Christmas Collage

Wanting to blog about our Christmas time in Michigan but still unravelling the impressions. My time there is always such a mixture of emotions and there's never enough hours in the day to process while we're there because you have to get ready for the next gathering.

Bullet points for now....

*Dad V.W.'s amazing faith after months of not feeling well
*Mom's wonderful predictability...it's good that some things will never change!
*Mom & Dad C. are NOT lying in the Dutton Cemetery but are in the middle of the family party!
*Love the bookend visits to Indy
*People I love are lonely and sad during this holiday...I've been blind to this fact before this year!
*We are getting close to being the oldest generation
*Snow up north is not the novelty it is down South - it's just plain cold & messy!
*So thankful we had Thanksmas this year! When would we have gotten together this week?!
*My portable GTCA was in the backseat of the Camry - loved it!
*I am soooo thankful for my sister and brothers and our love for each other!
*I love spending time with Joseph David and pray for his healing heart!
*I love being an aunt! One of my all time favorite roles!
*A hug from my big brother Dan is indescribably comforting.
*Mom & Dad left a legacy of love and that is priceless!
*Love the reunions at Caledonia CRC - you can go home again because of GRACE!
*Christmas morning jammies at Mike & Renee's & my fave meal of the whole year!
*Nancy & Jeff...... Big hearts, home, family!
*Mom's namesake is adorable!
*Merry Christmas Texts are a fun form of love!
*Books on CD are one of my favorite things in life - I love being read to!
*"Family" is a broad term
*I have the best of 2 worlds - I am a blessed, blessed girl!!

Auld Lang Syne

2009
is beginning
to feel a
little worn
out
like
the classic
Christmas sweater
you bought
on Clearance
years ago
that seemed
like a good idea
at the
time
It feels
tired
and many
are ready to
leave it
behind
hoping against hope
that
sadness and sickness
can read a
calendar
and won't
find them
in a
new year
I am
tempted
to want to
Hurry the Holiday
Christmas Carbs
Rushed Relative Revelry
and put

Fresh Start

on my sill
and my heart
I'm a little
weary
of this year
too
and still
believe
in
goals and God
that
2010
will be the one
that finds me
blogging
a better me
much better
than now
when I type
these words of
farewell to a
slightly used
but well loved
year

"No Ordinary Night" or Day for that matter

The title for this post comes from one of the songs from the musical the kids at New City put on tonight. It's been an amazingly wonder filled day! The kind of day that reminds me of the Voice that called us to this crazy place. For the past several weeks Victoria's nephews and niece have been coming to church with us. Tonight we had the annual Children's Christmas Pageant and Corey & Corell were "sheep" along with their cousin Kobe who came for the first time today but decided that he'd like to participate too (Kobe's mom came but C & C's didn't). But her absence didn't seem to faze the boys and when they filed in for the program they waved wildly and blew us kisses. I am soooo proud of V since she helped the boys practice their songs all afternoon before the program! I love that she's introducing these younger members of her family to the things she's experienced at New City!!


We had to have our picture made with Ms. JoAnn, our mama on the "dark side" as she would say. She has adopted us since we worked on her house the first year we came to Chattanooga on a missions trip.

Corell just loves James Ward, our worship and music director! And I think Mr. Ward gets a kick out of this hyper, loving little guy. So fun to see the boys being loved on by so many of the church family!

Group picture after the program - sheep ears and all!

Gary is always so silly and loving with Victoria!

I will always be so grateful to Debi for being so intentional with the BASICS program at New City. These three young people were part of that program and I love it when they still show up at New City functions and see it as their church home. How I wish I had the time to pour into that program but I just can't with my other work obligations. God is faithful. I rest in that. He will call His own.

I'm just really thankful tonight to be here and to have the chance to love urban kids. The other day when I was getting my haircut and I was talking to the stylist about Victoria she said she would be so scared to go into those neighborhoods and asked how I dared to go and at that moment I realized all over again that I wasn't scared to go because the Lord has called me to go there and He will protect me. I don't even have the choice not to. Urban ministry is messy and frustrating but watching C & C sing songs of Christ's birth and seeing them have fellowship with the family of God makes everything so worth it, the relatively small sacrifice on our parts! The grin just won't leave my face tonight......I am thankful.

Merry Christmasing!

We had the fun privilege of hosting the annual Christmas party for our church small group last night! It was so fun getting the house ready - I took some extra hours off from work so I could "putz" (is that a Dutchism?) with little decorating touches and before our guests arrived I felt very ready to receive them. Everyone brought part of the meal, outdoing themselves as usual with deliciousness. We put three tables together in the GTCA/Dining Room so we could eat family style - there were 19 of us and that meant lots of "Please pass the ......" but I love being all together in one room!

We all bring a white elephant gift and these range from the regal to the ridiculous. There's lots of good natured "stealing" that goes on - and some gifts mysteriously reappear the next year :-)

When we looked at our living room before we bought this house we could picture parties just like this one happening in its spaciousness :-) When we push all the furniture against the walls it holds lots of family and friends! So thankful for this room! The first time we saw it it was shrouded in heavy gold drapes, didn't have any ceiling lighting, and had dreary carpeting. Now it is a beautiful space and its walls hold so much laughter and good memories!

Little does Mari S. realize that this very Christmasy sweater would be a hot ticket item for anyone attending a Young Life Tacky Christmas Sweater party!

Speaking of reappearing gifts.....I received these Coconuts last year and was more than happy to pass them on to Bryant this year :-) What I really love about this picture is the reaction of everyone sitting around him - love their expressions!
It was such a fun, fun night! We have walked through many losses with each other and will continue to bear and share the painful times life in a fallen world inevitably brings but this night will be remembered as one where JOY was present!

Love Forms

I was reading an interview in today's paper of a couple who have been married several years. When the husband was asked what he most appreciated about his wife he answered........"Her steadiness, psychologically. I have tried over the years, to take off some of the peaks and cut some of the valleys of my personality. I would either erupt or get way down. She was always steady, a rock."

This reply really caught my eye. Switch the pronouns around and you would describe mine and Dale Allen's relationship perfectly. When I think back to our early years of marriage when I was even more of a drama queen than I am now I wonder how he survived! To a certain extent I'm still bouncing off the walls while he quietly waits for me to land. He gives me so much freedom to be me but I have learned to listen when he says, "Maribeth" in that particular tone of voice. And when the cancer came and the doctor bills started piling up, both of which made me hyperventilate with fear, he patiently told me over and over that "it will be all right." And it was. I am so thankful for his steadiness. The Lord sure knew what I needed!

Dale is so much like his dad. They are both men of firm convictions,strong faith and also very kind. Dad has been having health issues on and off for the past few months and we got a call tonight that he's back in the hospital while they do more tests for a mass they found near his liver. He has always been such a kind, gentle father in law and grandpa/great grandpa and I love him very much. One time when I was a young mom and Dale became ill while he was working out of town, Dad drove me up to meet him. I will never forget that 3 hour car ride as I got a fresh glimpse into who he was as a child and a young man. He talked non-stop and his stories were amazing. When there's family gatherings with little ones there you'll never find him in a chair but on the floor at toddler level. His chuckle is another one of his trademarks. I stopped by to see him and mom when I was up in MI in October and I'm so glad we'll be together next week for Christmas!

Right after we finished talking to mom and dad on the phone we bundled up and went for a brisk walk along the riverfront. As we were walking I noticed something sparkly on the sidewalk underneath a lamp post and I bent down and found this little angel pin.

Angels always bring my mom to mind especially this time of year when I put her collection of angel ornaments on my Christmas tree. The whole time we were walking I was thinking about Dad V.W. and also how 5 years ago at this same time we got a call from mom telling us of her acute leukemia diagnosis. Getting his call felt a little like deja vu.

Anyway......here was this angel pin in the middle of nowhere. Call it what you want but I'm going to believe that it wasn't chance that put it there. Could it have been a sign of some kind? That the Lord knew my heart was heavy and so He sent me a tangible reminder of His love, of mom's love? He's always doing stuff like that, even when He has worlds to run. He really is. And if He could me give me the gift of Dale Allen's love through all the ups, downs, and arounds of life, what's a little pin on a sidewalk?

New City Christmas Concert

Yesterday was such a full, fun day! I didn't have any pics of the choir concert but found these on Facebook just now. One of my favorite Sundays is the night of the Adult Choir Christmas concert and that's how we ended the day yesterday. Besides the beautiful music and words reminding us of the wonder of Emmanuel the diversity of the choir speaks of the hope and reality of the reconciliation that is possible through Jesus Christ!

Beautiful Chattanooga

Each day holds its own beauty.....yesterday start to finish was a grey misty drizzly day. When I came out of the theater (see post below) I was struck once again with the beauty of the riverfront and the bluff view. I took a walk around a very quiet, deserted Coolidge Park, one of my favorite places in all kinds of weather.

The Delta Queen continues to capture my attention and I can't and shouldn't resist taking a picture of it every time I'm near it!

Dale Allen had driven past the National Cemetery on Saturday and saw the wreaths on the gravestones so on my way home from Coolidge I stopped in and took a few pictures. I've mentioned before that I love visiting cemeteries....maybe something instilled in my by my mom who appreciated their quiet beauty and silent stories too.

It's at times like this that I wish I had a wonderful camera so I could do justice to the scene before me but the Casio tried its best....love this big old bare tree behind the gravestones. With the gray sky behind it it looked like a pencil drawing.

The cemetery is another one of the treasures in beautiful Chattanooga, a most photogenic city, and I am really starting to love to take time to walk around and notice what has always been right in front of me but I have been too busy to truly see it.

"God Bless Us Every One!"

An unexpected gift of the day was an invitation to join the Terpstras for a matinee performance of "A Christmas Carol"! I haven't seen this in years and I enjoyed it so much! It happened to be the performance where you could have your picture taken with the cast if you had your own camera along.....proving once again that having my faithful little Casio along at all times in all situations is imperative:-)

Feels like old times....

We are so excited that Victoria, her friend Hailey and her nephews and niece have been coming to church with us on a regular basis this past month. Waiting in their respective driveways for them to come out, having a row full of restless children sitting with us, and sharing lunch together on Claremont Court feels like old times....BC....Before Cancer....when this was an every Sunday thing. It feels alot like restoration and healing.

Congratulations, Nate!!

Yesterday was a full, fun day beginning with our friend's Nathan's pinning ceremony - a wonderful celebration of his achievement of graduating from the nursing program at UTC! This young man is very special to our family and to so many others and we're excited to see what the Lord has in store for him!

Nathan told me there's an "official" pin you can purchase but he opted for these two very fun pins - the one on the left is from his cute little niece Cecily and the one on the right is a Wyldlife pin - wondering if it might be a souvenier from Dan & Bre's wedding a few years ago :-) Some of Nate's proud family!

Nate & his mom - she and his dad participated in the pinning ceremony

Nate and his Chattanooga mom

The ceremony took place in the beautiful old Patten Chapel on UTC's campus. The day was gray, misty and foggy and the chapel looked like something out of "Wuthering Heights".

"The Nutcracker"

Last night we continued the tradition of going to the annual performance of "The Nutcracker" - "we" being Victoria and myself (Lexi was busy so V brought a friend), Anne & her Little Sister Destiny, and Kris and her newly matched Little Sister, Christine.

We usually go out to eat before the show but this year I decided to have everyone over for dinner and that was a good call. No artificial lighting was allowed the entire evening - I had tons of candles all over the house - which made me a little nervous when Destiny & Victoria started running around - had to pull out the Mom voice and they settled down. Kris & Anne brought part of the meal so it was easy. I LOVE eating by candlelight!! It's a pretty unique thing for the girls too - just sitting around a dinner table together is a pretty unique thing. After dinner Anne read the Christmas story from Luke 2 for devotions.

We had time for a photo shoot after dinner which the girls loved!

These two ladies are dear to my heart and it's so fun to do activities like this with them!

Some things in life are so predictable......the girls giggle AUDIBLY when the first male ballet dancer comes out..."men in tights" is kind of our code word whenever we talk about going to "The Nutcracker" (Mr. Dale says it's our own fault that they giggle every time :-) AND they usually fall fast asleep soon after intermission. They sleep so deep they don't even hear the final applause at the end of the performance and we have to wake them up.

It's been a fun tradition and Victoria always asks about it when the holidays come around. It's definitely something she probably wouldn't have been exposed to and I'm so thankful for the generosity of Big Brother Big Sisters that makes it possible for us to go every year.

"Breath for the Bones"

As I resurface from the busyness of this semester I'm finding some time to read this wonderful book that's been waiting patiently on the "pending pile" beneath my lamp table in the GTCA. Until page 76 I was not writing or highlighting in this treasure by Luci Shaw because I fully intended to pass it along as a slightly used gift to someone who I knew would appreciate it. I found myself copying large chunks of it in my journal but was pretty determined that this book was just passing through. Then I read the following words in the chapter entitled "Listening to the Muse" (her chapter on journaling & creative writing) and it was crystal clear that this book needs to reside on MY bookshelf......

".....I felt the secret thoughts rising in me, trusting them to be God-thoughts making themselves known. Because I am God's daughter, a bridge, a path, a secret stair has been built from his heart to mine so that by the Spirit, God's thoughts can step into my mind."

Delicious! And that's just a sampling! I really, really love Luci Shaw's writing! What was I thinking?! Get your OWN copy :-)

Dreamless Sleep

For the second year in a row our small group from church went Christmas caroling in the building where our friend, Rena, lives. It's such a comfortable place to go since we can sing to 5 different floors and stay cozy and warm!

Rena accompanies us to every single floor and sings along with us. She tells her fellow residents that we're coming and some of them come out of their rooms and listen or sing along. Here she is in front of her decorated door.

This little guy "sang" along with us! He was right on key!

We were few in numbers tonight but still had a great time! Between great echoing acoustics and Bryant's guitar we sounded all right - a joyful noise for sure! I just love singing these old traditional Christmas carols! It really ushers in the season for me!

Tuesdays with Grady

Every Tuesday when my sister in law, Renee, babysits her grandson, Grady, she
takes a picture of him. Alot of times she emails them to me. Today she sent one of Grady touching the Christmas tree and also this one of him with the Fraser
Fir Wreath that traveled from Chattanooga to Middleville via the Youngbloods on their way home from Florida.

I love this picture of sweet little Grady covered up! The wreaths are really beautiful but I am really ready to wrap up this YL fundraiser for another year!

I also sent one of the wreaths to my cousin Judy in Florida. There's one hanging in Louisiana and Indiana too :-) Very fun to share these beautiful pieces of Christmas with loved ones across the country!

SNOW!!!

When we first moved to Chattanooga I was so amused by how excited Southerners got about the prospect of a snowfall. But now seven years later I understand a little better and find myself hoping for snow! It was predicted for Saturday morning and at 6:30 am I peeked out our bedroom window and saw that the backyard was covered in white!!

Who can sleep when there's SNOW on the ground?! (Mr. Dale for one:-) I pulled a jacket on over my robe and went outside and took some pictures. It was really coming down! And it gave everything such a beautiful coating of white.

Snow is such a rarity down here and it IS so pretty! And if you don't get out quickly and enjoy it it's GONE! How I hope it comes again!

Main Street Parade

On Saturday morning, after the excitement of the first snowfall of the season, we bundled up and went downtown for the Main Street Parade. Very hometown:-)

The parade was just part of the 24 hour celebration of the continued revitalization of the Main Street area in Chattanooga. There were several street perfomers including our friend Bryant (on the right).

This man is a SERIOUS lawnmower racing machine! There were several decorated lawnmowers :-)

The Main Street area is part of our friend Andrae's district so we weren't surprised to see him participating!

The parade included a "Mutt Strut" - thought this was too cute! After the parade we walked down to the Chattnaooga Market and did some Christmas shopping. It was a very fun Saturday morning date!