Struggling To Find Ourselves

We recently read a book called “The Christmas Box”.  It was an interesting book, but not one that I would probably go buy.  Certain types of boxes have always caught my interest, because of what MIGHT be in them.  What did they hold years ago?  What do they hold now?  How many secrets have they overhheard over the years?  Do they hold wedding and engagement rings?  Have the rings ever been worn?  Or were they part of someone’s dream that never became part of reality?  Oh, what possibilities!!!

Yep, as you may have guessed by the title of this entry, I will be updating our 2009 book list in the next few days.  We haven’t been reading a WHOLE lot, but we’ve read another 2 or 3 or 4, with some more that are almost done.  How many books have YOU read so far this year?

She noticed in her wanderings throughout the house that there were ceiling fans in every room…sometimes there were more than one in a room.  They all showed NO signs of dust from her vantage point, so she figured that he had been having a housecleaner come in and clean for him.  She wondered if he had used the ceiling fans much.  Then she decided that, since he’d had the house specially built for him, that it would not have made ANY sense for him to want ceiling fans put in all the rooms if he hadn’t planned on using them.  This said to her that he was money-smart, as well, because having the ceiling fans going in the Summer probably would have kept the house cool enough that there would have been no need for the air conditioner.

What can I say?  That is our lives right now.  I thought that, maybe, just maybe, after the holidays, things would slow down a bit, but they haven’t.  If it’s not one thing, it’s another.  And if it’s not that, it’s something else.  What can I say?  I feel like we live in a soap opera sometimes…..*says in her best announcer’s voice*…”Tune in tomorrow for the next installment….”

More later, maybe….

As she wandered through the house after finishing an extended stay in the library, she picked up clues as to what kind of man this man was.  His library told ALOT about him, in her opinion.  The next best place to pick up clues about a person?  Their closet.  When she finally made her way to the bedroom, she found that it was articulately, but masculinely decorated.  The closet and the dresser were nice, but simple in design.  On top of the dresser sat a tie stand that had ties filling each and every space on it.  Ties of ALL descriptions….colorful ties….ties of solid colors….ties with designs on them…flannel ties….black ties….tuxedo ties…silk ties…..ties of EVERY occasion.  This was a man, she decided, that was used to wearing ties, probably every day.

As she wandered through the empty house, wondering what she was going to do with all of the stuff that was left in this mansion after his death, she came across a room FULL of books.  She assumed it had been the library.  There were books EVERYWHERE.  Books on the shelves that lined all of the walls, from the floor to the ceiling….books on the huge, hardwood desk in the middle of the room….books on the side tables….books on the couch.  There were ALL kinds of books, from classics to some that weren’t so classic, from romances to horror books, from action books to children’s books.  Then she came across a section that had no titles on the spine of them.  They had no writing of ANY kind on the spine.  They were hard covered, older looking.  She pulled one out carefully and let it fall open in her hands.  As she read it, she slowly began to realize that it had been personalized for someone.  She put that one back and pulled out another one.  Another story that had been personalized.  Over and over, she did this, and she found that all of the books she pulled off the shelf from that section had been carefully, lovingly personalized.  Someone had taken the time to write numerous stories that were all personalized, and have them published into book form, so that they were completely personalized books.  Could it have been him?  Could the man that had owned the house and left it all to her have had the talent to do that?  But WHO were the books for?  WHO was he writing them for?  That was a question that nagged at the back of her mind as she continued exploring the house.

This was something that I found in one of the old bulletins from the church that someone had left in the back of one of their service books.  I thought it was a NEAT story!!!

Just a week before Christmas, I had a visitor.  This is how it happened.  I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house.  I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out next to the fireplace.

“What are you doing?” I started to ask.  The words choked up in my throat and I saw he had tears in his eyes.  His usual jolly manner was gone.  Gone was the eager, boisterous sould we all know.

He then answered me with a simple statement….”TEACH THE CHILDREN!”

I was puzzled.  What did he mean?

He anticipated my question and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.  As I stood bewildered, Santa said, “Teach the children!  Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten.”

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle.  “Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year ’round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man’s thoughts turning toward Heaven.”

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR.  “Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago.  God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise.”

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE.  “Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness.”

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree.  “Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love.  Real love never ceases.  Love is one continuous round of affection.”

He then pulled from his bag an ORNAMENT of himself.  “Teach the children that I, Santa Claus, symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December.”

He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF.  “Teach the children that the holly plan represents immortality.  It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior.  The red holly berries represent the blood shed by Him.”

Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, “Teach the children that God so loved the world that He gave His begotten Son.” Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree.  “Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds’ crook.  The crook on the staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother’s keeper.”

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL.  “Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior’s birth.  The angels sang Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men.”

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL.  “Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold.  The bell symbolizes guidance and return.”

Santa looked back and was pleased.  He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes.  He said, “Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship Him, our Lord, our God.”  -Author Unknown

Okay, I HAVE to admit that I have NO idea what tv lifts are.  It could be any NUMBER of things, if you ask me.  Something to lift these new flat-screen, wide-screen tv’s?  Maybe it’s something to put under your tv to lift it up a bit when it’s sitting too low in your entertainment center?  Maybe it’s for when your tv is old, and needs a support of some type?  Oh, doesn’t the mind run wild with possibilities?  What do YOU think it is?