My Christmas Cardinals

After I had my moment of gifting my envelopes and sharing my heart with the family, my daughter remarked: “After all our gifts were opened with excitement and lots of silliness and laughter and oohs and aahs mixed in, It was always Papaw or Papa who reeled us back to the sweet and tenderness of what Christmas is all about. Now Nana is carrying it on for us. Thank you, Nana!” I knew that the changes I made were worth the effort.

As we “mature” we start to tweak some of our traditions and make accommodations for new ones. It comes with the territory of “Senior”! Rather than resisting the changes, I decided to take hold of them and embrace them. It seems “change” has been my life since the passing of my sweetheart eight years ago. I’ve become quite savvy at accepting change and doing my best to create moments right in the middle of it.

This was my year to make changes to my typical Christmas gift buying frenzy and transition to money envelopes as Papa and Granny did. What a relief it was instead of trying to find a gift that could be used or even wanted plus trying to keep within my budget where I wanted to always ensure spending the same amount for everyone. So that was my plan – an envelope with $$. But that plan became one of sweet sentimentality when I saw a little cardinal on a rooftop ornament and I thought about the object lessons of cardinals that have blessed me so much. It was a “kiss” from heaven that I could pass along. I bought 12 of those little ornaments.

Cardinals would be my theme for this year’s giving. I wasn’t even looking for a box when I found this one with Cardinals on it and I knew it would hold my gift bags that held the ornament and the envelope as well as a letter of explanation and Cardinal photo. One box went to my Austin family (that I hid under their tree when I was with them two weeks ago) and another box made its debut to my Frisco family on Christmas Eve. I share a portion of my letter with you:

Merry Christmas to My Precious Family…………………..
Of course, you know how much I miss Papa, and I know you do, too. I really try to keep his memory alive and it does stay alive when you all are worshiping God, playing and singing your hearts out, laughing, having family fun AND, of course, fishing.
This year’s theme is the “Visiting Cardinal”. I remember at my home in Tulsa, when, one morning I opened up the shades in my bedroom and there, perched on the fence was a beautiful Cardinal. And inside the bush were a mama and her babies. The Cardinal is said to symbolize hope, joy, health, rejuvenation, and celebration -- especially for those who choose to hold the Cardinal dear. It's said you're a special type of person who is willing to care for those in need, if you love the Cardinals. I love the Cardinals! On the day that the Cardinal appeared in my backyard, and many times since, I feel like it is a kiss from heaven to me. I like to think that my daddy, mama, grandparents AND, most of all, your Papa is sending me kisses from heaven, too and cheering us on.

I'm using the Cardinal as an object lesson to remind us to look for signs that remind us of sweet times, precious people and wonderful memories. I'm in good company in doing so. Jesus was the grandest storyteller using object lessons. He often used the objects at hand around Him to teach people about God and His Kingdom. When He was by a well, He used water. After He fed 5,000 people, He taught them about the Bread of Life. When He was on a fishing boat, He said the Kingdom was like a fishing net. He told His listeners to consider the lilies, the sparrows, and the hairs on their head. When He said, consider the sparrows, there were probably sparrows flying around. When He taught the parable of the sower, there probably was a sower in the next field where He was teaching. Jesus asked the disciples to remember Him as they took bread and wine at the Last Supper. The Bible is filled with visible reminders of God’s constant communication and connection with His people.

So WHY wouldn't we see a Cardinal and think of hope, joy, and celebration AND sweet loved ones that could just be sending their love to us in the most beautiful way? So, I’ve given each of you a little Cardinal to remind you of Papa and grandparents who are cheering you on from heaven. If one happens to show up in your yard, then remember to look up to heaven and say, “Thanks, God! I needed that. Hi Papa! Keep praying for me! I promise to catch up with you one day!”

This was my subtle way of keeping Papa alive, giving Jesus the credit for it all and, hopefully, leaving a lasting impression of Nana’s Christmas message! Now I’m already thinking about what next year’s theme will be because you’d better believe – I want to leave footprints and handprints of the ONE that Christmas and EVERYDAY is all about!

Fall Back! It’s Time for Change!

You know summer is officially over when Daylight Saving Time comes. You’re welcome, Friends. I’m giving you a little ARK (Act of Random of Kindness). I'm reminding you to get that extra hour of glorious sleep that you deserve! Daylight Saving Time 2018 will end tomorrow morning, Sunday, at 2 a.m., so it'll be best to set your clocks back an hour before retiring tonight!

This is my favorite time change – the one that “falls back” and we get a much needed extra hour of sleep – unlike the Spring time change when it advances an hour and we lose an hour of sleep. We adults can get this and adapt quite readily. But, oh my goodness, I remember when my babies and grandbabies were babies and those time changes came and it was a work-out to get them on the new schedule. They didn’t understand they could get an extra hour of sleep in the Fall. But, these days, wise young moms and dads have learned to trick the time clock. They start regulating the kids’ schedule way before tonight. They gradually moved bedtime and morning wake up time and nap times later by 10-15 minutes. By the time Sunday comes, those kiddos’ schedule is already tracking the new time.

I

love that. Adapting to change. Rather than grumpy moms, dads and kids….being forward thinking. What can I do to make what I know is coming…..an easier, calmer, less-stressful outcome? First of all, I can ACCEPT that changes are inevitable. Like this Daylight Saving Time change – it’s going to happen whether we want it to or not – we can thank good old Benjamin Franklin for that! He proposed rising an hour earlier in order to conserve candles, but it didn't take root until World War II when President Franklin D. Roosevelt started what he called "War Time” in an effort to save resources. Thanks, Ben and President Roosevelt!"

Being willing to embrace change has so many rewards. I accepted change when I left Oklahoma after 40 years and here I am two years later with a host of new friends, I’m only 5 minutes away from my family here and enjoy sweet times that I would have missed if I hadn’t made the change. I’m also only 4 hours away from all of my children in Austin. While I still love my Tulsa family and friends and relish getting back to them as often as I can, I’ve made this adjustment and what a blessing it is to me.

Change in our lives is inevitable. We can hold change like the tight reins of a horse and resist it and refuse to submit to change, or we can shed that old stuck-in-the-mud thinking of “I’ve ALWAYS done it this way, and I’ll never change” or embrace change and grow and learn and adapt and be ALL God destined us to be. Maybe it’s time to rethink that new hairstyle, that better job, that computer course to up your game, that circle of friends, that same-oh-same-oh attitude of gloom, doom, and despair. Just maybe it’s time to get a new lease on life by being willing to CHANGE!

Subject to CHANGE Daily

I'm pulling my "female" card. Yes, I am a woman and I am subject to CHANGE daily. I can CHANGE my mind about this or that. I can CHANGE clothes – just because I want to. I can CHANGE occupations (and I did). I’m also a “single” so I can CHANGE TV channels whenever I so choose. Widow bonus! I can CHANGE directions if I want to (That gal in my GPS system really doesn’t know it all!). The fact is life is about CHANGE.

CHANGE – to alter, replace with another, make a shift from one to another, modify, transform, switch

Every day we experience CHANGE. You may be in that mid-life crisis aka “the change of life” stage if you're eyeing that slick convertible sports car. You may be considering moving to another city and state. CHANGE is a reminder of what it is for a season to end and a new one begin. How often have I witnessed the passing of a friend or loved one and within hours or days, in the same family, was the birth of a precious baby. That is the CHANGE and the cycle of life.

Here’s the really good news. God assures us He’s watching over all our seasons of CHANGE – all our entrances and exits: in exiting high school and entering college, in ending single life to begin married life, in leaving one job to begin another, in checking the "married" box to the "single" or "widow" box. Even in the animal kingdom, we see changes. A couple of days ago, I saw my grandson’s gecko shedding his skin – he was CHANGING. Bottom line -- among all the exits and entrances and all the in-betweens, life, in any form….is just temporary.

We can throw a tantrum, a pity party, a protest, a sit-in, a march, stay in bed and cover our heads, put our heads in the sand, wail, jump up and down and we can resist the CHANGES, but all the while, God probably shakes His head as He thinks “Why do my kids get so caught up on so much that is just temporary?” There is one guarantee in life…..CHANGE will happen. Change is something we tend to fear and become anxious about because we feel out of control. But we have this blessed assurance. God NEVER changes. "I am the Lord, and I do not CHANGE.” Malachi 3:6. He walks with us in every season of life -- no matter how easy or difficult. We can choose to accept CHANGE because God has a plan for our lives – to give us hope and a great future, and to prosper us. If we trust in God and allow the CHANGE to grow us to become more like Him in how we respond and act, then we are promised that “Everything will work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28)

God orders our days. He knows the seasons we are exiting from and He also knows those we are about to enter. It’s a new day – yesterday is gone. Why don’t we awaken to the assurance that He KNOWS ALL and if we’ll board His ways, we’ll travel higher, further and safer than we could ever imagine. I think I hear Him saying to us “I’ve got this so let go and let Me carry you through each CHANGE. Relax. Enjoy the ride. Trust Me!” Rather than resisting CHANGE – let’s embrace it and fly higher than we’ve ever been before!