"...Of great joy" !!

Once again I determined that this was going to be the best Christmas of my life. Once again, the gathering storms said, "We'll see about that."

It started out pretty well & I was getting things done at a good pace. I got all of the out-of-state gifts & baked goods wrapped, boxed & sent. Check! This year, I was determined to send out Christmas cards, have a Christmas Tea, go see the Christmas lights in our area, drink a few gallons of hot cocoa, visit all of the fun Christmas stores, then.... just two days later, wham! A headache of such raging proportion that it sent me to ER! I remembered when my daughter had the same symptom & had to go to ER & was diagnosed with a sinus infection. Since I am not one that suffers from headaches, I was sure this was one also & I could get pretty immediate relief with an antibiotic. NOT!! According to the ER doctor, it was a virus & viruses have to be toughed out, so to speak. So, back home, & several ibuprofens later, the headache alleviated, however the virus lingered. & lingered. Then, as viruses are wont to do, it decided to share itself with my husband & we were down for several days of December. Energy level was zilch & apathy set in. However, when moments of a little bit of strength came, via grace from the Lord, I did get some little love Christmas chores done. I decided to bake what I loved the most, so Snowball cookies got chosen.

I also narrowed down my holiday decorating

(but not much!!)

Notice the "I" is missing in Christmas. I didn't realize it until I started attaching bells to it. Hmmm. Prophetic maybe. Less of "I"  (or "Me"!) in Christmas & more about Jesus. Just a thought.

In case you can't see it, the wagon handle covers the word 

'Joy'!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

I got some really cute vintage tins this year because the pictures remind me of my childhood Christmases.

Isn't little mousie adorable?! 🐭

That little rolling pin at the top says "Baking spirits bright", which is such a perfect sentiment! Oven-lovin'!

It's a little dark too see, but I have three sets of jingle bells on the door because I love the sound of them. That's the sound of joy!

Ahhh. A little breakfast repast. 'Winter Spice' tea & homemade cinnamon rolls made from my dinner roll recipe.

These are the sweetest teacups. They are called "Merry Christmas" from Johnson Bros. in England. They are vintage though I forgot what year. I love the little Christmas tree on the inside of the cup.

I have to include Clooney's Christmas picture. He & Patsy had a very enjoyable Christmas with decor & wrapping paper. Patsy spent a good part of her time in the Christmas tree. We had to straighten it many times because her tree antics caused it to sway from side to side, sometimes a bit fiercely. I fancied I could here a Tarzan yell but it was probably just my imagination. We had the foresight to anchor it to the wall with fishing wire! Because of her coloring, she blended into the tree so I could never get a good picture.

I did get a good one of Clooney & Rosie-dog though. This is not Rosie's idea. She is tolerating her feline brother.

🐕🐈🐕

Our youngest daughter got a job on a remote ranch in a remote area with remote cell service without the remotest up to date anything, & I am not even remotely 'ok' with the whole idea. Oh. Not even remotely close neighbors, as in so remote you can look in every direction & not see a remote sign of life. & it's on the prairie so there is no obstruction to vision. No human life. She loves it. Me? Not even the slightest bit remotely. You get the idea & not remotely either. This, a few days before Christmas. & in our viral fog, we helped her move, got her some groceries & drove the distance to 'Remotesville'. I have to say, I loved the place. Just not the idea of my baby living there by herself. I have really had to cocoon myself in the grace of God, especially at night. Lots of tears. But she does have a great (& big!) dog that is a fierce watch dog. & she does have angels too that the Lord has blessed her with to keep her. But sometimes, as a little boy once said, I need to see Jesus with some skin on. I'm sure I'll look back on this someday & laugh at my fear & anxiety because of God's BIGNESS. (probably not.) but right now I feel pretty vulnerable. By the way, this ranch is over 5,000 acres. On one side of the highway. She has the responsibility of 1,200 sheep & 400 cows. Breathe deep, breathe deep. 😲 (That face is mine, not hers. As I said, she loves it.)

The weather this year was a planet away from last December. Last year was horribly cold (like minus 40 degrees & more!) with mega amounts of snow, enough to close the interstate & shut down towns & cities. This year, it's been in the upper 50's most of the month & no snow at all. This to me, is very distressing because snow & cold, in not such mega proportions, are very therapeutic & refreshing to my whole being & it did not seem like the Christmas season at all. Ugh. We did get a light snow on Christmas Eve & the temperatures did plummet to the 40's, (😑) & I was able to rally & get Christmas shopping done for the kids & was even able to get groceries  for our Christmas dinner to which we invited friends & our two youngest were there. (Yes, even remote daughter was able to come. Her employer had mercy on her mother.)

It truly was a good & refreshing time of good food, good fellowship, laughter, & if not back to normal health, almost there.  But most importantly,  a good personal time of worship & intimacy with the Founder of the Feast, lots of weeping as He conveyed to me that if I had just immersed myself in Him during the celebration of His birthday, I could have avoided stress, fear, anger, loneliness, grief, complaining & all of that self-centered stuff, even sickness. Wow! A 'slap upside of the head' truth! 

The angel of the announcement of Jesus birth said:

"....I bring you GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY which shall be to (Julie!) all people."!!  You are all people. I am all people.

Because HE came. & He saw. & He conquered. My heart.

Wouldn't it be a great sin not to live in everything that Jesus came & lived & died to give us? 

"In your Presence is fulness of joy." Psalm 16:11

"...joy unspeakable & full of glory."  1 Peter 1:9

"These things I have spoken to you that My joy might remain in you & your joy may be full." John 15:11

"A merry (joyful!) heart does good like a medicine."  Proverbs 17:22

"The joy of the Lord is my strength."  Nehemiah 8:10

Joy has no reason. 

Joy has no season.

& we don't have to ever live without it.

My daughter sent a devotional this morning written by a woman author. I would like to pass it on as I believe it will set you free, like it did me. Not that I didn't know it, but I just needed a 'sticky note' reminder.

"You, Lord, are my reason for joy- not the pleasantness of my relationships, not the agreeability of my circumstances, not the state of my resources, not the bright prospects of my future. And lest I be tempted to make my joy dependent on anything else but You, grant me a spirit of heartfelt repentance today, showing me that real joy comes from how You rescue me from myself."

Oh my goodness. Rescuing me from myself (truly my worst enemy. It's not satan but my own heart that keeps me from the Lords best!) so I can be Joy-filled then a Joy-Conducter for Jesus. That sticky note needs to be permanently tattooed to my heart. Let us embrace this wonderful, beautiful, effervescent "Joy, joy, joy joy" into our hearts, 🎵, only to recycle & be thrust out to bring "tidings of GREAT joy,"!

 & to think, it all started here.

Our Immanuel, our 'God With Us'. 

Our great, great

JOY!!!

Raintree Remembrance:

"Oh come let us adore Him, 

Christ, the Lord".

💖

As the beginning picture in this post says, "One baby changed everything." 

& as the song says,

"& man shall live forevermore because of Christmas Day."

Because, that Baby grew up.   & became... 

The Savior of the World !!!

🌟