Thankfully, I like to have a fully stocked pantry and a freezer full as well (and that we are blessed to be able to do this). I had the fixings for tuna sandwiches and we were gone by 8:30am...except for one stubborn child who was left at home...name removed to avoid embarrassment...but I will say that he was old enough to take care of himself.
We even had time to read our Bible devotion and Jesse tree ornament (the stories were the same)...to remember the Visitation and the actual birth of John the Baptist. I thought the story in our devotional was interesting...the writer mentioned that we should follow Elizabeth's example...instead of focusing on the outward events in our lives, we should look from within and how the Spirit works in us....guiding us to the ways of God. And...Whoever said the Bible was always serious has never looked closely at these kinds of stories. I would love to have been there when Elizabeth insisted on naming the baby John...followed by the disbelief of the family. Then to have the mute Zechariah come in, with tablet in hand, insisting that the baby WOULD be called John. The story is too amazing to make up such as this!
We then placed a key in the nativity scene. We were asked: "Provide the stable with a key to keep out thieves. Exclude from your heart every sinful thought, and every rash judgment. Dear Jesus, close my heart to all that hurts You. Amen."
Then we arrived to make sandwiches and serve these along with coffee and donuts that were provided. We were so glad to see some of the regular men who come to the clinic. We had thought we would only stay long enough to make the sandwiches but these Veterans are so dear to us and we just had to stay and serve them. About an hour into the service, one of the men walked up to me (I was helping with the sugar and cream station) and he bent over the counter. I asked if he was OK and he said he just stood up too fast and he would be fine. AND THEN...he fainted...he slipped right down the side of the counter and I caught him about halfway down! This was quite a feat as I had a baby strapped to my front! LOL! It turned out he was a diabetic with elevated sugar level. He was taken to the back and seemed better but I am not sure...so say a little prayer for him tonight.
The clinic was not very busy so we were able to leave by noon. We then went to the "zoo"...AKA as the crazy mayhem of Christmas shoppers to find shirts for the boys and last minute food supplies. We finished quickly. While getting everyone back into the car, I noticed the back tire was very low. So, I had to make an extra stop at the tire store. It was busy and my car was full of food that might spoil so I had them air the tire up and scheduled for them to fix the tire tomorrow morning.
We got home much later then planned, so we had time to put groceries away and start dinner. After our meal, we had a little down time so I cut all of the backing for all the quilts. I do not really consider myself a quilter (although I have made a few), so I am not sure how an experienced quilter designs quilts. These memorial quilts are very free style designs and we have only drawn them on a small scale. I decided that cutting the backing for the quilts would allow us the opportunity to re-create the paper design in the right dimensions. With that said, we set up the backing for the first quilt on the table and gathered around to pray for the family of the individual. We asked God to bless the family and give them comfort during these difficult times. We asked God to guide us in making this quilt a special memorial. Then we began placing the material we chose on the backing. We then lightly penciled the design on to the backing so we would know the shape to cut out the material (allowing excess for the stitching). We still need a few pieces of material to finish the design, so we could not sew the top together.
This was our first attempt to complete a top for one of the quilts. We hope to have more time tomorrow. However, this will be our routine for each quilt made...first pray and ask for guidance in choosing the right message to honor the individual child or adult we are creating the quilt to remember. We hope that in doing this we can create something special for the families.
We ended the evening with the antiphon prayer:
"Come, and shine on those seated in darkness, and in the shadow of death. Dawn, splendor of eternal light, and sun of justice, come, and shine on those seated in darkness, and in the shadow of death.
"Just as the natural sun gives light and life to all upon whom its rays fall, so Christ, the Rising Dawn, dispels darkness and brings eternal life and light."
Recommended Readings: Malachi 4:2-6.
The dawn...it reminds me of the star that guided the wise men....surely seen by many in the night sky but only followed by these three men. Do we choose to see the Radiant Light of the Dawn and follow Him or just look at Him in passing? The book of choice for tonight was This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar. Even though it is about the night the star shown over Bethlehem I thought it was fitting to show how the star is the first indicator of a yet brighter light for the world to vanquish the darkness.
We found a Christmas card from my Mom in the mail today...we will not spend the first days of Christmas with her as we usually go there for New Year's Day instead....may she be blessed with joy throughout the joy...we look forward to seeing her in a week! Also, we received a card from our dear friends the Bittners...it is so good to see the pictures of the boys grown up...I wish we could just gather up our friends in a big hug for Christmas!
Needless to say...I did not get to clean my room today so I guess the journey of Mary and Joseph will need to wait a day. They will get to the manger in time...somehow!
No comments:
Post a Comment