The Christmas Shoes

Last night after our fun-filled Christmas Eve celebration with our family, I came home and couldn't fall asleep. I decided to finish reading a book I had bought at the beginning of December, "The Christmas Shoes" by Donna VanLiere. I had seen the movie and have always loved the song, so I thought that reading the book would be fun since it was a short book and a fast read. It's a story about a man who has lost his "way" and a little boy whose mother has cancer and won't be with her family much longer. During the course of the story, the man and boy cross paths, and the man's life is changed forever. As I began reading the book, I thought to myself that I would read it until my eyes got heavy and I was ready to fall asleep. Well, that wasn't what happened at all. The more I read, the more profound the simple little story became. I felt a warm awakening stir inside me, the true meaning of Christmas. If you haven't read this book, you should. If your heart is heavy and your belief in God has has dwindled, read this book. It will warm your heart and enlarge your soul.

This is an excerpt written on the back cover of the book:

"If we're open to it, God can use even the smallest thing to change our lives...to change us. It might be a laughing child, car brakes that need fixing, a sale on pot roast, a cloudless sky, a trip to the woods to cut down a Christmas tree, a schoolteacher, a Dunhill Billiard pipe...or even a pair of shoes.

Some people will never believe. They may feel that such things are too trivial, too simple, or too insignificant to forever change a life. But I believe.

And I always will."

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

The Santa Clarita Master Chorale

My husband, Larry, sings in the Santa Clarita Master Chorale and has for the past 10 years. Last night they performed their annual Christmas concert at The COC Performing Arts Center. I look forward to this concert every December. Yesterday's performance was a wonderful celebration of the life of the Savior and of the special warmth of the season. They performed many beautiful pieces, one of which was a classical piece entitled "Ceremony of Carols" by Benjamin Britten that I hadn't heard before. I really loved it.  My other favorite pieces were "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" arranged by Shawn Kirchner and "Silent Night For All The World" by Pepper Choplin. Toward the end of the concert the audience participated in a Christmas carol sing-along which was great fun. Many of our family members were able to attend which made the event even more special. After the concert, the family members who attended the concert came over to our house for a family dinner. Yesterday encompassed the true meaning of Christmas - the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and warm family relations. I am thankful for the Savior, inspiring Christmas music, and a family that I love very much.

Angel Wings

As I have been decorating for Christmas the past week or so, I have been reminded of my mom who passed away 7 years ago this month. I still miss her and wish that she were here to see how I have put her old decorations to use. My favorite decoration is an "ancient" nativity scene that my mom used to put on the mantle of our fireplace, without fail, every Christmas. It is so old that the poor little ceramic lamb no longer has a face. As I look at his wonderful piece of my history, I can picture the Angel Hair spread across the length of the mantle to represent snow, the tiny plastic christmas trees, the homes and town buildings made of cardboard. None of the decorations really matched the era of the nativity, but perhaps my mom was reminding us that Christ lives wherever we do. This year as I hung the little angel on the front of the nativity I was reminded of a funny story. My mom was always disturbed that angels were depicted as having wings. She used to get so irritated about that. Well, she decided to take care of that little problem and proceeded to break the wings off of every angel in our house! As I hung that angel with no wings on the nativity this year I just laughed and laughed and then felt the memory of my quirky mother fill my heart. I am grateful for that little angel and the joyful memories that it stirs inside of me.

This picture was taken sometime in the late 60's. I'm the goofy little blonde girl, and that's my mom sitting behind me. Notice the Angel Hair in its full glory.

This is the nativity in 1975. The Angel hair is gone, probably outlawed. I'm pretty sure it was made of fiberglass or some other toxic material. This is me at 15 in yet another fabulous pose.

Ahhhhhh.......the wingless angel. Isn't she a beauty? =)

A Grinch's Heart.....

Well, now I am certain that I have the giggling part down to a science. Just ask anyone I know, and they will readily confess that I pretty much laugh at everything, including myself. What a hilarious world we live in! Gratitude is a different story. This is where I find myself lacking. It is so easy to get caught up in the miseries of the day, when instead I should be grateful for the very air that I breathe. So much of what I experience everyday is nothing short of a miracle. Instead of recognizing this blessing, I find my self consistently "sweating the small stuff." Recently, I have read some blogs that have been truly inspiring. Reading these blogs helped me to evaluate the state of my spirit, and I decided that it could use some help. I thought that if I blogged my gratitude everyday for even the smallest blessing, that perhaps my heart, much like the Grinch's, would triple in size. Add a little (a lot) of laughter along the way and how can I possibly go wrong? So, the experiment begins today. Hopefully, things will begin to stir inside of me in time for the Whoville Feast. I would just hate to miss the roast beast.