Dear Reader:

With Christmas still a fairly recent memory…we all know the famous first lines by Luke in the Christmas Story…the birth of Jesus.

…”And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.”

If Luke had taken a writer’s seminar before starting the story…he probably would have been advised not to start the most powerful story on world change…. talking about taxes…it could be a turn-off to most weary tax-paying readers.

Long before old Ben Franklin’s sage advice about taxes and death – “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” Luke is letting us know (setting the stage) that the birth of Jesus would play out due to the overcrowded conditions of people queuing up to pay taxes….thus “no room in the inn.”

Luke does get points for starting the story with a relatable topic everyone can connect to through their daily life…paying taxes. Even though the expression “It came to pass” is not a phrase seen primarily in our readings today….our stories and novels… it is a phrase worth remembering because our perception of the term can still change our lives.

‘And It Came to Pass.‘  It didn’t say ‘And It Came to Stay’.

When dealing with life’s daily problems…we all will have our share of “passings” but this doesn’t mean we are stuck…mired in our troubles so deeply we never can overcome them and enjoy life.

God is making sure that even in the worst of scenarios…the sun will come out again and life will continue…perhaps differently than we anticipated but still the problems we encounter throughout our lives are just passing through…to teach us more about ourselves and our place in this world.

When we are experiencing potentially life-threatening situations…it is easy to get mired down in worry but when we realize “we are all on borrowed time”…that time being life itself…we come to realize that we are not going to live one more minute than God’s life plan for us or one less second.

This was most helpful while I was facing different doctors’ prognoses for me based on their experience with other patients with similar cancers. Their time-lines came and went while life continued…gratefully with me still in it. God is in control of our lives.

Barbara Johnson, author of Daily Splashes of Joy, remembers reading a book on living and dying on a plane ride. Another passenger sitting next to her glanced at her book and made a joke that her reading must be a laugh a minute…a book on dying?

He then grew serious and apologized if he had offended her…and timidly asked…“Do you have a life threatening disease?”

Barbara smiled back and replied “Yes…the same one you do. It’s an incurable disease with a 100% mortality rate…..it’s called LIFE.” She then grinned and whispered….”By the way it is highly contagious.”

Tina Montalto in her article “And It Came to Pass” observes:

Build this attitude of “it came to pass, not to stay” as you face your challenges. We all have challenges because Life is in a continuous progression of growth. Life does not stand still. Challenges make us move forward. We will never be without our challenges, but when we realize that all challenges are just chances to change and grow, we won’t be devastated by them. We won’t be immobilized by them. They came to pass, so let’s help them on their way!

So until tomorrow….

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

As most of you readers are now aware...it is Monday, the first day of February! Time to say “RABBIT  RABBIT” and pray for a wonderful new month! For me…just saying February instead of January is psychologically more optimistic…because by the end of the month…March will arrive…and with it SPRING. We are getting closer! 🙂

***And speaking of closer….Tommy and Kaitlyn are getting closer and closer into moving back in their home/B&B on Shem Creek. You might remember it went up in flames on Friday March 13…just as Covid-19 hit in earnest…and we first heard the words quarantine and social distancing added to our mental “dictionaries”…masks were still a little off in the future.

So after almost a year…of wrangling with insurance companies…they are about to move back. This past weekend was spent moving in the first pieces of furniture.

Oh happy day…and I am sure a happy day for Butch and Susan, Kaitlyn’s parents. (When Tommy and Kaitlyn’s temporary rental ended a few months after the fire… they and their four dogs went to live with with Butch and Susan.)

A huge Thank You Susan and Butch from me….what a ‘beyond generous’ gesture….just pure family love. Wow!

A Shout-Out to one of my favorite people….HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jo Dufford! What a faithful blog reader you have been and continue to be!

You and Colby, your beautiful granddaughter, make up the Dynamic Duo...always giving generously to everyone! Amazing women in your own right. Great genes!