Hope

Every Christmas Eve, my husband and I stay up too late.

We go to Mass on Christmas Eve with my parents.

We go to their home for Christmas dinner.

We sing, "Happy Birthday, Jesus."

My dad dresses up like Santa Claus and my mother dresses as Mrs. Claus.

The kids know. But, they play along.

We do Santa at our house. Some don't. But the joy of Christmas is that Santa fosters a belief in things that cannot be seen. Life today requires that. Too often, the tangible is put above hope. Santa is never seen, yet we believe that the next morning there will be gifts under the tree because, in the tradition of Saint Nicholas, Santa embodies goodness and generosity.

Beautiful, perfect baby Jesus - pure and innocent - came to earth, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He served others with gentleness and offers eternal salvation. Don't get me wrong, I am not comparing Santa (or even the extraordinary generosity of Saint Nicholas) to Jesus. They both, however, are kind and generous and willing to overlook imperfections - even if we see ourselves as unworthy. As adults we approach Jesus with the same childlike wonder as we did with wrapped gifts under the tree on Christmas morning. Children often can't fully grasp the gift of salvation, but they can believe in and model the act of selfless giving.

It is easy to hope when we are children - everything is seen with wonder and awe. As adults, hope becomes more difficult. But, faith - well-developed and often practiced - keeps hope alive, even when hope seems lost.

This Christmas morning, with awe and reverence, we open a gift of His love and His saving grace. Hope.

One of my kids' favorite things is to see baby Jesus "appear" in the manger. He comes, wrapped in swaddling clothes, on Christmas Eve after Mass.

As we celebrate Jesus' birth and all of the joy that comes with our Savior, we remember that He is ALWAYS present - that this little baby, hardly the vision of a king, humbled himself to be born in a stable. Jesus was a child. And, he had the same childlike wonder we see in our own children. I can't imagine the joy that wonder put on Mary's face.

Peace and joy to you this Christmas Day!

A peek into my office, some exciting news and a discourse on the value of books

This is what my desk corner looks like.

I started my adult life as an English/journalism teacher. That career has since morphed into a new one: photographer and writer.

Those who know me well – specifically my best friend from college – know that throughout my college years (and some time beyond that), I carried a pocket-sized dictionary, thesaurus and stylebook in my purse.

They were lifelines for me. At any time, I could find the meaning of a word, locate an adjective that wasn’t overused and make sure I chose the correct preposition, adverb or punctuation mark.

A couple of years ago, my friend was back in town and we were out having coffee when she fondly reminisced … or, perhaps made fun of me a little … about the “library reference section” in my purse. Suddenly, after a few years of staying at home with my kids, I was shocked that I had abandoned those pocket-sized books!

But then, I realized I hadn’t – thanks to my smartphone! I have the latest version of the AP Stylebook, a dictionary and a thesaurus at my fingertips. I am completely covered!

I’ve written before about my typewriter, and sometimes I get a bit too nostalgic, but I do enjoy these books sitting on my desk – they seem ready to be called into service at any moment. Pages, both pristine and marked up, sit awaiting the duty that is theirs alone.

Why this little peek into my life – more closely, my desk?

Well, today I received a contract for an article that will run in a national magazine. I am so incredibly proud of the person who inspired this article and I truly hope that this helps him further his deepest desire – to help others. Look for a link when it publishes early next year. These books, the dedication of the key players in the article and my dear (fellow grammar-nerd) sister-in-law (who painstakingly worked to cut nearly 300 words from the original) helped me achieve this goal.

My message today? Don’t give up on these volumes of immense wisdom – love your reference books!

OK. And love ALL of your inspirations, too!

If you enjoy my blog, please consider “liking” my Facebook page – Just Writing Through.

And, I know I need some updated images there, but I haven’t had any snow to photograph!

"Make a gingerbread house"

Today, our Advent calendar read, "Make a gingerbread house."

I spent last night making gingerbread dough, rolling it out and then shaping it into the pieces of a gingerbread house.

The smell of gingerbread permeated the entire kitchen - and probably went up through the children's rooms as well. Thankfully, no one woke up.

Homemade gingerbread dough is a great tradition that my neighbor started and I adopted. I am so blessed to have amazing neighbors who have taught me so much about family, friends, motherhood and life.

So, I baked the pieces and laid them out - don't they look so amazing just sitting there - completely untouched. They are just waiting for little hands to decorate them!

This morning, the kids woke up and, after a Jesse Tree story and ornament-making, they pulled the tag that read, "Make a gingerbread house."

Together we whipped up a batch of royal icing and broke open a few bags of colorful candy.

Then the fun began - my four-year-old piled on the icing and loaded the roof with gumdrops while my eight-year-old carefully piped the icing on the edges and meticulously placed Twizzlers on the roof edges while strategically laying down gum drops in color-order.

This makes me think about both of my children. My four-year-old is completely carefree and whimsical. She is her own person - even at four. She has her own ways of doing things - and she is persistent. She won't settle.

My eight-year-old is more scientific. She likes to stay between the lines, her creativity always is tempered with care and a great deal of thought - making sure that there will be a correct fit before taking the next step.

So it is with life. I am not a risk-taker. I make sure my gingerbread house is secure - and completely dry - BEFORE I add anything more to it. I gently pipe icing on my house with the smallest amount possible. Then, I add a piece. I am steady. I add one gingerbread person and not a lot of decoration - less is more.

That pretty much describes me. I dream big, but I don't always travel very far. I make sure the security net is available, because I want someone to catch me when I fall.  Every so often, I've broken out of my comfort zone. Sometimes, I find it exhilarating and I embrace that whimsical, carefree spirit I see in my youngest daughter. It is in those moments that I remember to embrace that feeling and to encourage my oldest to explore new things - to never feel hindered by the (gingerbread) house she has built, but to every once in a while go to the edge and peer out. Open the door.

That is a lesson I try to hold dear, because you never know what is outside your door!

The Season of Waiting

One of my favorite parts about the Christmas season is Advent - the season of waiting.

My kids and I begin making a Jesse Tree beginning December 1.  On the very first day, I cut out a giant tree from white paper and the children finger-paint the tree green. We read the assigned Bible passages together each morning at breakfast and then my children create the ornament with a symbol from the story we read.

I suspect it would be easier to cut the tree out of green paper or to buy one of those beautiful felt trees with the ornate ornaments you can use each year, but (at least for now while they still enjoy it), I love watching them get excited about drawing pictures, coloring them and remembering the stories as we journey through Advent. It is special for me to see their art skills grow and to see what they choose as their symbols for the stories as we read. I have a great book that gives readings for the Jesse Tree as well as prayers for dinnertime – when we light our Advent candles.

 

The other thing we did this week was to create a stovetop scent for our neighbors. In paper bags, my oldest put one orange and one lemon; my youngest put in a cinnamon stick and counted out varying numbers of cranberries. We folded the top and stapled an instruction card to it. Today we visited some neighbors (we haven’t gotten to them all yet) and gave them our Christmas card and the bag. The girls were very excited! We thought it was sort of a post-Thanksgiving/early Christmas gift – thanking them for being the awesome neighbors they are and giving them a way to make their home smell a little more Christmas-y.

In the midst of this season of Christmas and gifts, I want to help ground my children in the blessings of the season – sharing with others, being thankful for what we have, being extra kind to friends and remembering that our precious Jesus was born in a humble stable – but the light He brought was so bright that it burns still today.

Be a light this season ... in this season of waiting.

The Day After Thanksgiving

This should actually be entitled the night of Thanksgiving. My husband and I enjoyed starting some of our own traditions after our first baby was born. We decided to secretly set up our Christmas tree the night of Thanksgiving – even when we began hosting, we stripped the house of oranges, browns and fall pumpkin décor as soon as the last guest left.

Last night, we stayed up until two in the morning to transform our home – well, at least to set the mood – with our tree, a nativity and some splashes of red and green.

This year, in addition to hosting Thanksgiving, we also were able to host a brunch at our home with some of our dear friends who traveled to be with family and ended up being able to spend some time with us!

While we didn’t finish the mantel or put up the train, we did share a meal, listen to the children play (and create a matrix-like web of yarn in our basement) and get caught up on what has happened in our lives over the course of several years – well, that is, all that hasn’t been revealed on Facebook!

After they left, we grabbed a quick dinner and headed off to our town square for the annual tree-lighting ceremony. This is one of the things I most look forward to during the winter – it is as close as I actually will get to appearing in a Hallmark movie. Everyone in the town appears to be there – all singing carols with the choir, holding coffees and hot chocolate, hugging and talking – just waiting for that moment when the lights will be turned out with the flip of a switch.

And, just like that, the trees, the opera house and the gazebo are lit up (this year there even were fireworks!) and the singing continues. I know the season is beginning and I am so thankful to live in a town that resembles the joyous communities you see in those movies. Yep. I can hardly believe that I live here!

With everything going on in this world, being here helps to remind me of the people who strive every day to be good people, to do the right thing, to help a neighbor and to make the world a better place – they live in my house and they live in my community.

Happy Day-After Thanksgiving!

In Thanksgiving - and my cranberry sauce recipe

Thanksgiving recently has moved up on my list of favorite holidays. I truly enjoy hosting for my family – something I have done for several years now. We can share a meal, spend time together and not have to worry about anything other than making memories and being present.

My girls make place cards every year. Inside, they write why they are thankful for that person – an idea my wonderful and amazing mom-friend who blogs here gave me many years ago. I am excited that now at least one of my girls is old enough to do this by herself. The littlest still needs some help, but I enjoy hearing what she is thankful for and writing it for her.

All week long we prepare the table, work on recipes and decorate our home with cornucopias, dried Indian corn, crafts and pumpkins. Together we read stories of the Pilgrims, how they fled their homeland, coming here to protect both their children and their faith, and we talk about how thankful we are to live in this country. 

Some of my favorite books:

~Balloons Over Broadway, Melissa Sweet - This is a fantastic book depicting the history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as how and why the balloons were originally developed. 

~Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl, Kate Waters, and Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy, also by Kate Waters – Written in traditional dialect, the text could be difficult to understand for the little ones, but the pictures give such a beautiful historical context as a backdrop for any Thanksgiving unit, I use it every year.

~The Very First Thanksgiving Day, Rhonda Gowler Greene and Susan Gaber – Another great historical story for children.

~Five Silly Turkeys, Salina Yoon – This is typical Yoon with bright pictures, rhyming and a lot of silliness. It is a great book for preschoolers. 

~Thanksgiving Is For Giving Thanks, Margaret Sutherland and Sonja Lamut – A book about being thankful for all the blessings in life.

~Cranberry Thanksgiving, Wende and Harry Devlin – This is a delightful classic from 1971. The message is so sweet. It isn’t historical, but the message – about opening up your table to others – is beautiful. There also is a recipe for “Grandmother’s Secret Cranberry Bread” on the back of the book. It is a book that both little ones and older ones continue to enjoy.

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Thanksgiving affords us time to contemplate our blessings. When my children and I read about and talk about why that very first Thanksgiving was so special, we can discuss all we have to be thankful for - including our continued freedom of religion.

Last Thanksgiving my sister-in-law was ill and it was a scary time for our entire family. We have been blessed beyond belief as she is healthy, beautiful and thriving now - we are so incredibly thankful for her recovery.

We are thankful for the family we have, the friends we have – both old and new, the jobs we have and the food we have.

Thankfulness finds its roots in contentedness. I admit, that is something that I struggle with. But I am thankful for those in my life who model humility, generosity and kindness. They help shape me and teach me to be a better person.

My favorite (and really easy) fresh cranberry sauce recipe:

Two bags (approximately 6 cups) fresh cranberries
3/4 cups water
1 3/4 c sugar (or less, based on taste. I start with 1 1/4 C and then add more if it needs it)

Mix and bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. 

Easy!

~Happy Thanksgiving!

Family - your history, your present, your future

It isn’t something we choose – it is something into which we are born. Sometimes we feel our family fits us like a glove and sometimes we feel like we don’t belong, but a family is a family – people who love you whether you fit right in or tend to ruffle the traditions.

Immediate family is the one we create when we reach adulthood – we set the tone of our house, we create the environment we desire and we display the books, sentiments and values we want in the corners and on the walls of our homes.

I have spent the last several years cultivating that feeling of home in my house.  For the first few years of our marriage, my husband and I were very busy with work, graduate school, figuring out how to live with each other and blending our belongings and our tastes.  After we had children, our home was filled with the décor only new parents in survival mode can appreciate – safety gates, baby toys, pack and plays, piles of laundry, spare clothes for baby, burp cloths ...  Now that things have settled down and we are right in the thick of parenting and training children who pick up on every word, making our house a home filled with character and virtue has been in the forefront.

Our life hasn’t become any less stressful – and it certainty hasn’t become any less busy, but the need for constant vigilance and keeping the delicate things hidden away has sort of come to an end (at least for now). And I also have learned how to create a more family-oriented home – one that is ready for guests; warm and inviting. It is still a work in progress, but I believe in life-long learning!

I enjoy hosting family dinners and remembering times that bond family together – times that only we can reminisce about.

When my mother- and father-in-law celebrated 60 years of marriage this summer, my sister-in-law snuck into their home and absconded with wedding photos for the party. She also was kind enough to make copies for each of the siblings who wanted them.

These priceless photos remind us of times gone by – people we never met, but who have greatly impacted those we know. My husband’s grandparents' (three of whom I had never met) and my mother- and father-in-law’s photographs from their wedding now grace our piano top.

Looking at them while I play makes me thankful that they raised such amazing children. Collectively, they brought my husband into the person that he is today. And, my children, while practicing their lessons, get to see the generations of family – the stay-at-home and working moms who struggled to raise their children and care for their houses and their husbands, the men who served our country and provided for their wives and children, and the marriages that have withstood difficult times and yet persevered and grew stronger. These are the examples I want my children to see – steadfast love, gentle spirits, love of God and love of country.

I love my family – and I love the family that I married into. It is rich with history and bursting with amity. Most of all, it is the lineage from which my children come and the legacy they will continue.

A little history and a big thank-you to all who serve

When World War I ended with the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, fighting actually had stopped seven months prior on November 11, 1918. But in 1919, President Wilson dedicated the 11^th of November as Armistice Day – in gratitude for and in honor of those who died in victory.

In 1938 November 11^th became a legal holiday to celebrate the cause of world peace, but would still be known as Armistice Day. After World War II the 83^rd Congress in 1954 changed the wording to Veterans Day in order to honor American veterans of all wars. It continues to be a day to celebrate veterans for their love of country and for self-sacrifice.

I feel fortunate to live in a country where my freedoms are protected – and even more fortunate that there are men and women who are heroic enough to fight for not only their liberty, but for mine.

I have spent much of my life feeling thankful for our military, but not as passionate as I should have been.  My uncle served in Vietnam and both of my grandfathers fought in WWII, but those stories of service have long been silenced. It wasn’t something spoken about.

This year, I met some amazing men and women. I have heard their stories – men and women who have valiantly served their country from the Korean War all the way through to Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

Not only have some of these men and women shared pieces of their personal lives, but some also have spoken on panels that I was privileged to attend. Their stories of returning home and the harrowing effects of post-traumatic stress disorder will be forever etched in my heart.

You see, I can never unsee their faces. I can never unhear their voices. I can never unknow their stories.

In every news broadcast or radio story, I see them. I put their faces in every news clip and my heart breaks. There are times when I actually feel that I cannot breathe, so horrible are the stories that flash across my screen. I can no longer separate the hard news from the tangible men and women who are so stoic and broken at the same time, who courageously tell their story and who bravely continue on in their lives - lives that will never be the same - lives that were torn apart in order that others be allowed to continue on in their daily life.

So I am making it a point to reinforce respect for our veterans, the history of our country and celebrating the freedoms men and women continue to fight for. Tonight, my daughter is reading a book on the Civil War. Tomorrow, we will read a story together on the American Flag. There will be crafts, there will be stories, there will be puzzles. But there will also be time to pause and give thanks for real people – people who have made an impression on my children – people who have given them their freedoms here, in the United States of America.

 

Celebrate this special day with your children - and thank a veteran today.

And to all those who serve, thank you.

Election Day

Vote

According to the (kind of old) Merriam-Webster paperback placed conveniently next to my computer, “vote” means to cast a vote; to express an opinion; to choose, endorse, authorize, or defeat by vote.

Today was Election Day and our polls were busy. I vote at the local firehouse. Since we homeschool, my girls went with – and, for the first time, we had to wait in line for a long time. They have been voting with me since they were in infant carriers. 

We make memories each time we vote. The election judges recognize my girls every time I pick up my ballot. One time, the firefighters gave us a private tour of the firehouse. Today, they offered my voting assistants a donut! My girls always stop to look at the statue of a firefighter, clothed in yellow and black, hoisting an ax in the air with fragments of wooden beams and nails surrounding him. No matter how many times we vote there, this is always a pivotal moment – and a great opportunity to talk about the heroic acts that sustain our country and our freedom.

I always discuss the voting process with my children and they get excited about watching as I fill out a ballot. We huddle around the small table as I fill in bubbles that remind me of taking scan-tron tests in high school. My youngest carries the ballot with the cover over it to the box and my oldest usually puts it into the “ballot vacuum,” as she calls it.

There is a finality in casting that ballot.

All the months of listening to speeches and reading mailers – oh, and the political calls – have come to an end. With that single action, we endorse our candidate.  We support those with similar values and we partake in a process that has kept our country alive since its birth.

Tonight, as I await the results, I marvel at the way we can follow the precincts and how quickly our votes are tabulated. That one ballot – the mark of a black pen that gives a voice to our conscience – has been counted amongst the other thousands of votes cast in our county. And, the power of that one ballot, combined with the other individual ballots, paves the way for the future direction of our nation.

I do not take my voting rights lightly. It is a privilege to be able to cast that ballot. I am proud to see that so many in my own county have taken part in this remarkable, wonderful democracy that we have.

No matter who wins in your local elections, never feel defeated.  Every vote counts. Continue to vote - Every. Single. Election. Tell your kids about it. Wear your sticker. Let everyone know that you are proud to live in this great democracy!