This Last Week

of 2006 was full of ends. Obviously there was the end of the year 2006, but for me, it was framed by four deaths. Three of them you all were aware of. One you could not be unless you are a family member.

1) James Brown. He died Christmas Day. The man had his problems, but as I listened to news reports of his body lying "in state" at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem and of people dancing and singing in the streets, I was made to think of how I want people to memorialize me. I would prefer not to have a somber ceremony. I want people to dance and sing and remember me not as being gone, but of the life I lived. I think of the New Orleans' funerals with the bands. That kind of celebration.

2) Gerald Ford. Talk about inheriting a mess. I think Gerald Ford showed us that you have to make the best out of whatever situation life hands you. He lived with integrity and best of all, he was never bitter but always considered it a blessing to serve as the leader of our country.

3) Saddam Hussein. I don't believe in the death penalty. Ever. I think this is evidence of a sad trend of death in our world. I don't deny Saddam was a horrible person and deserved to be punished. I believe that only when God sends the Angel of Death should one succumb to it.

4) My sister-in-law's mother. When we gathered for Christmas dinner at my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's house, my sister-in-law shared that her first experience with death was when she was eleven years old and just before Christmas her dog was killed by a passing motorist. She described not wanting any presents, just her dog back. Two days after telling us this story, her mother passed away after a long battle with dementia and other various illnesses. Luckily, my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and nephew were there. I think of how painful this must be as my sister-in-law is an only child and this happening just after a joyous Christmas. I feel for my nephew, who will never remember the grandmother who wanted him so badly.

I start 2007 thinking of how these ends will yield new beginnings. God Bless You All.

Baby's First Christmas

Shelby's first Christmas will go down as the Christmas we became proud owners of a nebulizer. It will also be the Christmas where she got her first rain slicker from Nan and Poppy, the Christmas in which we got rain, rain and more rain but NO SNOW!, the Christmas we got our cards two days late, and the Christmas we first felt a new element to the season as we saw it through five-month-old eyes.

We just got back from visiting Gigi and Papa today and Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa. Although our visit was far too brief, we enjoyed one another's company and exchanging gifts and memories.

A Welcome Christmas Present

Just minutes old...
3-4 hours old...
Uncle Trevor, Daddy Zach with baby Tyler, and Grandpa Ted
Zach, Jessica and Tyler
A first look at the little guy for Mama and Daddy

My new baby cousin, Tyler Edwin Beckingham, born December 20, 2006 at 1:37 pm weighing 6 lbs 5 oz and 18 inches long. This little peanut was born a few weeks early to Jessica and Zach.

Merry Christmas to All

It's Quiet in Our House

so I don't know what to do. Jeff is picking Shelby up because my "check engine light" came on this morning. I am so not used to having the dogs and house to myself. I am listening to some Christmas music and trying to relax and enjoy myself, but I feel a little selfish, maybe I will try baking some cookies or something!

Success Is...

1) Doing all your Christmas Shopping in one attempt
2) Already having everything you need to bake your holiday treats
3) Getting all those presents wrapped
4) Having all your presents under the tree
5) Managing to get all the laundry washed, dried, folded, and put away in one day
6) Thanking God for it all

Wrong Answer

"Oh I heard that, but I wasn't going to tell you about it," is not the right answer when your husband says, "I think I'm going to get your muffler replaced because it's rattling."

Chimichanga

I love the show 2 and 1/2 Men. In one episode, Alan hires his ditzy girlfriend Candy to be his office assistant. Alan is a chiropractor. In one of her bright moments, Candy takes and x-ray of a chimichanga she has just purchased. When Alan asks why, she answers, matter-of-factly that she wanted to know what was inside it. When Alan then asks the obvious follow-up question as to why she would order it if she didn't know what was in a chimichanga, Candy answers, "Because I like saying chimichanga."

Believe it or not, there is a moral to this story. And no, it's not be careful who you date. Or don't hire your girlfriend. It's a little more significant.

How about don't do something just because it sounds cool or looks good on paper?

I've seen a lot of people lately make bad decisions. And not like I poured regular instead of diet coke bad. I mean awful decisions with nasty repurcussions.

In the neighboring, much larger city a college student waited in line for hours at Wal-Mart to get 2 Playstation 3s. When he got home, he was attacked and the units were stolen from him. When sherriff's deputies went to serve a warrant to one of the attackers, the alleged attacker was shot and killed.

Might have been a cool unit. Cool enough to steal. But even if this young man hadn't been killed, he would have been facing charges like assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon and grand theft and larceny. He was all of 19-years-old. Now, he's dead and no one is a winner. The young man who was originally robbed is still recovering from his injuries.

So, before you think something sounds cool enough to do, take a moment. That's all it takes is a moment of sound thinking to make sure you aren't going to regret this decision.

A Good Old Fashioned Family Christmas

that's what Clark Griswold extols the virtues of in the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. As we famously remember this includes digging a Christmas tree out of the frozen ground, lighting the house to the point that auxillary nuclear power must be used for the rest of the city (we have a neighbor with these aspirations), and having the entire extended family stay in their home.

So, what really constitutes a "good old fashioned family Christmas?" We all think of Norman Rockwell and Currier and Ives prints, but let's get real. Families are scattered across the country and globe now. While lots of moms and dads are thankfully able to stay home with kids now, a lot cannot and even those who can are not always able to create mammoth feasts and elaborate desserts. And then there is a debate as old as Charlie Brown, artificial or real Christmas trees. Not all of us are Clark W Griswold's who will go on the search for the perfect real tree. Many of us cannot be bothered and prefer the new artificial models that settle themselves. And then there was a man I saw on tv who said, "Artificial tree, artificial Christmas."

I think what makes a 'good old fashioned family Christmas' is two things. Jesus and family. Celebrating the birth of our Lord might include Santa or cookies or caroling but it should include family. Whether it involves visits over long distances or short ones or even telephone calls to those we hold dear, spending holidays with family are what it's all about.

Accepting Life

Yesterday, I posted about dogs not taking down our Christmas tree (which thankfully still hasn't happened). I know many people would laugh at that fear, but being a dog owner for five + years now, I have reason to be fearful.

Our second Christmas in this house, we bought our tree at the hardware store, brought it home, and decorated it. It was beautiful! We took time to place every ornament in just the right place. Our lights twinkled. Ours was to be a happy Christmas. One day, I came home from work after Jeff to find that I was somehow to blame for the Christmas tree branches that Gilligan, our beagle, threw up. He had eaten them right off the tree. I quickly pointed out that I had just come home and the tree was eaten and thrown back up while Jeff was home and supposed to be watching the dog. That was the end of the story. Or so I thought. I then went to plug in the tree to discover an entire strand of lights out. I searched for the unconnected plug only to discover that it wasn't a disconnected plug, but a wire that had been chewed threw. Ala Christmas Vacation. Except, luckily, our tree had not been plugged in at the time of said chewing, so Gilligan survived. I was hot. At this point, Jeff sheepishly admitted he had come home and basically ignored the dog to water the tree and readjust a few ornaments and then went outside to clean up the yard. Have I ever mentioned that Gilligan can be extremely jealous? Especially of Jeff's attention. Knowing that his behavior had caused Gilligan's reaction, Jeff made plans for his day off (the next day) accordingly. When I came home the following day from work, the tree was redecorated with the damage strand of lights replaced (it required the complete removal of all lights and ornaments and their replacing) and nothing on the bottom third of the tree.

So, I accept as a part of life that my dogs might topple a Christmas tree or open a present or tear apart a stocking. In my house, these things just happen.

Days are passing

and I have not sent out a single Christmas card or even begun my Christmas shopping. I could come up with a lot of excuses, like, for example, I have a five-month-old who is starting solids. But it's not that. I just haven't done it. Simple as that. I refuse to dwell on it. After all, I have gotten our tree up (a real one) and decorated. And the interior of our home is done. I have started Princess Shelby on peas (which she loves). I have bought the ingredients for my baking adventures. I got a lot of meat last weekend and it was all on sale! So, days are passing, and some things aren't getting done. But, Shelby still goes on walks almost daily, Jeff and I are well, our dogs have decided they will not take down our Christmas tree this year...we are living in the peace that comes from Christ's love.

Moving On Up

from just breastmilk to breastmilk and rice cereal. I know it's not very LLL of me to introduce rice cereal at five months, but, I have a baby who is no longer satisfied with breastmilk alone. So, we have a baby who is starting solids.

But this isn't the real thrust of this post. It's about looking back and seeing how far we had come. Two Christmases ago, we were sadly contemplating the holiday season as our first baby was to be due around the 23rd but was lost during my seventh week. We were also looking at the scary process of surgery I would undergo in the hopes it would prevent losing any other babies. Then, last Christmas, we had a picture from our first ultrasound showing a tiny life no bigger than a peanut at that point. July seemed so far away! Now, here we are, with a five-month-old healthy, beautiful baby girl who is cutting teeth and graduating slowly to solids.

I am forced to remember that life moves at God's speed, not our own. We were given Shelby when we were ready for her. And it seems to be part of God's plan, not ours (ours was to wait until six months) to start cereal now. We are moving on and up in life with the grace and love of God