of 'he asked me'!  It is a privilege to have heart-to-heart moments of sheer delight with another person.  It is a privilege of motherhood to be heart-to-heart with your own offspring as they experience the joy of a life time.  And, it is a privilege of fatherhood to see family wholly celebrating together, in love together with each celebrating the other. The mom reflected that this journey of engagement took a path of curves, turns, downhills and uphills: The first meeting at 13 The years that neither forgot the other The re-meeting The days spent getting to know one ano...

T here's this guy in my town that is relentless in his work.  Every time I drive by his place of work he is there.....early morning or late evening. EVERY TIME.  6 a.m.?  Yes.  6:00 p.m.? Yes.  Seriously, there he is again.  When I first encountered this guy, my thoughts were not so kind.  They were along the lines of, "Oh boy, what is he hoping to accomplish?"  "Does this really help bring love into the world?"  Does this really help the cause of Christ?"  I daresay that many driving past him shared similar thoughts as mine.  A curious character, we thought. But now, after months and months of seeing this one man, doing his one thing my thoughts have shifted.  In his relentless effort he's changed his work place and he's changed me.  What started off as a piece of ground outside a fast food restaurant at a very busy intersection where people were scurrying from one appointment to the next has become...actually Holy Grou...

T his is true.....in the last week, three different people in my life have asked me, told me, and questioned me about my writing.  "Why aren't you writing?  You need to write, it's part of your journey.  I'm so sorry I haven't seen your writing recently."  Now, it did get my attention when these three separate 'nudges' came my way for that is a very unusual incident in my world.  So....I considered myself nudged and begin to ponder what I might share.....but soon I came to realize I had no words to give.  Empty.  Distracted. So yesterday, after a busy day of commitments I got home around 4:45 and noticed the weather had cooled to a breezy 91°!  So I decided to take my 2 mile walk...As I walked, I begin to think about summer ending, football games beginning, early school days and the newness and freshness fall offers.  Now I had to reeeaaaalllyyy stretch to feel fall yesterday and in fact couldn't get there.  But it was in those mom...

S he had just finished a two mile walk in the hot, steamy Southern morning.  It was a morning that the deep South often experiences where no wind blows and the air feels thick with moisture.  As I watched from behind windows clouded with moisture from the air-conditioned comfort, I saw the woman standing very still on the patio, her back to my view.  She stood stock-still as sweat flowed from her.  She made no move to wipe the rivulets falling.  She simply stood.  What is she doing, I wondered?  Why would she not come into the cool air-conditioned home and take refuge and drink deeply?  It was then I noticed her earbuds were still in place.  She was listening.  Oh, now I understood, she is listening to the end of a podcast or the end of a song.  I felt a little uncomfortable staring out at this woman but found myself unable to pull away.  More minutes passed...more standing.  I begin to hear her....is she s...

A t a concert last week, the artist proclaimed words of hope, 'in the midst of recent tragedies we find ourselves at a loss.  But one thing I do know is that we can stand up and sing.  We can sing a song of hope for the world.  And sing we will tonight.'  Additionally, this performance came only a month after I had the chance to visit New York and experience some beautiful Broadway music and singing.  Leaving the theatre always makes me want to break out in song and dance...I feel so alive, so thrilled, so elated to have experienced such wide-open passion and talent.  What do these experiences say to me? Sing when you are distraught and sing when you are joy-filled...just sing! I realized today that I have been subconsciously pondering these experiences all week.  I've had all sorts of memories bubble up.  Memories of song.... ...She sat with her dying adult son and sang to him the song she had sung when he was just a baby boy, " You are my...

I found myself walking down a dark hallway, beautiful candles were burning, and light music was playing.  The smells were of lavender and gardenia.  As I followed my guide down this hallway there was only the quiet slap of my slippers and our whispered voices.  "Here we are...please take a moment to get comfortable and I will return to begin your facial."  Oh, the beautiful spa life...this was  a special day of relaxation and fun with my girlfriend.  I had anticipated this for several weeks and finally the time had arrived.  We were about 10 minutes into this experience when my itty-bitty brain committee came awake and begin to speak words into my head.... " you realize, that with a facial ALL your makeup comes off!  You realize you really don't know these people you are with?  You realize you don't look really great without your makeup?  You realize people won't really like you if they see the real you?"   Ugh, I really despise...

I  was asked this week, "Mrs. Kathy, what comes after Easter?  I mean, the Santa celebration is well over, the New Year has passed, the Easter bunny has hopped off and we've celebrated Jesus so what's next."  Indeed, I thought, what is next? This student's words strike me today and they strike me hard.  "We've celebrated Jesus so what's next?"  This brings so many questions to my mind....have I celebrated Jesus?  And why is this question in the past tense?  Shouldn't I/we be in the process of always celebrating Jesus?  Of course, yes, is the answer to this pondering.  But I daresay that my week since Easter Sunday has been less than a full celebration of who this Messiah truly is....the I AM. So I asked myself today, what difference does Easter make in my life?  Really, what day-to-day difference does it make?  The disciples found themselves in a similar situation as they gathered eight days after their Jesus had been killed ...