Black Friday Shopping!

Today Lee headed back home and Jeff and I had a great day shopping all the Black Friday Sales. Our main search was for the Perfect Christmas Tree. The artifical one that we have had for the last 7 years finally bit the dust last year. We hoped today since it was Black friday, we would be able to find just the right one. It was the perfect day to find one too, since every store had all there Christmas music playing throughout the store and today as you can see out the window of the store ...was the first snow of the year! It wasn't much and it didn't last long but...it made for a perfect Christmas shopping day!
Grateful to spend with my best friend!
I am so grateful also to be able to say...Merry Christmas dear friends and Good Night!

Christmas Spirit

I am sorry that I didn't write a post yesterday. I was in a lot of pain, and so I stayed low most of the day. When my pain is really bad, it hurts to even write so... thanks for understanding. I was able to go to church today for a little while, and how grateful I am. Going to church renews and uplifts me. So even though I couldn't stay the whole time, I was thankful for being there for at least, a little while. Plus, I love singing the Christmas songs in church, that was a great memory from the time I was a little girl sitting in church with my family and grandma.
Here is  your Christmas story for tonight, it's good.

Christmas Spirit

The line of disgruntled customers snaked around the counter and disappeared somewhere in the men's ware department. There were just two more shopping days before Christmas, and most of the shoppers in line were in panic mode, coiling to strike. One of those customers was my husband, Dale.
Dale is one of those people who shop better under pressure. They are the no-nonsense shoppers who depend on fast service because every minute counts as the countdown before Christmas continues. But the service here was anything but fast.
The problem was the elderly lady at the front of the line, who was twittering happily to the lone salesgirl manning the cash register.
"This sweater is for my granddaughter," the lady explained. " She's going to be a teacher, you know. And she's doing very well. She has a nice boyfriend who is an architectural technician. He's just started a job with a good company, but you know, we  haven't  seen any sign of a ring yet. Young people  seem to wait so long these days. They've been going out for quite a while now. Why, I was married with one child and another one on the way when I was her age."
On and on she rattled as she painstakingly counted out her change, oblivious to the writhing serpent of customers behind her. When she finally zipped her purse shut and picked up her parcel, the clerk motioned to the man next in line.
"Thank you, dearie," said the lady as she started to move slowly away, checking the contents of her shopping bag. She was almost to the end of the counter when suddenly she turned back. "Opps! Excuse me," she cried. A collective hiss went down the line. Several fangs were bared. An ominous rattle of keys began in someone's pocket.
"What's this for?" she asked, holding up a piece of paper
"It's a discount coupon that will give you a 15 percent off your next purchase here at the store, from now until the end of January," replied the weary salesgirl.
"Well, thank you, my dear, but I won't be needing this," she beamed. "Here, you can use it right now!" she said, handing it to the man next in line. The man's eyes widened, and he mumbled a word of thanks as she shuffled to the door.
Then an amazing thing happened. The man stepped up to the counter and used the coupon that the elderly lady had given him. When the clerk handed him another coupon for his next visit to the store, he promptly turned around and gave it to the woman in line behind him. After she had used that coupon toward her purchase and the clerk gave her another one, the woman then passed it back to the shopper behind her. By the time it was Dale's turn, the salesclerk had a smile on her face, and so did Dale as he turned around to give his coupon to the lady behind him. And so it went, on down the line until there  was nothing left of that disgruntled snake, not even a rattle. One small act of kindness had snowballed into a mountain of goodwill.
Dale says it was one of the best gifts he got that Christmas---when he discovered that the Christmas spirit is still alive and well in our world.   ~ Lisa Beringer ( Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas )

"The only blind person at Christmastime is he who has not Christmas in his heart"  ~ Helen Keller

"Selfishness makes Christmas a burden, love makes it a delight."   ~Unknown

"He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree."   ~ ( Sunshine Magazine ) 

Where is the line to see Jesus?

My sister in law sent this next story to me. It has now became a song and a video, below is the information to see it. Bring out the tissues, and be grateful ...for the children in our lives, whose hearts are so pure and their words that are so profound!
This is a perfect way to start off the season, and to can keep things in perspective!  Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=pPViKJRHyZo&vq=medium

Here’s the story behind the song:

About the Song:

While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, "where's the line to see Jesus"? My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few minutes. After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends. He sent the song off to Nashville without much response, except for a Christian song writer who suggested adding a bridge at the end of the first chorus. My dad then asked if I wanted to record the song to see what we could do with it. I listened to the song, made a few changes to the words to make it flow better, and we headed to Shock City Studios. It was at the studio where Chris, owner and producer, rewrote the 2nd verse and part of the chorus... with goosebumps and emotions high, we were all hopeful and felt like we had something special. The demo was recorded in just under 2 hours and sent off again to Nashville ... still no response. Then 2 weeks before Christmas last year, my cousins Greg and Robbie decided to do a video to see what we could accomplish on YouTube. The first day we had 3000 hits and it soared from there. We received e-mails, phone calls, Facebook messages from people all over asking for the music, CD's, iTunes, anything... we had nothin'. After a couple of meetings with Chris following the amazing response, we got serious. We headed back into the studio this past spring... this time with guitars, drums, bass, pianos, choirs... the real deal..... and here we are today. Getting iTunes set up, a website put together, and loving that thousands upon thousands of Christians have come together.... remembering the true meaning of Christmas. Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults can not understand. Hopefully Spencer's observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him. We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you. Merry Christmas everyone.  ~ Sandra B. Mantz, M.S., MFT   Marriage & Family Therapy

 

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."  ~W.T. Ellis

"Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts."  ~Janice Maeditere

"For the spirit of Christmas fulfils the greatest hunger of mankind."  ~Loring A. Schuler

Attitude

All my life I have admired people who really like themselves. They seem to be comfortable in their own skin and they like their body and carry themselves with a since of pride. Not in a conceited way, but in a confident and graceful way. I on the other hand, have never been one of those people. I have struggled for years with my self-esteem. I am so critical of myself, but would never judge others with the same critical eye.

We have been blessed to have our son and daughter-in-law, live with us for a few months...while they were doing their internships. My sweet daughter-in-law is ... one of those people who is comfortable with who she is. I am not saying that she never feels unsure about herself, (I think everyone does from time to time ) but mostly she is happy and has confidence. I admire that and need to be more like that. For some reason I tend to look at all the things that are wrong with me and it is a rare moment when I look into the mirror and like what I see.

Today Krystal and I were talking and she was telling me a certain fashion of clothes that I would look good in. I laughed and commented to her that I could never wear this or that. She talked about dresses and I told her I hadn't worn a dress in 15 years, they just don't make them for my shape. From that minute on, she was on a mission. She told me that we needed to go to the stores today and she would prove to me that I can wear different fashions. So we just all of a sudden made the decision (she is quite persuasive) and left. Our first stop was Macy. I really don't even go into Macy, because I have never been able to afford their clothes. But we went in and just decided to try a few things on. I have to admit ... I was amazed at how nice some of those outfits looked on me. I would have never tried some of those on, you know how you some times get stuck in the same fashion rut? She had me try on all sorts of styles and colors...it was so fun! She made me feel like a million bucks, she just kept telling me how nice this or that looked. It was a real treat and something that I needed today.

The down side is that we just were able to put it on hold and had to walk away and just think about it. I am not sure what I have to think, but they were beautiful clothes, and we had a wonderful time.

I have always had trouble with shopping. I don't like to spend money, I won't go in debt for it and most of the time, I don't feel like I would look good in it anyway. I have struggled even more with this since my mastectomy. I am always wondering if this or that neck line, shows the caved in part up near my collar bone from my surgery? But today when I was sitting in the dressing room waiting for Krystal to bring in some more clothes, I looked deep into the mirror at myself and thought..."Lynn, most people wouldn't even notice you had a mastectomy", "You need to love yourself more, you need to be comfortable with who you are and remember to appreciate that even though you have had cancer twice, a mastectomy and every other disease known to man...that you are still alive." "You need to be grateful for your body." "You need to be more accepting of  yourself!"

So it was a fun and insightful evening, thank you Krystal for helping me come out of my comfort zone, out of my old fashion habits and at least TRY something new! Thanks also for reminding me that my attitude about myself is very contagious to my family and those I associate with each day! I will try and do better and yes I did look nice in some of those clothes! I am still trying to think what I could sale to get them!  :)

"YOU CAN EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY WHO IS MORE DESERVING OF YOUR LOVE AND AFFECTION THAN YOU ARE YOURSELF, AND YOU WILL NOT FIND THAT PERSON ANYWHERE!"

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gifted ability, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace from that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing that we can do is play on the one string that we have and this string is, Attitude. I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. And so it is with you....We are in charge of our Attitudes.
-- Charles Swindoll

Everything happens for a reason!

Today I went with my sister-in-laws to a craft boutique. I know you are probably wondering why I did something like that while I am on vacation?  Actually, I myself sold at craft fairs and boutiques for over 25 years, I started in my first one at the age of 12. I am not recommending that type of life, it is tough on your body but I loved creating and I loved meeting all the people at the shows. Today was another one of those experiences. I was talking to one of the venders today at the boutique and we immediately hit it off. I love meeting new people and learning about their lives and feeling their sweet spirits. I am always amazed at how many wonderful people there are in the world, it seems if you watch the news... you wouldn't think there were any good people left. So I am grateful that I not only got to go see some beautiful creations but meet this wonderful lady.

I love to see how people's lives interconnect with each other. Like this dear lady and I, we have never met before and yet we had things and experiences in our lives that instantly connected us. I do think that if we took the time to get to know people a little better that we would realize we have a lot more in common that we realize. It is by having these same experiences that make us connect with each other. I have known all my life that everything happens for a reason. I don't think most things are luck or coincident's. I do think we meet certain people at certain times in our lives for certain reasons. I do believe that we miss many of those reasons and opportunities because our lives are so rushed. I think many times we are addicted to HURRY! ( ME INCLUDED ) But the most memorable times in my life, have been when I slow down, breath and really notice the things and people around me.

I hope during this holiday season that we can remember the life of the Savior, He was all about the ONE! The one person, the one miracle, the one lesson, the one reason He came. How grateful I am that we have a season that celebrates that. I only wish that we would remember amidst the hustle and bustle to take time out to connect with the ONES that we are suppose to meet in our lives.  Thanks to all of you who have been connected to my life, that truly is what makes life rich and worth living!

 

"LIFE IS FULL OF BEAUTY. NOTICE IT. NOTICE THE BUMBLE BEE, THE SMALL CHILD, AND THE SMILING FACES. SMELL THE RAIN, AND FEEL THE WIND. LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST POTENTIAL, AND FIGHT FOR YOUR DREAMS."  ~ Ashley Smith

“Everything happens for a reason. Every action has a reaction. Always remember that what's meant to be will always find a way to come about.”

The red balloon!

Today is Saturday, and all day I have been very tired. Maybe that big day at the hospital was more than I should have tried? I really felt right about it though, some days are like that...I just have to pay quite a few days when I do something that big. I spent the morning with Amy, it was fun being with her again. I had missed being with the kids while I was gone. We went shopping for material for the baby's room (Jenny's room). Actually she and Angie will have to share, but still we need to get her bedding and blankets made. Afterwards I had to come home and go to bed for a couple of hours and then Amy and I started helping Lauren get ready for Prom. She and a bunch of friends are all going together this year. It is hard to imagine that she will be graduating this week.

It doesn't seem that long ago that Lauren was the fired up little toddler, who could never stop from getting into trouble. Oh I worried how I was going to raise such a tough little spirit and look at her now. She is all grown up and beautiful on the inside and the out. She knows who she is and has a 1000 dreams and plans for the future.

I missed my mom today and our family who is out of town. It is always during these SPECIAL MOMENTS in your life that you want family and friends to be there to share them with. Brad and Krystal are in Idaho going to school and the rest of our family is spread out. Mom, has been gone for almost 9 years now. I remember how funny and crazy she thought Lauren was, wouldn't she love to see her now? I hope she can. I truly feel like she isn't that far away. When she first passed away, I continued to email her every day. I know that sounds crazy but it was very therapeutic. I am not sure why I stopped?

So tonight, I guess maybe because I don't feel very well or ...just because I am missing my family right now... that I would like to share with you a sweet story that I found. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Good night

BENNY'S BALLOON

BENNY WAS SEVENTY WHEN HE DIED RATHER SUDDENLY OF CANCER IN WILMETTE, ILLINOIS. BECAUSE HIS TEN-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER NEVER GOT THE CHANCE TO SAY GOOD-BYE, SHE CRIED FOR DAYS. BUT AFTER RECEIVING A BIG RED BALLOON AT A BIRTHDAY PARTY, SHE CAME HOME WITH AN IDEA---A LETTER TO GRANDPA BENNY, AIR-MAILED TO HEAVEN IN HER BALLOON.

RACHEL'S MOTHER DIDN'T HAVE THE HEART TO SAY NO, AND SHE WATCHED WITH TEARS IN HER EYES AS THE FRAGILE BALLOON BUMPED ITS WAY OVER THE TREES THAT LINED THE YARD AND DISAPPEARED.

TWO MONTHS LATER, RACHEL RECEIVED THIS LETTER POSTMARKED FROM A TOWN SIX HUNDRED MILES AWAY IN PENNSYLVANIA:

DEAR RACHEL,

YOUR LETTER TO GRANDPA BENNY REACHED HIM. HE REALLY APPRECIATED IT. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT MATERIAL THINGS CAN'T BE KEPT IN HEAVEN, SO THEY HAD TO SEND THE BALLOON BACKT TO EARTH--THEY JSUT KEEP THOUGHTS, MEMORIES, LOVE AND THINGS LIKE THAT IN HEAVEN.

RACHEL, WHENEVER YOU THINK ABOUT GRANDPA BENNY, HE KNOWS, AND IS VERY CLOSE BY WITH OVERWHELMING LOVE FOR YOU.

SINCERELY, BOB ANDERSON (ALSO A GRANDPA)

~Michael Cody

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." ~ Henry David Throreau

"Mourning is not the end of the relationship.
Our love for them does not die with them."