The Fifth Day of Christmas

On the Fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Five Golden Rings

The Pentateuch: The First Five Books of the Old Testament

The Fourth Day of Christmas

On the Fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, Four Calling Birds

The Four Gospels: Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John

The Third Day of Christmas

On the Third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Three French Hens

The Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity

The Second Day of Christmas

On the Second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
A Two Turtle Doves



The Gift of the Scriptures: The Old and New Testaments.

The First Day of Christmas

On the First day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
A Partridge in a Pear Tree

God's One Perfect Son!

Lessons from a cat

My family is experiencing a new epoch right now. We have lost the first of our pets (at least any that they remember and are close to). I joke about all our pets and getting rid of them (we have 8 of them too), but everyone knows it is a joke. Because everyone knows that I really make all those kind of decisions and if weren't for me we would not have all these pets anyway. Daddy is the head, but I am the neck (at least about the sappy stuff).

Still, my kids are sad, and they are grieving in different ways. Just like they are different; their ways of experiencing life are different. That is what makes life so good. Coco loved us all the time literally. He was by far the most affectionate animal ever. The kids pray, they cry and all of us have realized we did not love Coco enough when he was here.

There is the rub. Now that I have moved into a time when people I love die (my dad, my babies, my friends' babies), I know that life hurts and when someone is gone, truly gone, you never have that moment again. You know the moment. The one where you could have hugged one more time or said something in your heart about how much you truly want them to know Jesus. Because, though we grieve for a cat, it doesn't hurt like saying good bye for eternity.

I have friends that are adopting right now in a far away world. I have thought many times how much I should have offered her a kinder word in the last year. How much her life is changing, and she will need a lot of support. She is ushering in 3 children who without her might never know Jesus.

It seems that we must look to Jesus to do great things, and we must never forget to love people where they are. If they have Jesus or not, they still need a Savior every day, every moment.

So the lesson I learned from this cat was more than just pets are kind of a pain. Pets are part of who we are because we love to love something that loves us - no matter what we do or don't do. Losing Coco reminds me again that life is short and every moment you have someone to love is a gift of the greatest proportion from a God who gave us the One He loved the most.

George Washington's Thanksgiving Prayer

George Washington's Thanksgiving Prayer

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks -- for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation -- for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility [sic], union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn [sic] kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease [sic] of science among them and us -- and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

George Washington

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

And Can It Be from Plants and Pillars Productions on Vimeo.

Piano Playing and Arrangement by Erin

Photography by all of us!

Dogs

There is much to be learned from a dog... love without reason, loyalty without question, serving with out complaint, trust you with their lives.

They go where you go and they sit where you sit. And sometimes you get the feeling they would cry with you if you could.

God gave us dogs as true companions. They will come to you and sit. They don't ask or tell you to be quiet, they just sit.

Soft fur, muddy paws, wet noses, warm tongues... can you tell I am partial to dogs?

Completely Candid

Sarah Margaret