Joyful Journey

It did make for a good laugh in the grocery store at least. That was a nice plus since grocery shopping is not one of my favorite tasks. I was buying chicken to barbecue for this weekend and was excited to see that some of the packages of chicken that I was picking up had a $1 off coupon. Since I would be feeding around 10 this weekend, it's always nice to have those unexpected coupons. However, upon closer inspection I realized that it was not off the chicken itself, but a $1 off a package of a well-known brand of processed cheese product. It just struck me as ironic that anyone who was going to the expense of purchasing "organic, no hormones or antibiotics given to the animal, free range " chicken would then turn around and purchase a highly processed cheese "product." I don't know; am I missing something here?

I'm almost a month old now and I've learned quite a few things in life already. Grandparents love you like parents do, they are just older. When you visit your grandparents, they never let you sleep in your car seat. The minute you are carried in the door, they are asking if it's okay to take you out and hold you. They want to hold you a lot! Grandpas think they need to hold you all the time, except when you fill your diaper. Grandma says "with privilege comes responsibility," but I think there is a Grandpa exception clause that I haven't heard yet. They love it when you smile. I hear people say it's just gas, but it sure makes everyone around me happy and starts those camera clicking sounds whenever I do. But if you're sleepy, grandparents don't seem to mind that either. They make a comfy bed. When you're awake, grandparents like to talk to you. They think it's very important that we know the sound of their voices. ...

If you were in the stores last week or watched TV, you might think that love equals roses, heart-shaped diamond jewelry, perfume, chocolate, a sentimental card or maybe personalized Teddy Bears. All those things can be expressions of love; I love to receive any of those. Well, not the Teddy Bear, but any of the others are enjoyed. However, I think love could be better represented by a clock. Love often shows by our investment of time. When we love someone or something we want to spend time with them. We want to spend time with family and friends that we love. If we love to exercise, there is always time in the day to fit it in. If we love to cook, we will frequently be in the kitchen. If we love hockey, we will be at the rink. If we love to play the piano, we will be at the keyboard when we have free time. A love of reading will often result in finding us with a book. Love equals time. We have a new family member to love this month and time is definitely high on his priority li...

I hope to get the book completed and published soon. It's been on my to do list for way too long. Of course, there are a number of things on my to do list or my "projects to do" lists that have not been completed or even started. Hmm. Sounds like another post, eh? But don't be rushing out to your local Barnes & Nobles to pick up a copy of my book. I only expect to be publishing two copies. I've been blessed with two daughters-in-law this year and both have expressed an interest in things dealing with their husband's heritage. Both from trying to make sense of family connections (when you marry someone whose mom had a maiden name of Stoltzfus, family connections just seem to explode), as well as learn about the things in our home. I don't think sons tend to have the same interest. I sincerely doubt that either of my guys have walked into their in-laws homes and asked the story behind a piece of furniture or a Christmas decoration. Or even tri...

Okay, so I don't know what this says about our family, but here goes. Maybe we just don't get out enough, but then again, this craziness continued even when we were living abroad. For some reason our vehicles and other objects get names. I don't know if this insanity is learned behavior or a gene that we passed on. Joel drives "Jungle Bob" and Steven drives "Bessie," who is pictured below in her original condition. (Now there's another possible post, but then again, maybe not.) Jenn asked the we create a photo album so that everyone could be introduced. So here goes... Meet Troy, the lawn mower. He's riding piggyback on Tex (the Texasbragg trailer) They joined the family when we moved back home and no longer had sons to assist in the lawn mowing chores. It was amazing how quickly after the move home occured that these two arrived at our home. Big Blue has been a family member for some time. He joined the family when we thought we would b...

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 Emmanuel, God with us. May the blessed hope of Christmas be yours.

Experience opens your eyes to many things. The first year we were in Switzerland I realized that I had never really considered the part of the Christmas story when Joseph was told by an angel to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt. For the first time I pondered all the cross cultural experiences that must have impacted their lives. Did anyone help them with the language? Could they find the cooking ingredients Mary needed to make Joseph's favorite meals? Was there a Jewish synagogue for them to worship at? Did they feel alone and isolated? Were they able to make friends there? Was there anyone to help when they had a "cultural" question? How do you move to a new country with no job, no home, no connections? I will never again read that portion of scripture the same way. And this year's life experiences have left me wondering anew. Where were Jesus' grandparents? Did they go to Bethlehem for the census as well? How had they responded to Joseph or Mar...