7:10 p.m. Today's project was to box and store our Christmas tree ornaments. This had been on my agenda for most of the last week, but kept getting pushed back, due to other more exciting projects or urgent unexpected matters, like Heidi's serious bronchial conditon.
The ornaments almost didn't get put away today, either. At the top of today's calendar page was "make spiced apple jelly" out of New Year's leftover mulled cider. But that got pushed back because I decided to fry up a 1/2 pound of bacon chopped small for future use. And since Heidi has been quite sick with coughing and congestion, I planned to make her some chicken noodle soup from a quart of stock I'd made and kept in the deep freeze, already seasoned and awaiting a need. The day was getting booked, and since we'd slept in until 8 a.m., it was already shortened to start with. Layer after layer of tasks were being piled on top of today's project!
The jelly didn't take long to make, unless you add in the prep of sterilizing jars, lids and tools, getting the canner set up and filled with boiling water, and making sure Steve was occupied and would have his lunch made and waiting for him when he came in to wash up (not in the kitchen)! All this work for 2 1/2 pints of jelly! I'll justify myself by saying, there are worse hobbies!
As the jars sealed and the jelly cooled, it was time to get Heidi's soup underway. I thawed out and began boiling the stock, corrected the seasoning, added some water and threw in the noodles. She enjoyed it, and I was finally able to sit down and enjoy my chicken salad. We have been praying intensely since last night, when her fiance Pavel took her to Urgent Care, where she got a breathing treatment, some prescriptions, and a scolding for not coming in sooner. The thing is, how do you know when an off-and-on cold is more serious? She didn't have a fever, but was coughing dreadfully and dripping constantly. Apparently, Heidi was on the verge of bronchitis! Lord, be merciful to my daughter!
Here's a fact most of us probably don't know: according to Dr. Branch last night, if a cold lasts more than a week, go see your doctor because it's not a cold. But how do you judge your symptoms? I've had hacking coughs that have dragged on for 6 months with no ill effects or any diagnosis of illness. And all of us are so different! We need to seek the Lord, to stay in close communion with Him "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3)!
Psalm 105:4-5 says, "Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek His face evermore. Remember His marvelous works that He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth."
As we sat at the kitchen table, and talked about the DVD "Rebecca" (the 1940 Hitchcock thriller)that Steve and I had watched last night and she watched in bed this morning, I noticed that our vitamin and pill stackers--don't we sound like octogenarians?--were empty, so off to the drawer get those bottles to fill the daily portions. Steve has 5 different prescriptions, along with three supplements I add, and we both take fish oil, alpha-lipoic acid, and Shaklee Vitalea multivitamins. I just take assorted supplements that prevent painful arthritis symptoms.
More layers piled on...
Steve and I then went out to the garden to start him on pulling out the extra nasturtiums that the rain has caused to spring up, and then he worked on a maze while I did the vitamins. Heidi had gone back to bed, so we turned on our iTunes for a break in the quiet. Now it was time for him to walk the dogs.
Then it dawned on me: the ornaments! All excuses and little jobs out of the way, I went out to the dining room table and began sorting through the works of art, the kid-made treasures, the handcrafted gifts from friends and students from decades ago, angels of every style and size, and precious heirloom ornaments from both Bush presidents and Focus on the Family's nativity medallions. I love Heather's childish handwriting on the "Jesus as He Grows" and the porcelain and feather-wing "Angels" collection boxes. My gold-tone carriage from the Tower of London gift shop, the stuffed bear from Alaska, and the handcrafted flower angel from Hawaii bring back memories of travel. New memories are being made this year, as we added a wooden miniature birdhouse made by Heather's father-in-law John Love to the beautifully turned tree topper he gave us last year. The kids and my crosstitched ornaments are all stored together, along with the drum sets that exemplify Kriss' musical talent, the yellow lab figurine that reminds me of Heidi's heart for animals, and Steven's football and Dr. Seuss ornaments. Several ornaments I bought for Sean when it was just the two of us evoke lean but faith-building times. Two sweet church ornaments that glow when a light bulb is placed inside them remind us of Spirit-led corporate worship.
Hidden deep within every year's Christmas tree, unseen, seeming not to fit in with all of the festivity, hangs a stark reminder of why we celebrate Christmas. It is a long black spike with a nailhead at one end. Thus we are reminded of the One whose hands and feet were pierced and so cruelly attached to the cross of our salvation.
"They pierced my hands and my feet," Jesus says in Psalm 22:16, through the prophetic voice of David. John 19:37 quotes Zechariah 12:10, "They shall look on him whom they pierced."
May we look on Him who was pierced and killed for our salvation, beneath the layers of excitement, celebration and family time at Christmas, and see our Savior!
No comments:
Post a Comment