A Bit of Joy

On Christmas Eve...Katie and Teige had three baths. I couldn't find the can of chocolate frosting for the Birthday Cake for Jesus. I couldn't find Katie and Teige. I found Katie and Teige under Molly's bed. I found the chocolate frosting for the Birthday Cake for Jesus.
Katie at my mom's house Christmas Eve, eating. Apparently, a kid cannot live on chocolate frosting alone. I sure could have. Dad...with his best woman and stupidest smirk
Becky, Molly, Abbie...See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil

Daddy reading the Christmas story from Luke to the grandkids

Super Teige to the rescue. Aunt Annie made him this cape and he hasn't taken it off much since Christmas Eve.

The calm before the storm

Teige was the first out of bed at 5:30...

We were all up and at it by 6:30

Me and my sweethearts. What a Merry Christmas.

smooch

Movie Quote Monday

Oh...what is that...Christmas music...finally. Merry Christmas. Later, as promised earlier in the year, I shall attempt to create more upbeat, more Christmassy lyrics to "My Favorite Things." Till then, I'll leave you with quotes from, yet another, family favorite:

"I am angry. I'm like a large tornado of anger, swirling about. "

"What do you call that again, when you almost win? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah... Losing! "

"You know how hard it's been for me ever since your mom died."

"She didn't die! She divorced you!"

"Ehh... tomatoes, tomahtoes. "

"Hi, I'm Phil Weston and this is my son, Sam. I'm new to coffee... I was wondering if you could mix half of the regular version with half of the decaffinated version?"

"Are you a robot-woman? Are you a robot?"

"Ok, you caught me. The finches were a bad idea. And I wasn't gonna say anything, but I think some of them may have salmonella. A fair amount, in fact. I may have inadvertently poisoned your children. "

"Every time you say something back to me, it makes me love you more! "

smooch

How does one choose Joy?

Choose Joy? I wanna know how this works exactly. I know when I've experience Joy, I've known and seen the difference between it and it's worldly counterpart, happiness. Happiness happens whenever everything is going great-when the house is clean and the kids are clean and the boyfriend is doting and the arguments between friends are forgotten and when you've had a really good glass of wine and you've had a good bowel movement for the day. [I had to lighten the mood a little] But what about when your life is out of control, when you think that if you could just stop spinning you might be able to catch your breath, but instead find yourself vomiting violently?  I'm searching...Show me, Lord.

smooch

You Say Strength is found in weakness...

This line, from my favorite Starfield song...has re-playing in my head again and again over the past month. I've been really pondering strength and weakness.
.
Have you ever noticed that others expect you to be the strongest when you want to be the weakest? And then turn around to view you as weak when you want them to notice how strong you are? But strength is not in the eye of the beholder as beauty may be. Strength and resolve come from something inside. Our words and actions may be a good indicator to others of how strong we are at the time or while in certain circumstances, but they don't show the seed of capability that is within the constitution of every human God created. A seed that is only cultivated in our weakest days.

I am weak. Yesterday might have been the darkest day I have experienced in about two months. I cried out to the Father for strength and still didn't get a good foothold. I needed a breath and the air didn't come. It has always been the pattern in my walk with the Lord that the greatest defeats come before the greatest Joy and yet, I'm still surprised when it happens. We flippantly sing, many a Sunday morn, "The Joy of the Lord is My Strength." Stop and examine what you're singing. How wonderfully true these words ring out. For me that Joy is revealed most through trials...through moments of weakness. I count it all Joy to be weak for I know that Joy comes in the morning and my strength will come when I wait for it. He promised that to us, so count on it. God moved through this house last night and brought with Him the Joy and strength I needed after a day of disparity. Once again, I was as surprise as could be...Why? He promised me. Why am I always surprised? I imagine the Father watching me as my mother used to watch me when I was opening a Christmas present she promised me I wasn't getting.

I'm getting ready to do a study on Joy...If any of you have some favorite verses or literature on this, I would love to hear from you.
smooch

Retrospect

The muddy waters swirled with insincere moments

and remnants of half thunk sentiments.

~

I splashed in it for a time in ignorant bliss
as I disregarded the muck on my dress.

~

The first great storm blew in and all was

frozen there for me to see the warning hints.

~

I slipped and fell and was hurt more than once,

while I planned to escape the mess.

~

I decided enough, for our folly had no logic,
and logic allowed no such laments.

~

...I should have chose a better puddle.

NDC 12/08

smooch

Movie Quote Monday

Thanksgiving night it was my pleasure to watch one of the most beautiful films made in the past ten years. Beautiful. That's the best word I can think of to describe it. It was beautiful to look at, to listen to, to feel in your soul. Beautiful. Sitting their in a crowded theatre, I felt all by myself for at least half the show, wrapped in this beautifully delicious movie. I don't remember a time ever being more annoyed when fellow movie-goers drew my attention away from the screen. As I sat and waited for the film to start, there was a teenage girl sitting about 8 rows behind me. She mentioned to her friend that it was the third time she had been to see Twilight. "Crazy teenager, who doesn't have anything better to spend her money on.", was my initial thought. Leaving the theatre, I felt entranced. I told Jeff it was as if I had been to the art museum and experienced a great piece of art. I intend to see this film again before it leaves the theatre. If you are thinking about seeing it at all, go now. As of right now, Playlist doesn't offer any of the movie soundtracks. This first song "Puppet Love" was composed by Carter Burwell, who also composed "Bella's Lullaby" for the Twilight soundtrack.

Here are a few quotes I can remember...


"Hold on tight, spidermonkey. "

"That's all superhero stuff, right? What if I'm not the hero? What if I'm... the bad guy?"

"Death is peaceful, easy. Life is harder."

And the last line of the movie:

"No one will surrender tonight, but I won't give in. I know what I want."

smooch