the first issue with christmas

Every year I contemplate the Christmas card issue. Every year I cannot decide what/if/when/to whom we should send a Christmas card. I have moments where I want EVERYONE to get one. But then I think about how impersonal that often ends up being. I just sign our name at the bottom of a card. "Gee Thanks" I imagine the recipient saying under their breath. Jon's a pretty big fan of Christmas letters. I understand his enthusiasm, but he's not the one that's going to write it. I've spent all too many years editing my parents' and grandparents' letters and refuse to write the kind of letter they wrote. I understand that it's important to be thankful for your health as you age, but I'm not going to write about gall stones or my labor process in a Christmas letter. There are a few clever, and somewhat witty letters I've come across over the years. The ones that stick to the basics are fine... I just envision something more. And, at the same time, I realize that some years they may be more interesting than others.

Along those same lines, do I need to send the letter to everyone that I send a card? Some people will already know everything that I include in the letter... or at least I think they do! So this is my first Christmas complex.

I'd like to write a corny letter like the SNL bit from the cat--- and then from the dead cat. But I'm not sure everyone would get it. (Clip thanks to cat sitter in the city!)

At least this year I could promote my blog and the new up and coming family blog over at callstromfamily.blogspot.com

a shower thought

First of all... isn't it weird that the most RANDOM things come to you when you're zoned out in the shower!?!?

I decided that the term "fell off the wagon" really should be updated. I mean seriously, WAGON... no one rides on wagons.

I'm sure some of you could think of something fabulous, but so far all I've come up with "went offline."

Enjoy.

Oops!

True Story here.

I was looking at my followers. My faithful friends cheering me on from the sidelines, quite literally. And, thinking I was clicking to follow one of them... I began following myself!

Time to call it a day!

Enjoy.

Learning

As we were leaving the park last night. E was afraid that the sand "castle" (a pile of sand with some sort of trash sticking out of it) she made for Jesus would soon be forgotten by Him. I quickly assured her that God cannot forget anything, and then as I realized the fallacy in that--I told her that there is only one thing that God forgets. "When we make bad choices and we ask God to forgive us, He forgets all about it. That's the only time He forgets anything."

To which she replied, "That's good cos then He won't be frustrated." Trying to take in her thought and listen to the lesson we're learning together "Yes, that's right. God does not get frustrated with us."

Yet another reminder that God has something for us to learn. everyday.

Enjoy

November is longer than the other months with only 30 days...

but only by 1 hour.


As I kept checking back at the clock this morning to make sure I wasn't sleeping in TOO late, I had a MARVELOUS idea.

We should get an extra hour of sleep EVERY Saturday night. I realize that this will create a problem in the long run... and then I quickly discovered a simple solution. Every Friday we could lose the extra hour, say 12pm would suddenly vanish that day. Jon says that we shouldn't know what hour will be gone--- so that way when you're working away and you look up, you're quite surprised to see that it's already been 2 hours since you last looked at the clock! Sounds great to me!


I think we could make it work...