Was so busy today Christmas decorating The Gran, the name I call my family home, that I forgot to watch the sunset. Those sunsets are the highlight of my day. Cooked super between putting song bird ornaments and Christmas balls on a garland I was creating on the dining room mantle and time just slipped away. Don’t know how it would have compared with the breathtaking beauty of yesterday’s fiery orange-red sunset. Mother Nature had to ponder with her watercolors and brushes today to paint another sunset portrait so magnificent.

I did take note of Father Sky’s marbled sky canvas and all the faint colors of the clouds this morning, myriads of gray and vanilla and a pale, pale blue. You glance up and just see an overcast sky but stand still a few moments and really look and you’ll see a kaleidoscope of colors mingling in the sky, the clouds so pretty and so faint in their layers of color.

Been thinking about family and how many Christmas mornings have been celebrated in my home. My grandmother came to this house as a new bride one hundred and twenty three years ago, the house built for her by her father as a wedding present. When my mother and father married, my grandmother, gave the house to Mama and Daddy, and my mother came to the house as a new bride, too. I love to read my parents letters when Mama was attending Wesleyan College and writing about all the plans they had for the house.

She wrote she had “found the perfect place for the chicken coop.” If you knew her, you know she would never have walked down in the back yard and gathered the eggs. Tickles me every time I read it. They discussed the coal furnace and the furniture their parents had purchased to furnish the house. Now my family is enjoying the house on their visits and I’m slowly bringing her back to life. We’re making new memories and finding music in family gatherings. Like Marjorie Holmes said, “At Christmas, all roads lead home.”

When I think of Christmas, I don’t remember what Santa Claus left under the tree, I remember all the family dinners with all my cousins. My daddy had six brothers and sisters and they would visit with their children and those holiday dinners and seeing all the cousins thrilled me. We didn’t have presents, didn’t always have a tree up at my grandmother’s, but the spirit of the holidays was magnified by the love we had for each other. I looked forward to our holiday dinners all year long.

God puts family first and wants us to raise our children with love, teaching them that God is in control of their lives, helping them through prayer and thanksgiving to find a Godly path to walk. We have to be mindful of our actions and words and show them how to be a Christian and put God first. Teach them to pray and understand they might not like God’s answers to their prayers but that he knows best. Teach them to choose Jesus through prayer and worship. I loved to hear my grandchildren, when they were little fellas, recite their prayers, being thankful for friends and family members and pets.

The world is full of so many temptations for children and ourselves. The cell phone has replaced conversation and togetherness in so many families. I honestly think some folks worship them. I found this on the internet. I love it. Makes you think!

The Cell Phone vs. The Bible — Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it? What if we used it to receive messages from the text? What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it? What if we gave it to kids as gifts? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of emergency? This is something to make you go….hmm…where is my Bible? Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus has already paid the bill. Makes you stop and think ‘where are my priorities?’ And no dropped calls! — Author Unknown

“With God, there’s always an appointed time for things, and when you put Him first, trust in His timing, and keep the faith, miracles happen!” —Germany Kent