The day after Thanksgiving is the day we decorate the house for Christmas.
I am not getting ahead of myself.
I love Thanksgiving: the food preparation, the family gathered, the attitude of gratitude.
However, this time of year I am thinking ahead; making a mental note of things we need.

Christmas lights, new ornaments, family Christmas card, all go on my check list.
This year I was contemplating new window candles.
That has been a mainstay to our decorating for my entire married life.
There is something so welcoming about seeing a lit candle in the window.

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I talked to someone on the phone.
Through our conversation, we realized that we had a mutual friend.
How we discovered that is a story in and of itself.
We were amazed at how the world keeps getting smaller.

Six degrees of separation: the theory that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world.

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It caught me by surprise.
I did a double take.
I saw it on a tree stump that had fallen in the woods.
The tree stump was relatively close to the driveway that winds back to a lovely home.

It was a leprechaun.
A statue of a leprechaun that was waiting to greet anyone who walked up the driveway.
You could easily miss it.
The leprechaun’s color seemed to blend in with the surroundings.

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Her creativity amazes me.
She can look at something and instead of replicating it; she can make it her own.
It all began with a poster.

Mom, do you think this would be interesting for my dorm room?
My youngest daughter, who will be going off to college this week, wanted my opinion.
The upstairs hallway closet has all of her dorm room things ready to go.

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The 2012 Hurricane season will long be remembered.
Superstorm Sandy, a Category 2 storm, raged off the northeast coast of the United States.
There was an estimated 65 billion dollars worth of damage.
The whole eastern seaboard was affected.

Twenty-four states were impacted by the storm.
Damage was most severe in New Jersey and New York.
A storm surge hit New York which flooded streets, tunnels and subway lines.
Power was cut to the city.

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We are all back on American soil.
After an eight-day trip to Ireland, my older four children added another week to their stay.
Another week to see a bit of Italy.
Two places in Italy: Rome and Venice.

I had been seeing their pictures since they set up a family photo stream.
They were six hours ahead of our time zone.
I knew when their day was over and they had finally gotten back to their hotel.
That is when their pictures from the day would be posted.

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As we drove through the Irish countryside, I was struck by a comment.
A woman noted that, they do things so different here.
She wasn’t talking to anyone in particular.
She was commenting, as much to herself as to anyone who might be listening.

And listening, I was.

She walked over to one of the many stone walls that scatter the countryside.
The stone walls that are functionally built.
The ground is extremely rocky.
When the ground is cleared to farm, the rocks that are collected must go somewhere.

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If you come into my house, you will usually notice the aroma of freshly baked something.
At least that is what people tell me when they visit.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and the smell of fresh baked bread wafting through the air.
Even though I am used to the baking aroma, I am glad that it warms the heart of others.

When I buy candles, I usually get kitchen-y fragrances.
Banana nut bread, pumpkin spice, and maple syrup pancakes to name a few.
Those are the smells that greet everyone when they wake up in the morning.
Those are the smells that they remember.

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A friend, who is an author, is speaking at an event next week.
She messaged me and asked me to come and hear her speak.
I was delighted to be invited by her.
I looked at my schedule to make sure the date was open.

This friend and I mutually encourage each other.
We both love the Lord and we both love words.
We have written many Facebook messages, liked each others pictures, but never met.
Yet!

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I was talking to a friend at the end of VBS.
Four days of hearing the Gospel.
Four days of listening to God’s Word.
One more day to complete the week.

The children move from Bible lesson, to craft, to our mission ministry, and to their snack.
They have worship at the beginning and end of each day.
Time to sing and praise the Lord Jesus.
I love to watch the joy on their faces.

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