Dear Reader:

If this scene looks inviting to you…it was! This was the room where I told the story of “The Legend of the Palmetto Rose Cross” yesterday. Kay, the owner Baker’s Pond Nursery, has a gift for making everything “pop” before your eyes. She had even added ribbons to some palmetto rose crosses and had them on the Christmas tree to complement the story.

( Harriett Edwards and I think alike….I came home and added the crosses to my Christmas tree and she added the crosses to her manger scene.)

(Thank you Harriett, also for your gifts of hope…have already found several stories I want to share and have placed the pink HOPE sign on the tree for all to see!) Too sweet…thank you!

( A card that says HOPE was also in Harriett’s package: “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah- 29:11)

At 10:25…there was just one adorable family waiting to hear the story with two precious little boys…but suddenly Peggy Franklin (from all the way downtown Charleston) shows up and says she is meeting Susan Gaston for the storytelling and she had just spotted Honey looking around the vendors’ tables…then Fran Townsend ( looking great girl following your surgery) comes walking in…Anne Peterson comes rushing in the door, followed by Harriett Edwards and Kathy Worthington….we ended up being a dozen strong!

Thank you thank you thank you….my teaching (support) family!

  Kathy and Harriett “snuck” in… after the individual photos in front of the fireplace….but everyone, except dad and the youngest brother (precious) made the group photo!

It was a tad drafty in the building so everyone pulled their chairs up close to the front of the room and the fireplace for the storytelling. Bless all of you for coming…to take time now in the craziest part of the Christmas season… means more to me than you will ever know…love ya everyone and Merry Christmas!

But… isn’t it nice in the slap dab middle of Christmas craziness…God saves a wonderful “wink” to pull us all back into His world again?

The following story is such an example.

Brookie sent it to me yesterday. I remember reading it last year or perhaps the year before on Facebook and loving it…so I feel fairly confident I have put it on an earlier blog…but who knows or cares…it is worth reading again! Brooke received it in a daily devotional she reads each day. Thanks for sharing girlfriend!

          The “W” in Christmas

    Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful
 experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations – extensive card
 writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I
 found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family
 moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

    My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting
 season for a six year old. For weeks, he’d been memorizing songs for
 his school’s “Winter Pageant.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be
 working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining
 moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there’d be a dress
 rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend
 that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas
 seemed happy with the compromise.

    So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early,
 found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I
 saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I
 waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied
 by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one
 by one, rose to perform their song.

 Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the
 holiday as “Christmas,” I didn’t expect anything other than fun,
 commercial entertainment – songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes
 and good cheer. So, when my son’s class rose to sing, “Christmas
 Love,” I was slightly taken aback by it’s bold title.

    Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy
 mittens, red sweaters, and bright snow caps upon their heads. Those in
 the front row- center stage – held up large letters, one by one, to spell
 out the title of the song. As the class would sing “C is for Christmas,”
 a child would hold up the letter C. Then, “H is for Happy,” and on and
 on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete
 message, “Christmas Love.”

 The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her;
 a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter “M” upside down –
 totally unaware her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience of 1st
 through 6th graders snickered at this little one’s mistake. But she had
 no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding
 her “W”.

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter
 continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A
 hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant,
 we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the
 holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose
 for our festivities.

    For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and
 clear: “CHRISTWAS LOVE” And, I believe, He still is.   Amen.

All My Love & Prayers,
Pastor Allen (God’s Minute)

…………………………………….

Powerful message isn’t it?

So until tomorrow…Please remind us, Father, when we get down on ourselves for not being perfect

…that there aren’t any mistakes…just learning opportunities.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Mandy sent this funny photo and all I could think of was the old adage: “One man’s poison is another man’s cure”

* I have started work on my “Holiday Monster”…am having fun!