Welcome the Christmas Season

As we leave November and head into December, let's not forget that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus.  All the other Christmas stuff is nice but please remember the real reason for the season.  I put up a very small Christmas tree this year but I did make sure to get a nativity ornament on it.  Remind your children and grandchildren often of what Christmas is really about!  And please say, "Merry Christmas!"

So Proud of Sarah

We are so proud of one of our "adopted" granddaughters, Sarah Cory.  Tonight Sarah received the Greater DFW Area FCA Female Athlete of the Year award at their banquet held at Texas Christian University.  What an honor and I can't think of anyone more deserving!  We love you Sarah.

Update!

Thank you to all who are remembering me in your prayers.  I do feel a little better today.

My Personal Rant

If you know me, you probably know I have a number of health issues, most of them incurable.  I was born with a messed up body that is full of auto-immune diseases.  Most of the time I handle them well and I live a rather normal life.  In fact many people who see me on a regular basis have been shocked the few times I have been hospitalized facing death, saying they had no idea I had health issues.  And that is good, I like it that way.

So what is my rant?  My very favorite time of the year is Thanksgiving through Christmas.  And I simply cannot understand why that is always the time of year I have a flare of at least one of these irritating diseases.  I started being extremely tired the week before Thanksgiving.  I spent all of last week sick and based on the way I feel this morning, this week is not looking much better.  So okay God, okay body, it is time to see some improvement here.  I have things I need to do but more importantly I have things I want to do.  And it is hard to do anything when you are too tired to put one foot in front of the other, your body aches from head to toe and you drop everything because your finger joints are so sore and swollen.  Having a bad digestive system, parts of it removed, doesn't help either!  All I want is to feel good.  Is that too much to ask?  Evidently it is.

Okay, I have ranted.  At least I feel better emotionally now!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving Day always reminds me of my childhood and growing up next door to my maternal grandparents.  All the Hawkins family gathered and grandma and grandpa's for Thanksgiving and I so looked forward to seeing all the aunts, uncles, and cousins.  It was the only day of the year the whole family was together.  From the time I was small, I got to help with the preparations.  All the aunts brought side dishes and desserts but mom always helped grandma with the turkey, dressing, etc.  I can still remember how exciting it was to stand in the kitchen, on a chair when I was very young, tearing up stale bread for the dressing. 

Those experiences served me well later in life.  When I married and went to the Air Force with Steve, I was the only wife in our group who knew how to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner.  Dad, having spent several holidays overseas in WWII, would always send me $25.00 to buy food to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for our group of friends.  Yes, in the 1960s $25.00 bought a lot of food at the base exchange.  I will always be thankful that dad had the insight to know how much that meant when away from home at holiday time.

Today I live close to all my children and see them often so Thanksgiving is not a big holiday for us.  Cindy's inlaws run a ministry to the homeless in Dallas.  They are usually serving food there or in Oklahoma with his other relatives.  Christy goes to her inlaws but Dustin  usually prefers staying with us.  Chad and his family will be back with us this year.  For a couple of years they went to his brother-in-law's when he was stationed at Ft. Hood.  Now that he and his family have been transferred to Ft. Rucker in Alabama, Chad and family will be at our house.  Chad is frying a turkey in his turkey fryer so I don't have to deal with the turkey.  Thank you Chad!

One of the things I am thankful for is all my Thanksgiving Days in Southern Indiana, the good memories of Thanksgiving Days with military friends, and Thanksgiving Days in my "old age" with whoever is around.

May God bless all our Family and Friends with a Blessed Thanksgiving Day.

Cindy's Family

Yesterday I posted that I am thankful for my family.  Today I am following up with a picture of Cindy and her family.

Rodney, Lauren, Lindsay, and Cindy somewhere in Spain this past summer.

I think this was taken in Madrid, but I am not sure.

Thankful

Since this is Thanksgiving week I would like to start it by saying I am thankful for my children and grandchildren.  Love you Cindy, Rodney, Christy, Bruce, Chad and Mary.  Also love you Dustin, Lauren, Lindsay, Steffinee, Carlos, Isabell, and Samantha.