The Fountains are Green Again in Savannah

You can see pictures and read about it here.  This, of course, is because Wednesday is St. Patrick's day, which is HUGE here.  What saddens me is how many people will pour into Savannah to booze it up and party, not knowing what Patrick really believed.  And here from National Geographic, nonetheless, is an excellent article from last year about who Patrick really was and what he believed.  No snakes.  No wearing "kelly green" (Patrick wasn't even Irish!) and no public drunkenness.  As for the real Patrick--I am currently reading a good book to Mary and Bobby about him.  It's entitled Flame Over Tara by Madeleine Polland.  We highly recommend it.

Words of Wisdom

Just came across this blog post about the busyness of the Christmas season.  Sally at Eternal Echoes has elucidated my thoughts exactly:

No wonder we are weary, we have lost the ability to truly rest, and have forsaken the wonder of waiting, replacing anticipation with headlong rush of activity adding stress to a season that sends bank accounts and relationships spiraling into disaster. How tragic that parents are judged not by the love, care and concern that they have for their children but by the size of the parcel they are able to provide. I speak to mothers who sacrifice bedtime stories and cuddles for part-time jobs simply in order to buy that latest toy for a child whose head has been filled desire for a toy that has been advertised solidly from September onwards. I speak to families stressed out by not being able to buy the approval of relatives and friends. I hear it from my own children as living on student loans they struggle to resist the perils of the season!

Advent is not about chocolate filled calenders it is a season of repentance and fasting just as Lent is, it is also a season of preparation, one that calls us not to look to the babe in the manger but rather to the risen Christ WHO WILL COME AGAIN.

The rest of her post is equally thought-provokoing.  It's nice to see others are pondering these issues and writing about them.


Hat tip to Dave Black for the link.

Famous Birthdays

I know it may sound crazy to some people, but this whole week I've been waiting for something bad to happen. I posted about this last year. Some of the worst things have happened right around my birthday before, so it's nice to have a year when mid-April is peaceful. I also found out this year that while I share a birthday with Hitler, my husband shares his with Charles Manson. It's kind of fun to see what famous people share your birthday, even though it's utterly meaningless. For example, in addition to good-old-Adolf, I share a birthday with: Joey Lawrence, Carmen Electra, artist Joan Miro, Don Mattingly, and quite a few other Hollywood-types. My husband, in addition to Manson, shares his with Tonya Harding! He also gets a lot of "normal" famous people: Sammy Sosa, David Schwimmer, Nadia Comaneci, Al Michaels, Wallace Shawn, Grace Kelly, and "The Thinker" sculptor Auguste Rodin. On a side note: anyone who believes in astrology should spend some time looking at these birthday lists. The idea that all of the people born on a certain date share similar characteristics and fate would quicky be dispelled. For example, my father shares a birthday with the late Vladimir Lenin, my mother shares a birthday with the equally infamous Nikita Kruschev, and my mother-in-law shares a birthday with the hanged-for-war-crimes Saddam Hussein. Hmmmm.....I sense a communist/fascist/absolute dictator theme going on in my family....

So, although it really means nothing, it's kind of cool to see who might be having a birthday cake and hanging out with their friends and family on the same day as you. Even if their idea of hanging out with friends might be something crazy like this,or this. I, on the other hand, went out to dinner at a Moroccan restaurant with my husband on Thursday night, and will have a nice dinner with family tonight. Then, tomorrow, (my actual birthday, ta-dah!) I will go to church with my family and hear my husband preach. Now that's a real gift--to be in the house of the Lord with other believers, worshiping together and being taught from the Word. We've been invited to another family's house for lunch, so I won't have to cook, either. It all adds up to a fine day in my book.

P.S. Just got back from my in-laws' house, and it was actually a small surprise birthday party! I wasn't expecting it. My mother-and-father-in-law were there, as well as Eric's sister Esther and our brother-in-law Nate, and Teddy and baby John. Charlotte made delicious pot roast, potatoes, carrots, and a salad, and we had strawberry shortcake for dessert. I even got to open most of my birthday presents. It was a wonderful time.

Kids and Candy...

A few days after Christmas, the kids made candy houses out of graham crackers, frosting, and enough candy for an elephant. They worked on them for three or four hours, on and off, and I think the results were great: Here is Bobby with his creation: And Mary with hers: And here is Caroline with hers: And I just have to add a few close-up pictures:

Christmas Traditions and Fun

I'm just going to post a few pictures of what we've been doing around here...It's been a wonderful Christmas, and even sweeter this year knowing that our son is alive and cancer-free. We have treasured this time with our children more than ever.
First, we made cookies with Grandma and Aunt Esther:Then, we drove around Savannah one night looking at Christmas lights:Then, we took the kids ice skating at the Civic Center:After that we went to the Westin Hotel lobby, where they have an impressive display of gingerbread houses, including a four-foot tall replica of the hotel itself: Finally, yesterday we had a blessed Christmas day:

O Tannenbaum...

Last Saturday night we put up a Christmas tree. Now, I understand that some Christians refuse to put up a tree due to its pagan origins, (see here for an excellent explanation by a lady I respect of why they don't celebrate Christmas the way most people do,) and I appreciate the sentiment of not wanting to Christmas to be commercialized, losing its real meaning. But this year putting up the tree was even more meaningful for us than ever. We were blessed with a free tree from a local Home Depot--(long story short: they were donated to our brother-in-law's school, the principal didn't want them, she told him to take them, we got one of them.) We went to Esther and Nate's attic and got our lights and ornaments that we had left there. It was like a mini-Christmas going through the ornaments and remembering where we got them, whose they were, and what special significance they have. We put on Christmas music and spent a happy time together as a family, even indulging in molasses cookies and hot chocolate.
Last year at this time we had a tiny artificial tree with a few of our favorite ornaments, which are now stuck in India....But this year, we have a large, beautiful tree to remind us to thank God for the gift of His son, and we thank God for healing our son.