As a followup to the Cox tearing up the yard debacle they finally at long last came out and repaired the yard. Now we just have to wait and see what grows up in the spring.Preparing for various events at church has kept me busy. Besides creating weekly bulletins and specialty fliers I've been involved with meetings (and taking minutes), crocheting for church projects with the Crochet Club, directing and singing with the Joyful Noise Choir rehearse for a Christmas presentation, and practicing on my piano for Sunday services.
I must admit that on Youth Sunday last week I saw an opportunity to simply take a rare break since I wasn't participating in any way. I'd already seen the kids' rehearsals and knew what was coming (they were awesome, by the way) so Danny and I headed south to the Outer Banks for a day of doing nothing. We ended up at a craft show at the local high school, perusing the goods at the Manteo Christmas Store (one of my all time favorite places), and having a super Frog Island seafood afternoon lunch on our way back home. It's always amazing to simply drive down Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and the rest to see the changes that have occurred since our last visit. I rather miss the old days with less high-rise apartments, preferring the simple small shingled-side beach cottages. The few remaining look positively tiny sitting next to the modern giant "rent me" places!
We've managed to put up and decorate the Christmas tree in record time (compared to last year) and I've been down-sizing old beat-up ornaments and things we don't use anymore. It's time to send them to the thrift store and see if someone else will give them a new home. I sit in darkened living room the evenings and look at my lovely little tree and wonder if I will ever truly get used to a pencil tree instead of the larger traditional tree. But then I remember how much simpler it was to decorate and I'm over it in a moment, a twinkling of an eye! ;)
I waited until December to start watching the holiday movies and DIY Christmas crafts and other seasonal goodies. I just think Thanksgiving deserves its own moment of time. We had a lovely Thanksgiving service this year with time for digging deep to thank God for all He's done for us. When people share their own thanks tributes I find I'm not always alone in trials and tribulations that I've experienced and am grateful for divine intervention. So I'm thankful for Thanksgiving too.
Christmas is around the corner. We don't have as much shopping to do so the stress level is down. Our family decided to for-go gift giving for the most part, although I think everyone is actually freer to do things from a "want to" perspective rather than a "have-to" view. Besides being with family I am most looking forward to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. That's where the real Christmas is, not department stores and Walmart and Amazon! As I get older it really is more about Jesus and His life on earth and the back story of why He came at all. I love that! I wish everyone could take an opportune moment to really think about it. Wouldn't the world see some changes then?!
