To The Hills

I'm really enjoying a new album I recently purchased. The band is Leeland, and my friend Tracey recommended their album, Opposite Way, several months ago but I failed to pursue it. Last week their new album, Love Is On The Move was on sale via MP3 download through Amazon for 5 dollars and I bought it...... I love it. Really, love it and now I have to get Opposite Way too!

The funny thing is that there's a part of me that loves art in most forms. I've never been an artist but I appreciate it. I love experimenting with my camera but I've never claimed that as "art"..... just playing. I've spent about 13 years either in symphonic bands, ensembles or private lessons playing flute. I love music. (can't sing at all though!) The other day I was at a friends house and she had music note flash cards. I could correctly finger the note on flute before I could verbalize the actual name of the note...... it's just so ingrained in my mind. I almost miss it, yet in the past 10 years I've deemed art as not that important.

So imagine my surprise that I'm being so touched lately by art! I see things more clearly; truth hits me harder through artistic mediums of creative stories, music and poetry. Here's the lyrics to Leeland's song Lift Your Eyes Up. Love the words; such a great reminder.

Lift Your Eyes Up

Feels like your world's crashing down and solid ground is hard to be felt
It feels like the walls are closing
And then night has fallen and the sun is gone
Your heart is dry, you need sometime to find God

Come on, come on, lift your eyes up
Lift your eyes up to the hills

Even in the testing fire God supplies every need in your life
And He'll come like the morning star and wipe away your hurts, fears
And the dark will fall and the light will shine
It's all alright with God here

Come on, come on, lift your eyes up
Lift your eyes up to the hills
Come on, come on, lift your eyes up
Lift your eyes up to the hills

Here the sun it will shine, it's a holiday

It's a brighter day for you
The sun it will shine, it's a holiday
It's a brighter day for you

Come on, come on, lift your eyes up

Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on, yeah

Come on, come on, lift your eyes up
Lift your eyes up to the hills
Come on, come on, lift your eyes up
Lift your eyes up to the hills

The Theology of Santa

Santa came to my church today. I wish I had my real camera! He was instantly recognizable; everyone knows what St. Nicholas looks like! And he did; he was! Kind yet penetrating blue eyes, white beard, red shirt, old fashioned glasses. He was indeed Santa and he was at MY church!

Katie was the first child to see him. All by herself she timidly went up to him, told him all she wanted. Then she went and got her brother and her friends to shyly show him Santa.

My 10 year old, Conor, has only stopped believing 2 years ago. He's "figured it out" that it's not true yet is true in other ways. He also went and spoke to Santa. He says he's a firm believer. He believes yet he knows it's not true. (at least I'm pretty sure he knows it's not true!) In the car today he asked why rich kids get better presents than other kids.

Reid is 6 and a skeptic... he has a lot of questions, all quite logical. How can Santa make all that toys? How can a sleigh fly with reindeer? How can Santa go to EVERY house? How can he fit down the chimney? Yet, seeing Santa this morning, he went right up and told him his (rather lengthy) list. He wants to believe. Sometimes does but then goes through all the reasons he can't. (BTW, Reid's the baby crying in both the photos)



I bring this up because I wonder.... when it come to Creation.... what is true and what is "right" for a Christian to believe? I don't want to "know" it's not true but believe anyways. That seems so wrong.

For me, If I don't believe that the Creation story is real, then why should I believe that everything else the Bible says is real too?

It's a hard one. To say that the creation story is true doesn't seem to be credible in this day and age where science casts so much doubt, yet to admit that the creation story is not credible opens the door to if the whole Bible is credible.

I know that faith is believing even when we can't make sense or see something, and yet, I don't want to be a person that knows that it may be untrue but believing anyways because I'm supposed to or because that is what faith is. There's a wonderful line in Miracle on 34th street that I recall. It states " Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."

Sometimes I wonder if others view my faith in Christ as shallow as they do faith in something like Santa or the tooth fairy. We claim the Bible as our authority and yet doesn't that hinge on it's being true?

What do you think? About Santa? About Creation? About truth and faith?

December

It's December.... it's not even the first week quite yet and I already feel behind! Today I want to the Women's Christmas Luncheon. It was a very nicely planned event. This is just the beginning of a very busy month. I'll go to my inlaws tonight, next week Katie has a Daisy Scout community outreach singing to Senior Citizens somewhere. Then the Christmas Run at my inlaws again, a Christmas party with my side of the family, several more Christmas parties.... it's a lot.

Did I mention I've barely gotten any presents yet? I haven't even taken a photo yet for my Christmas cards.

How about you? Are you busy and swamped or joyfully, fully embracing this wonderful time of anticipation?

Impossible Union

Men’s curiosity searches past and future
And clings to that dimension. But to apprehend
The point of intersection of the timeless
With time, is an occupation for the saint -
No occupation either, but something given
And taken, in a lifetime’s death in love,
Ardour and selflessness and self-surrender.
For most of us, there is only the unattended
Moment, the moment in and out of time,
The distraction fit, lost in a shaft of sunlight,
The wild thyme unseen, or the winter lightning
Or the waterfall, or music heard so deeply
That it is not heard at all, but you are the music
While the music lasts. These are only hints and guesses,
Hints followed by guesses; and the rest
Is prayer, observance, discipline, thought and action.
The hint half guessed, the gift half understood is
Incarnation.
Here the impossible union
Of spheres of existence is actual,
Here the past and future
Are conquered, and reconciled.
-T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets (1943)

Christmas Favorites

I've nothing to say so I thought this would be a fun time to ask you what your favorite Christmas songs are and if you have a favorite artist or version.
What's your favorite Christmas Movies?

Personally, I've not listened to much Christmas music this year yet but I know I adore Downhere's How Many Kings.
I've a soft spot of O Come All Ye Faithful and O Holy Night, but I like several Christmas Hymns/carols.

For Movies, It's A Wonderful Life is DEFINITELY my favorite but I like many of the "old" Christmas movies. I'll have to see them again before I list them though!

How about you?

Little Things

Things are quite different this year than last. I'm not sure it's a good or a bad thing. Last year and in years prior, I'd have purchased new outfits for Thanksgiving for my kids weeks in advance. They'd coordinate nicely and I'd have laid them out days before the big day. This year I'd no idea what my kids would wear until that morning! They did not coordinate. Katie wore a simple skirt and shirt, that was adorable but something that she's had in the closet for months.

The day after Thanksgiving is my day. My inlaws bring out the tree and boxes of decorations. My kids delight in decorating the tree. Normally, I do spend quite a bit of thought in what my kids will be wearing for this event; inasmuch as they love to decorate the tree, to me it's all about the photo opportunity.

Yet, once again, I'd not planned this. I "allowed" Katie to choose her own dress and she chose one at the very back of her closet that still had tags attached. It was a 3T. She now wears a 5, sometimes a 4. Not a 3. I tried it on her. It was short. I liked it short. She decided she was a "Peppermint Fairy" since the white tulle dress had a cranberry red sash. I said yes, indeed, she was a peppermint fairy. She then wanted to wear her tap shoes. Sure, we were only going to the grandparents house.

Normally, I'm a bit set about what I wish my child to wear but it was fun saying "yes". (besides, I had a feeling the too-small white dress would photograph well)

In the past I bought my little girl way too many clothes. I spent way too much money on her. The past several months I've spent nothing. (I haven't needed to; she still has way too many clothes)

I feel freedom. Freedom to not feel I "have" to have buy the latest beautiful dress for my child. Freedom to see that she's beautiful no matter what she wears. Freedom to allow her to choose her outfits and feel good about her choosing her outfits. It was just a wonderful experience.

The pictures are beautiful too.

Tradition

It's December 1st!

What Christmas traditions do you value to celebrate this beautiful time of year?

I'd love to know!