Christmas Moments for Mother

There were some moments this Christmas season that I simply counted extra special--

such as getting up early in the morning, while it was still dark outside, and discovering this quiet scene in the corner of the livingroom.

Or a daughter reading her Bible in another chair opposite on another morning, long before the eight-thirty sunrise on these late December days. 

Christmas Eve Sunday night was another special time, even though the snow, wind and ice the night before kept most people away that evening when our family had been asked to have several musical pieces.

We had gone to some trouble to practice, even setting up, tearing down, and setting up again my old vibraharp that is still intact nearly forty years after my father got it for me. 

And then only one brave native lady showed up to service besides the pastor and his wife and Tommy and us. 

I didn't mind, because we were a big enough crew to make half a congregation, and I loved the meaningful service that Mrs. Ambrose had put together, based on the "Beholds" of the Christmas story and beyond.

If no one else was there to enjoy this beautiful service, we did!

There were Scriptures interspersed with congregational singing of Christmas carols, some of which I had never sung before, such as "Bring your Torch, Jeanette Isabella," a song depicting someone hushing the noisy shepherds who came to worship Christ but really needed to be quiet and let the baby King sleep!

 

Near the end of the service, the verse was read, "Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." 

And we sang, "Lamb of God," a song some of my children didn't think they'd ever heard before.

"I liked that song," Tim expressed, and his mom chalked up another meaningful moment, thankful that a son was touched by a simple but profound contemporary hymn about the Lamb of God. 

Mrs. Ambrose, upon hearing this, made sure we got the hymnal that had the song in it so we could make copies of the hymn.

We finished with a candlelight song, "Silent Night," and I wish I could have snapped a photo of the quiet, peaceful face of Susie, the native lady who was the only attendee that cold, icy night.

She is the only one in her native clan who attends church, even though her grandparents and great grands were godly people, as we were told. 

I wished to get a picture of that face in candle light, but the moment was sacred.

And so was a moment some time later, after we'd all had chips and dip and cookies together after the service in the basement. 

"Thank you, children," I said, as we packed up our musical instruments, "for being willing to sing for just one person besides the pastor and his wife." I didn't say anything about the dozens of cookies they'd helped to make to share with all the people who were supposed to have come for service that night but didn't dare brave the icy roads.

Rose spoke up. "We did it for Jesus!" she said.

And while I didn't say anything out loud, a mother's heart was glad. Everything we did, we did for Him, but it was good to remember that because sometimes in our busyness, we can forget that. 

Except when the mom in a needy family texts, "We had a rough two days, and when you bring food it helps more than you can imagine. The kids ate and loved it so now we can relax." 

And later when I texted that we were coming with more dishes for Christmas, she texted back, "Are you serious your making me cry nobody is this nice to us."

And again later, "Thank you, Anna you mean so much to us we are blessed with your friendship."

We know we did it not just for them, but for Jesus, as Rose reminded us.

Another special moment was when our dog Aspen got a new doggie bed for Christmas, and made herself comfy immediately! And then shared it night after night with Tim's dog Kate and even the kittty!

There were lots of games played on Christmas Day and during the week afterward, but this one between father and oldest son, who spends a huge amount of his life in Colorado keeping the business going that his father left behind.

So many moments to give thanks for.

Mom moments that, like Mary, I hide quietly and ponder in my heart.

Crystal Gets a Boyfriend for Christmas!

Crystal has deserved a boyfriend for a long time, even if she didn't get one before this Christmas.

When she's home, she pitches in and helps with the work and the cooking, and even the butchering, if that is what happens to be going on.

She sewed curtains for all the windows in the livingroom and kitchen for me during Christmas break. 

She plays the piano beautifully, plays her mandolin with her sisters, plays CDs a lot! :) keeps the house full of merry laughter, and loves the Lord.

So this Christmas Danny decided to help Crystal get a boyfriend. We had to keep it a big secret, along with other secrets, like the secret about Tommy coming for Christmas to surprise Rose. (That was a total success! More in another post about that!)

The boyfriend that Danny convinced to ask Crystal for a date had to hide in the attic first for several days ahead of time. 

And he was so worn out from that ordeal, that he had to be carried downstairs by more than one of Crystal's brothers while her sisters made sure Crystal kept her eyes closed for the grand introduction.

 Crystal had no idea what this unusual gift would be, even though she had put it on the wish list that she had submitted to our family chat on Signal. 

Finally the great moment of revelation arrived, and she was allowed to open her eyes.

 

It took her a moment, with Danny's help in making her acquainted, to figure out that this was her new boyfriend!

Complete with stuffed old jeans, a ragged camo jacket, pumpkin head and hair made from insulation, the boyfriend was quite ready for a genuine hug already!

Crystal nearly split laughing.

She laughed...

and laughed and laughed!

Danny had to show her that her new boyfriend could stroke his own beard--and other things that boys will come up with but moms won't post on blogs!! :)

Then Danny gave her another gift that she had to shut her eyes for.

Since the boyfriend hadn't been quite what she was looking for, he made up for it with a rustic feeder for feathered friends.

What fun we had this Christmas!

And while Crystal still doesn't have a boyfriend yet, she has a really great attitude about it, 

thankful in the meantime to give and receive a hug from her future brother-in-law, Tommy, as he and Rose and Tim prepare to travel back to Colorado.

But oops, I almost gave away the special news that deserves a post of its own! 

Sisters and Husbands and Mugs

Last week I discovered a package in our mailbox from my sister Dorcas--a package big enough to stuff the mailbox, but just small enough to fit! 

I waited until Christmas Day to open it. 

I had to have Jonathan's help to get the pretty Christmas box out of the postal wrapper,and I sent pictures to Dorcas of the whole merry proceeding.

Pictures of the scarf, wrist-warmers, and mug.  

Dorcas had to send me pictures, too. It had so happened that my husband helped me unwrap the package that her husband had helped her wrap!

She messaged back, "That's so nice...[us] still doing things together!"

I remember when she got married first and her wedded bliss gave me the courage to take a risk in Ukraine and give a chance to the young man who wrote me from Colorado, sight unseen.

 

And as she noticed, we're both still doing things together with our respective husbands.

Both of us staying married to our first husbands going on thirty or thirty-two years brings looks of awe from people like one of my therapists in Arizona who could hardly fathom someone in their first marriage as long as thirty years. It hardly happens anymore, it seems. In the world today it seems people are either divorced, divorced and remarried, or living with a fiance or boyfriend/girlfriend.

People are swapping spouses and genders as glibly as we siblings used to swap treasures in our "Trading Treasures" games forty-five years ago. I look at some of the posts on Facebook and my heart fails me to see people that I know swapping spouses with other people I know. And then bragging about their love and joy on Facebook publicly.

And their children are growing up assuming it's okay. 

This is not okay.

It is possible to love and forgive, love and forgive. 

To keep loving and keep forgiving.

To grow and mature and help each other be better people.

To be unselfish and look beyond the faults, the crooked teeth, and the bony knees. 

And to Forgive, Forgive, and forgive again.

And keep doing things together, so our children can have a happy Christmas without the chaos of hatred, divorce, grief, and all manner of related pain.

It meant a lot to me, the simple photos Dorcas sent, pictures she'd happened to take, and her comment, "Still doing things together." 

I thought about the geckos Jonathan and I had seen at the Phoenix aquarium--and the sign on the glass. "Did You Know? Standing Day Geckos are very picky when it comes to finding a mate, but once they do, they typically mate for life."

If geckos can stay true to each other for life, why, for the sake of children and families and churches and godliness

can't we humans do so as well?

Christmas Day at the Lucases

God gave us an especially delightful Christmas Day despite some mishaps! Sam and Carrie had arrived safely Sunday evening after traveling through many dark hours, some on icy roads. Carrie had to make a hard decision Sunday morning at the veterinary clinic in Colorado after taking a puppy that the vet said probably wasn't going to make it anyway. She had to miss church and reschedule the special Christmas song that she was supposed to have played for a choral group. But she was able to get on the road with Sam about 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon to come our way.

And I, the mom, despite how tired I was, didn't sleep a wink till I heard their foot steps tromping in. Thank You, Lord, for every safe journey! Thank You for one more beautiful Christmas dinner spent all together at the dinner table--this time with a home-grown ham that Rose had freshly smoked a few days earlier. 

 We roasted potatoes and carrots in with the ham and served it all in the roasting pan to save on dishes, because, believe me, this family creates a LOT of dishes!

After breakfast we had a delightful time of sharing gifts, many of which were homemade, like this rustic paper towel holder that Danny made for Carrie and Rose's cabin.

There were gifts gotten from all over the place (like Jonathan's and my favorite stevia sweetener Crystal brought from a distributor in Missouri).

And there were gifts full of generosity, like the one several siblings went together on to purchase for the last but not least of the Lucas children. She had to close her eyes first while Tim placed it in front of her.

Oh, was she ever happy with that quality guitar, the same as Tim's, gotten for a good deal but still good quality.

I waited a long time to open this gift because I just couldn't bear to mess up the beautiful red bow tied so pretty over the cheery paper.  I know, I'm kind of silly, huh? Especially when I don't usually take time to put bows on the gifts under the tree--because we have to stack them, and so bows don't work!

Rose and her boyfriend Tommy enjoying their gifts, such as the homemade pillowcase Rose sewed for Tommy.  

Sam enjoying the funny gifts he got. When the children were sharing their lists of Christmas gift ideas, Sam came up with an utterly impossible list including an ATV,  gold, a cow, land, an expensive gun, and various other things we couldn't possibly give him. The children got their heads together and came up with substitutes for nearly every last thing he asked for.  Crystal got him "Pot of Gold" chocolates, Carrie got him this cow puppet, I got him a $5 Rock Climber ATV that gave the boys loads of fun, and other people got other things. Next year he might be more reasonable, after all the ridiculous things he got. :) :)

Danny called us to our bedroom window later in the day to see the gift he'd made--a log bird feeder with a beaver and squirrel carved out with a chain saw, and a woodpecker carved out of the branch and hollow! We were in awe! That was carved by our own Danny! Just wow!

Oops, the feeder pan fell off while we were admiring it. 

 Early in the morning, Danny discovered a coyote near the pile of guts where the guys and Rose had gutted our steer Saturday. Danny sneaked down to try to shoot it, but it ran away. However, it provided country excitement for the day.

All afternoon the children played games...

or played music, my favorite. Crystal and Carrie tried a duet or two.

Our livingroom was rather stuffed! 

And of course, we had to have our annual family photo.  

I love getting pictures of the photographer trying to get the camera positioned just right. 

It took a few tries, especially with wanting the elk behind us just so, but we finally got an acceptable photo.

 

And last but not least, this mom's heart was warmed when my oldest son asked where the hair clippers were! Saturday evening, Timmy had asked for a haircut, and now Sam was asking. I'm not a professional, but I sure save the boys money by cutting their hair, and I am just extremely grateful that the boys are still wanting to have haircuts and look like the wonderful young men that they are rather than letting their hair grow long and girly. Sam found the size clipper guard he wanted for a buzz cut, which didn't take long. 

Both boys came around later asking me if I might have missed some long hairs--which I had! :) But I'm just grateful they wanted hair cuts.

It's just another small but very significant blessing to this mother on Christmas Day.  

Blow, Christmas Wind!

  A snowy window greeted us this Sunday morning in South Dakota--behind the poinsettias and pineapples on the windowsill.

A winter storm watch of  sorts had been on, and only a few people braved the roads to attend church.

One was a native grandfather from Rosebud who managed to bring some of his grandchildren.

Pastor Ambrose asked one of them to light the advent candles. 

I was proud of the grandfather, who has to carry his oxygen pack everywhere he goes. 

He's a man whose older brother fought in the Battle of the Bulge, driving a jeep through enemy lines to deliver messages. His jeep had a hook on it, the grandfather said, that would snap wires laid across where it was supposed to go, wires that were supposed to cut his head off as the windshield hit them. Instead, the special hook would cut the wires. He would hear the snap.
Yes, he came home with PTSD.

The younger brother, now a grandfather, drove on icy roads forty-five minutes to bring the young people to Lakota Community Chapel. We passed another church that had cancelled service.

"I'm not worried about the snow," one lady said. "I'm worried about the wind."

These South Dakotans know what wind does. It takes a little snow and makes huge drifts. It whips the cold into cars and barns and bones.

 

Wind.

"I need a windy person to blow these candles out," Pastor Ambrose said at the end of service. And a young boy came up to do the blowing.

I thought about that later, the different statements about wind. And I remembered reading another statement recently by a Christian who observed, "The wind of the Spirit is moving on the reservations."

 

That's why we are here. The Spirit blew, and we landed here. I sat across from a native Christian lady this afternoon who also braved the cold and snowy roads to come to church. The Spirit has been blowing in her life. She is reaching out to ones about her.

It's why we spend hours making cookies for give-away plates, 

to take for serving after Christmas Eve candlelight service,

and for Christmas caroling. 

Also for the family coming in! 

This crew of happy bumpkins sitting downwind from us after Sunday service. 

As we wait for the predicted blizzard winds to blow tomorrow, on Christmas Day, my thoughts and prayers have been dwelling on the wind.

And the Spirit. 

"Blow, Spirit, blow!" my heart cries out this Christmas.

"Blow upon my heart! Blow within my family, and among my friends, and on this reservation."

Blow, Christmas Wind of God!"