It will be Christmas in 2 weeks! I have one project that I have to have done before week 4. Oh, how I miss Faith Specht, especially at this time. Hopefully I can do it with out using my left arm very much. I have Christmas Eve supper to get ready for and contacts still have to be made as to if they are going to be there. The way things have been going lately, maybe they won’t have to worry about being asked next year.
We share a minister with St. Paul’s at Remsen. The first and third Sundays are at Marcus. Last Sunday, we had a Remsen man and family come to church at Marcus and died as he was leaving the church. Our Gospel lesson was Mark 13:24-37. Summarizing it (Verses 35-37) it was— stay awake or else you will not know when you will be called. The ambulance could do nothing for him as he had been called. Our condolences to Wendell’s family and may he rest in peace.
Now another family in Remsen experienced finding their 15 year old son decided a different death. This MMCRU Freshman’s death will affect those in school as well as anyone else who knew him. Problems with mental health are something that we should not push aside and feel “it” will take care of itself. I just wrote last week where December is a most depressing month for some people and when they cannot take this any longer, they feel there is only one way out. May his family/friends find comfort in the good memories they had of him and may he rest in peace.
Jennifer had a birthday Dec. 8 and I still have her birthday card—riding around in the pickup. I am so grateful for her when Charlton died and she took over 6 week old Zachary. She was still 13 years old but was there when I needed her. It was not an easy time for me to be with the family and still be with a new baby.
A “goodie tray” and a Christmas card came to our house this week. Thank you, Barb for this. It reminded me of Jeanette baking before Christmas. She would make more than enough and after Christmas Eve supper, she would send some home with them. By Dec. 31, her goodies had found another home!
My sister, Carolyn has a birthday Dec. 22 so I will give her a call. I used to have 2 birthdays on Dec. 22 that I remembered as Thelma Gravenish had one the same day. She has since passed away so I just have Carolyn’s.
Thursday June P. and I had the program for Faith Lutheran’s (Ladies Aid) WELCA. Debbie P. and Sheila L. helped with the lunch part. Everything was going well until the last part of the program when we found we couldn’t sing hymns as the piano was locked up! Later someone came to show us where the key was and we were on our way to singing!
I spent some time before the Ladies Program that morning at the Marcus Community Center getting some last minute questions I wasn’t sure of on some of the trees. It must have been afterwards that two more trees arrived as well as a display from Marcus Lumber. It really seems a shame to have to take the trees down when they just got up. But, Sunday afternoon, people will be there to take theirs down.
Saturday Steve and I backed in by O’Haira’s to watch the parade. There were about 14 in the parade. There was one pickup that was “all” lights all over! The horse drawn wagon was in the parade also. It was busy taking people for rides even when I left at 7 p.m.
We decided to go to the Center before 6:30 so went at 5:45. There was a long line up of parents and kids waiting to talk to Santa. At 7 o’clock, there was still a long line up! There were all ages on his lap. That reminded me of when Jeanette took baby Steve (all dressed up in red) to see Santa in Sioux City. The minute he got on Santa’s lap, he started to cry and loudly! I stood back from this and soon a lady said to me, “Isn’t that just something—taking a baby that age to see Santa just to have a picture taken when all he is doing is crying?!” I didn’t want to admit I knew the picture taker or baby!
Driving around town, I think there are more homes that have decorated than in years past. Could it have been because the weather was nice at the time to decorate? While there are some that are very lit up, there are others that are very simple and just as meaningful. We still don’t have a display like that one in Le Mars! There are so many displays on this person’s property, that a person probably couldn’t even count them!
I have been busy re-typing 23 pages of Letters to Santa from years back. I had them all done by February of this year and was so proud that I had them ready for December—until I went to bring them up a week or so ago and found they were not any longer in the computer. This time around I had them saved before one page was even done again.
I went to the Library to check on one of those years and found that one particular year I had taken out and left a note as to when I returned the paper. I also left a note saying that several inside pages were missing from a particular week. Checking again, I found that even more was gone—the Santa edition and letters in the newspaper of that week. If someone wants their child’s letter, ask the Librarian and she will gladly print it out or else buy the whole Marcus News paper for under a dollar (at that time) from the news office. But, don’t take it out and never return. It makes it harder for someone that really wanted information that you took home.
The MMCRU Middle School at Remsen has their Christmas music concert on Thursday, Dec. 14. The High School will not have their holiday concert as they did music for the Madrigal earlier.
The kitten/cat (Teddy) has left my hearing aide alone but the other early morning, I saw him up and down off the bed, just like what he did the second time with my hearing aide. I went to look and saw he had found a (about his size) stuffed yellow rabbit! Now he is taking it by one ear with him. I really don’t know where he found it. Do you suppose he thinks it is another cat?! As long as he doesn’t find my hearing aide again, I don’t care what he is dragging along!
I found this article for “food for thought”.
It is called, “Our Measure” with the author unknown.
Is anybody happier because you passed this way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today &
The day is almost over and its toiling is through;
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word to you?
Can you say tonight in parting with the day that’s slipping past,
That you helped a single being of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?
Does the man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?
Did you waste the day or lose it: was it well or poorly spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say,
“You have earned one more tomorrow, by the work you did today?”
Remember in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost family/friends to death and have had their lives changed, have health problems some of which are terminal; are trying to make a living even though they have a job; help those who desire “wants” are more important than “needs”, that prestige isn’t everything and be with those who are still struggling to shorten the distance between family/friends to build a bridge instead of a wall. Count your blessings!
I will leave you with this quote: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”