I'm Dreaming of a (Fill in the Blank) Christmas

Dreaming of a WHITE Christmas? It may not stick around that long, but look at the bounty of snow we have floating down in my yard! My kids are stranded at their cousins' house so I entertained myself by playing fetch with Jasmine and Bunter in the yard. Curiously enough, they love the snow. It may remind them of plowing through the waves at the ocean, another favorite pastime.







Dreaming of a PEACEFUL Christmas? For many this is a stressful time of year with broken relationships, bills piling up, and little hope in their lives. Our Christmas will be very simple this year, but also peaceful. I am reminded that Jesus was foretold as the Prince of Peace in Isaiah.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Even though Jesus was probably really not born in December, Christmas is a time to be reminded of his birth and teachings. My favorite Christmas song of all time is O Holy Night declaring Jesus' birth. Here's Jewel doing a pretty good version of it:



If you need more...there's a great gospel version of O Holy Night done by Mariah Carey.

So whether you be friend or stranger, may you experience a lasting joy and peace this Christmas. I'll be thinking of you as I romp in the snow.

Not to be redundant or anything, but...

I drag a boat over the ocean

I drag a boat over the ocean
with a solid rope.
Will God hear?
Will he take me all the way?
Like water in goblets of unbaked clay
I drip out slowly,
and dry.
My soul whirls. Dizzy. Let me
discover my home.

(Lal Ded)

60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights by UN

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, "On this Human Rights Day, it is my hope that we will all act on our collective responsibility to uphold the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration. We can only honour the towering vision of that inspiring document when its principles are fully applied everywhere, for everyone."

Inform yourself and check out the website for the UN Human Rights Day 2008.

Americana

Football: a game played by two teams of 11 players each on a rectangular, 100-yard-long field with goal lines and goal posts at either end, the object being to gain possession of the ball and advance it in running or passing plays across the opponent's goal line or kick it through the air between the opponent's goal posts.

I’ve never really liked watching football on television…it’s too passive. However, being a former cheerleader, I love watching it in person. Last night I went back to Corvallis to watch the Oregon High School Football Class 6A championship game with my friends, Martha and Steven. We had a tailgate party (my first ever!) and enjoyed a lovely, cold, winter evening. Our team didn’t win, but Martha (another former cheerleader) and I stood almost the whole game stomping our feet and cheering, “We’ve got spirit, yes we do. We’ve got spirit, how about you?” Old cheerleaders never lose their spirit!