Rainbows and Sun Dogs

The winter blues were just a snowflake away when my man called this morning 

and told me to grab my camera and head east. 

 The temperature here in North Pole, North Dakota is -9 

with a RealFeel (what we used to call windchill) of -41. 

 The forecast for tonight is -31 with a RealFeel of -47.  

My Texas brain just can't quite wrap it's forgetful self around those numbers.  

Minus 41?

So I drove east and saw the most incredible rainbow ever.

I stayed safely parked in my four wheel drive truck and snapped away through the windshield.  Isn't it lovely?  After a few hundred pictures I drove a little farther and saw more of my rainbow

along with the sun... so I drove a little more...

until I could see another rainbow on the other side of the sun, 

through my windshield behind the radio antenna under the high lines.

  I'm sure my mouth was wide open. 

 I drove again to get a shot away from the dirty glass and wires.

And it took my breath away!!  

I needed CPR....some oxygen,,.

a paper bag.

But wait - seeing this rainbow was like a whiff of fresh warm air. 

 I thought Jesus might step out of the center of that 

glorious eastern light any second.

Surely this is what His Glory looks like!

"All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. 

This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me."

(Ezekiel 1:28)

The colors of the rainbow melted together in blazing light

and the sun was amazing.

  It was the hope of a rainbow, only ten thousand times more hopeful. 

When I walked into church this morning,

 Carol Jean came to meet me and ask if I had seen the Sun Dogs

 - Sun Dogs? 

That beautiful sight is called SUN DOGS?

 Oh, yes, we see them all the time here. 

 A few other good folks talked to me about them.  

Then I excitedly asked the sleepy Sunday School kids if they had seen them. 

Huh?  Oh, we see them all the time....

So for my Southern friends,

if the nerd in you needs a little more info on Sun Dogs,

click here

Stay warm and dry

and keep looking to the Son.

Friday Nite Bites

What do you do on a cold snow blowing 3 degree

 -30 wind chill blizzard

 North Dakota Friday Night?

At this house, 

we warm the garage

Ted makes french fries with his new

super duper potato shuper.

Mark makes a BIG pot of bean soup

Ted spices up the french fries

and our noses 

Pat fries up his special speckled trout from

the Gulf of Mexico

via Louisiana

via Delta Airlines

via carry-on luggage

His fried boudin balls were gone before the camera could flash

And there were  french fries.....

...and then there were none.

This is what happens in our garage most every Friday night,

not always the same food,

but always very good food,

not always the same crew,

but a welcome diversion

for every crew.

Come on over next Friday.

We'll have the garage warmed for you!

P.S. Don't forget your cell phone!

Christmas Expectations

Oh,
 Christmas.....

Happy Healthy
 Family Togetherness

Beautifully Decorated Tree

 Perfectly Chosen and Wrapped Gifts
  Norman Rockwell Turkey on the Dining Table

Contemplative Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Sparkling Red and Green Family Portrait Around the Tree
Perfect
Expect
-ations

 

My first clue should have been with the fabric sweet thing

granddaughter picked out at the quilt store -

she even drew a picture of the finished project for me.

Five bolts of cotton that were anything but pink or dainty.

 

 

While I sewed, and prayed, and ripped, and sewed, and prayed,

I laughed about this girl and I named her quilt

"Wonky".

"She had better remember picking it out" I thought.

When we were finally packed and on the plane headed south,

I was the person no one wants to sit by:

you know, the one who is coughing, sneezing, shivering,

 and blowing her nose.

Sure enough, the person sitting next to me

took his 24 hour turn in the bed after I crawled out.

 

The plans for the perfect trip home were wadded up in a box of tissue.
The deer hunt was cut short, there were no visits with neighbors,
no last minute gift shopping,
no beautiful Christmas sweater or decorations.

 

I've talked to so many people whose Christmas Disappointments

were huge - HUGE

death, divorce, broken relationships,

different expectations within the family

and loneliness.

 

What about those children whose names we pulled from the

Salvation Army Christmas Giving Tree?

We had their wish lists in hand -

but what were their deepest wants and needs?

 

Our Wonky Christmas turned out peaceful and quiet
 at daughter and son-in-law's new house.

 

One thing I am learning in my long life is contentment.
Sometimes I get it.

Paul said it best,
"...for I have learned to be content
 whatever the circumstances."
(Philippians 4:11)
He said it from jail...

Participate instead of Anticipate 

and life works much better.

 

The Christmas Eve Service at the Mega Church

where we needed a ticket to get a seat,

was itself a bit Wonky -

instead of candlelight and organ music like my church in
North Dakota was enjoying at the same time,

we worshipped with a light show, guitars, and drums.

It was wonderful!

We did a little crazy fun cooking

 

 

 

and this girl's Wonky Christmas cake just may be her tradition.

 

 

We ate when we felt like it - which was pretty much all the time

without the fanfare of a sit down meal at the table!

 

Disappointments happened in the form of math homework -

all the holiday long.

 

 

But the not so math nerdy boy

made the best of his disappointments

 

 

even with the warning from the dad:

" you know that's gonna be on the blog"

 

And that Wonky quilt?

 

"It's the blanket I wanted!",
I was relieved to hear.

 

 

That family Christmas picture I thought I needed
where the twinkle of the Christmas lights

form the perfect backdrop to the family

all decked out in their Christmas finery...

was not to be

because the old tree was too small for the new house,
and no one owns a red shirt, and nobody like pictures,
and the grandmother was having a really bad hair day
and didn't put on lipstick.

 

But aren't they the most beautiful family ever?
 

While the children rode new bikes in the freezing twenties,
 Papa and I recuperated from the

North Dakota Crud (cold? flu?whatever),

  ate chocolate and party mix and cake

and watched the sands of time slip by,

 



 

And the angels, shepherds, wisemen, cattle, sheep, and townspeople

crowded around to see their Creator

who came to them disguised as a tiny baby-
 



 

to bring Shalom 
( peace and love and joy and healing and contentment)
to us living in a crazy disappointing world.

I hope you can turn away from your disappointments

and just look to Jesus for your hope,

Because He never disappoints.

 

Merry Late Wonky Christmas

from our

Wonky Little Family!

 

 

 and Happy New Year Too!

 

 

 

 

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!)