Winter Wonderland

After a few days of fog and high humidity

The moisture on the trees yielded to the freezing temperatures

 

and turned our little North Dakota town into a wintry wonderland

 

 

It was three days of magic for this West Texas Cowgirl

 

 

The stillness and silence drew me into my fur lined boots

 

and out the door to get up close and personal with this new adventure

 

While my Southern friends were battling sandstorms 

and dodging tumble weeds,

I walked in the park

 

And I walked in the dark

 



Then a gentle breeze blew by

 

and gently sent the ice crystals to join their snow cousins on the ground

and just like that...

 

the magic was over.

 

What a wonderfilled experience for me.

 

"He is the one who sends snow like wool and scatters frost like ashes."

(Psalm 147:16)

 



 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Cantata

When I sang in my first School Christmas Program, my Mama was relieved that I chewed gum and didn't actually sing the loudly misunderstood words on the wrong notes.  After that she gave me years of piano lessons and was probably thrilled when I made it to Acapella Choir in High School.  But that was all long ago.  A really long time ago...

Back in Texas, I have worshipped with a Non-Denominational mixed ethnic group of passionate people for 15 or 20 years.   We don't worry much about pitch and sometimes we clap to three different beats. It would drive a music teacher crazy!  But we make a joyful noise to the Lord and sing to Him with all we have.

 So now, here I am in North Dakota, singing in the Christmas Cantata. I mean - reading music and everything! Glenda, the choir director has probably hoped I'd chew gum or maybe lip sync for this majestic performance with this beautifully harmonious Lutheran choir,

 I've stretched my brain trying to remember my music theory from years past.  I've counted the half notes, and the quarter notes, and the dotted notes while I tried my best to stay on the right notes.

 And I haven't for the life of me, found those high notes.  In fact, I'm not sure I'm a soprano at all - maybe not an alto either!

But the Christmas blessing for me is that the constant practicing has made me think about what the words mean as I have gone about the rhythm of my days.  The melodies stuck in my head speak the harmony of the whole nativity story.

 Infant Holy

 

Infant Lowly

 

 For His Bed a Cattle Stall

 

 Angels Singing

 

Noels Ringing

 

Tidings Bringing

 

 Christ the Babe is Lord of All

Christ the Babe is Lord of All

The cantata is over, but I'm not ready for the music to stop swirling in my head.  I want to keep hearing Gloria Jubilante Deo and My Soul, My Soul...Magnifies the Lord.

And maybe, just maybe - it doesn't matter one little quarter note whether I'm in the key of F or C,

 

or whether I B flat, or lip sync, or chew gum.

 

As long as

My Soul Magnifies the Lord!

 

I pray this Christmas Season finds you

with His Song

in your heart

an His light in your eyes.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

(many thanks to Angie from Georgia for snapping away with my camera

while I was making a joyful noise!)

12/12/12

Today is the last triple digit date of the century.

I just can't let it get by without pondering and commenting on it,

because that may be the only significant thing

I do today!

 

The first thing I got when I googled (love that word) 12/12/12

was the mathematical answer of (12/12)/12
(12 divided by 12 divided by 12)

which is 0.08333333333

 

 

Then I typed in 12-12-12

and my answer was -12
(12 minus 12 minus 12)

 



That's about as nerdy as I get - googling math equations!

 

I think of things like:

 

12 year old grandson

Size 12 shoe

12 inches of snow

12 foot ceiling

Dining table that seats 12

12 inches in a foot

12 months in a year

12 step program

Loop 12 in Dallas

12 noon

12 midnight

12 working hours in my man's day

12 days of Christmas

12 drummers drumming
 

 

Then there's 12 in the Bible:

 

12 pillars erected at Mt Sinai
12 patriarchs

12 sons of Jacob

12 tribes of Israel

12 stones on the priests' breastplate
12 spies sent to Canaan
12 pillars erected in the Promised Land
12 year old Jesus questioned religious scholars

12 apostles
12 legions of angels could have been called by Jesus

12 gates of pearl in New Jerusalem

12 angels guarding the gates
12 foundations of precious stones
12 kinds of fruit on the Tree of Life

 

  According to some biblical scholars,
 the number 12 signifies governmental perfection.

So on this 12th day of December 2012
I pray perfect order and perfection in your life!

(and 12 drummers drumming!)