How did you do this season?

THIS IS WHAT I WROTE AT THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER...

"Thanksgiving has passed...the holiday that is less stressful. Why should we end up being stressed during the Christmas holiday season? To even make a list of reasons for stress would actually cause us stress. We are determined to make this Christmas one of remembrance and celebration of the Reason for the season in spite of the busyness. One plan is to prayerfully wrap prezzies and prayerfully cook, arrange, and clean the house for each happening. Most important will be to start the day with some quiet time with the Lord. This will center us for the day. Read His word and meditate on it. The Women's Focus Ministry devotionals and other writings will be there for you to use as a part of your quiet time. Have music of the season playing in the background. Take a breather once in a while and send up "feather" prayers whenever He comes into your mind. Remember IT always gets done. Make lists so you don't have to hold it in your mind. It is so wonderful to cross off what you have done. Most of all have a wonderful month of love for God, your family, and your friends. Make it joyful." 

I thought it would be interesting to review my Christmas time endeavers.

• 11/28 - 12/1  Spent four days decorating my house. It looks beautiful. I have loved it, and everyone who came here loved it. Every room has a manger and some have more than one as I have some really beautiful small ones and two big ones. One is the manger that my parents bought their first Christmas in 1941.
• 12/3 - Our neighb0rhood had a progressive dinner that was held in three homes. We hosted the entre part of the dinner. The fellowship in this neighborhood is up 200% thanks to this event.  We all got to know each other better, and we are planning further get togethers in 2011.
• 12/10 - I lead a writers' group. We had our celebration of Christmas at my house. It was a pot luck. During the evenining we also exchanged gifts. We all knew that God was there during the gift exchange. We each picked a name out of a Santa hat and gave our gift to the person whose name we pulled. We each talked about why we had picked the gift we had brought. Without exception we each received a gift that seemed to be meant for us...surely a God thing. We finished up our evening with reading our writes that were based on a theme of Christmas. A good night!
• 12/11 This was the day for our Church Womens' Ministries Christmas luncheon. This traditionally includes women who wish to host a table and decorate it to do so. I did host a table with a theme of mangers and poinsettas. It was beautiful as were ALL the other tables. The event included a trunk sale with gently used clothes donated by many women of the church. It was so much fun, and I spent some money getting some awesome "new" duds. I invited three neighbors who do not attend my church. The four of us and the other friends at the table had a great time.
• 12/15 - This was the biggest blessing of all. I have a cousin who was like a sister to me growing up.  Life and distance of homes kept us from continuing our close relationship for years and years.  Sally came to visit me and will be here until the 31st. Her daughter, Patty, and granddaughter, Brittany, also came on 12/18 to spend a few days. They all fell right in with the program, and it has been easy to have them around. Lots of laughter. Help with wrapping prezzies. A family face with its blessed familiarity.
• 12/16 - Sally, my 7 year old granddaughter, Kieran, and I drove up to Stockton to visit Sally's grandson, Brandon. We took him and a friend out to what we called "Lupper"...a late lunch or early supper...you pick.  I gave the boys each a tie that had a Christmas picture and each played a different Christmas Carol.  Too cute/funny. 
• 12/18 - This was the evening of our Gourmet Christmas party and gift exchage. This group has become like family and we love our monthly gourmet potlucks that always have a theme. This was held at our friend's house, Craig and Jody. It was lovely and we all brough finger appetizers or desserts. The house was beautiful and we exchanged and fought to steal white elephant gifts.
• 12/21 - I take a writing class at which we lovingly call "Tuesdays with Helen." Our last class of this session was a potluck at my house, where I and my fellow students read what we had written. I love this class and hearing the wide variety of readings from the very talented class members. 

THEN WE WERE TO THE ACTUAL TIME OF CHRISTMAS

• 12/24 - Christmas Eve with friends and a neighbor over to join dinner with my hubby, cousin, son and me.
• 12/25 - Christmas Blessed Christmas was here once more. Kieran was supposed to come with her dad...our son, Faruk and mom, Janet, and brother, Michael. Sadly Faruk came down with shingles and they could not come. Our niece Tanya came with her boyfriend and his step mom and step grandmom. We had a nice time, some appetizers and some soup. Later on the four of us had dinner...a small group considering our other celebratios for December.
•  12/26 - The last hurrah! Friends Jody and Craig came to lunch after church. I used leftovers to make open faced sandwiches with gravy and left over pies.  Just got a text from Jody who said that it is a good thing we will be together in eternity where we can talk as much as we want to and not have to leave.

AND LIFE WENT ON AS USUAL...

• Bible study ever Thursday with about five hours prep for each meeting where we were studying Job.
• Writers class every Tuesday that meant that I had to write something.
• Cooking, cleaning and laundry.
• Doc appointment and hair cut
• Adnistrating Gourmet Group, Writers Group, my online  Native American Friends Website, and participating in BBC Poetry Corner...which means writing and commenting on the writings of other members

SO HOW DID I DO???

Well I wrote...

•  "Remember IT always gets done. Make lists so you don't have to hold it in your mind. It is so wonderful to cross off what you have done. Most of all have a wonderful month of love for God, your family, and your friends. Make it joyful."

I cannot claim to have been stress free. You can not do all that I did and not have some degree of stress. However, in the overall picture I passed with at least a B+.

Filled with God's Blessings
Corinne

Gather Round Me Children

Gather round me children

Find a place where you can sit

Get your blankey and pillow

And come back lickety split.

Yes, gather round me children

I have a tale I want to spin

A wonderful story to be sure

Settle down and I will begin

The children all sat down

On the rug by the fire place

Waiting for me to start my story

Smiles on each and every face.

Long ago on an icy dark night

A prophesy that was foretold

Was fulfilled under a bright white star

That man had waited for from days of old.

A man and wife upon a trip

Required to journey to Bethlehem town

Orders to be counted in the census

Requiring Joseph and Mary to travel down.

But Mary, sweet young Mary

Was ready to birth her first wee child

Not easy to ride a donkey so far

But still Mary and Joseph smiled.

They knew that this baby

Who would soon be given birth

Was a gift from heaven on high

God’s own son was coming to earth.

The angels sang in the heavens

Shepherds came in from their field

Wise men followed a star to visit the babe

Through whom all the world would be healed.

And soon my dear children

We’ll all celebrate and recollect

The beautiful birthday of Jesus himself

Who was much more than earth could expect.

Still warmed by the hearth fire

One little one said what she thought,

“Even then Baby Jesus loved us so much

This is what he taught.”

I answered her that she was right

And told there’s one more thing,

“When you hear how He favored children

Your hearts will really sing.”

 

Because Jesus did love children

A fact none could ever deny

He praised their purity saying

All should become as small fry.

Jesus told the grownups there

“Let the children come to Me.

They are the sweet and innocent ones

Of this world, you see.”

So children sat up on His lap

And bounced upon His knee

They loved to spend time with Him

Knew He came to set them free.

So this is what we celebrate

At this holiday time of year

The Baby born in a barn long ago

Little Baby Jesus so dear.

         

©Corinne Mustafa

   Christmas, 2010

Golden Rule

Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.


Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another' s burdens - Have sympathy; feel for each other; and consider the case of a distressed brother as your own.


And so fulfill the law of Christ - That law or commandment, Ye shall love one another; or that, Do unto all men as ye would they should do unto you. We should be as indulgent to the infirmities of others, as we can be consistently with truth and righteousness: our brother' s infirmity may be his burden; and if we do not choose to help him to bear it, let us not reproach him because he is obliged to carry the load.


submitted by Annie

A Little Christmas Story

This has a rough ending but I think it perfectly illustrates
that ANYONE can become stressed and overwhelmed.

And it all happens in  a season when JESUS IS TO BE THE REASON!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Not a lot of people know this.

This is a funny illustration of the REASON gone bad.
Let's refocus!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Take time out to read and think on this...

THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

The Birth of Jesus

|

Luke 2
(The Message)

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

An Event for Everyone

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,

Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

Yes, this is what we need to focus on during the stress of many things to do

Jesus is the REAL REASON FOR THE SEASON

Presented and shared by

Corinne Mustafa