Music

Intoxicating.

Walks you through a memory as if you were there. Even more sureal than a dream. Scents included.

Brings back every memory of a moment. The details. The leather seats of a car, the smell of the cloth hood, what was in the plastic caddy on the floor between the seats, the tape in the tape deck, the words being sung...the memory.

How can music make me remember every vidid, blessed detail, about everything?

Other things I may forget, or they may fade, but if music is involved it's vividly sketched onto and into my heart and mind and soul, and forever.

Why is that? (This is retorical, don't want an answer, b/c I love it the way it is).

It can bring tears; the warmth of an everlasting fire; a car ride; a personality; a loved one lost; it can make you hold the hand of someone without them actually being there; it can bring cold, cold shivers; it can bring tears of guilt, tears of joy, tears of saddness; it can be your best friend when no one is around; God can speak through music.

Music is a love.

Each song a new espisode, if you're on shuffle; a new friend brought to mind, a brother and his whereabouts laid upon you; someone you need to visit; someone you need to share with; someone you need to be honest with; someone you need to laugh with; someone who needs to laugh with you; someone who needs to get to know you again and vice versa. Don't we always need to get-to-know each other again and often?

I do.

Love your music. Play your music. Get new music often.

jag

Have Yourself a Simple Little Christmas

This spurred from my previous post about the origins and WHYs of Christmas.

We should all try to simplify our Christmas this year to focus on the real meaning. The current state of the economy, may aid your willingness to do so this year, but that's okay.
I vividly remember sitting in an old computer chair at our desk in our rent house several years ago, just balling. Bleary-eyed, I stared at my checking and savings account balances on our computer screen, as my tears slid down my face and danced on my Christmas list of things I wanted to buy for everyone. I couldn't do it. Not even with what I had in savings. There was no way I could afford our bills, and all of Christmas. I was devastated.
A wise man, not a magi from the east, but a very wise man walked into the room. I turned my head and to the side, so as to hide my tears from him.

Wise man: What are doing?
Cryer: Nothing (sniffling).
Wise man: What? Are you crying? What's wrong with you?
Cryer: (I burst into tears as I responded). I'm balancing my account and looking at my savings, and I can't afford Christmas! Hardly anything.
Wise man: What?!?! (I'm smiling for those of you who know this wise man, b/c you'll be able to hear his tone in this). Are you serious? You're seriously crying because you can't buy people a bunch of presents?
Cryer: Yes! You don't understand!!! I LIKE doing this. I LIKE buying things for people. It's what I do. It's not about spending money, it's about buying them a gift that they'll really like.
Wise man: Ashley, that is not what Christmas is about. And it's really sad that you're this upset over it.

Well, for those who know me, you know that at that very moment, those wise words didn't quite penetrate. But he was right. I always spent a lot of time thinking about what I would get each person on my list, and we have a big family. I wanted to get something they had mentioned, or something I knew they would really like and that I had put a lot of thought into. To me, that's what, it's the thought that counts, meant. And a lot of times, I would struggle and struggle with what to get them. It never occurred to me, that maybe that meant they didn't really NEED anything.

Well, I haven't changed in the respect that I still LOVE to give to people. It's so much fun! You think of a gift they will love, or find something perfect! And then there's the anticipation of it sitting, all pretty and wrapped, under the tree until time to open gifts. And they open it, and it's so wonderful, and you're so thoughtful and everyone is happy. BUT. With all of that thinking, fretting, shopping, spending, rushing, worrying, thinking, thinking...it's easy to lose sight of what we should be focusing on.

The real meaning of Christmas. The birth of Jesus; spending time with family; and yes, giving, but it can be much more simplified, and much more meaningful.

Here are some ways to simplify the giving, so you can focus on the meaning.

• Adopt-a-family for Christmas - We're making this a new family tradition, between all of our local families. Buckner Family Services in Longview, can help you adopt-a-family in need. Visit www.kvne.com for details.
• Adopt an Angle Tree child
• Give these gifts in someone's name or honor, as your gift to them as well.
• Make a gift - I was never fond of this idea. But that's because my thoughts were so limited (they still are). Unless it's something in the electronics department, most gifts can be made.

Ideas of Gifts to Make

• a blanket - sounds hard, right? I thought so too, until a good friend made me one for Christmas. It is now my favorite and warmest blanket! Buy two pieces of fleece from a fabric store or Wal-Mart. Cut inch wide slits all around the edges of both pieces and tie them together.
• Personalize pottery; paint an inexpensive bowl, cookie jar, any glass or plastic container. The possibilities are endless.
• A recipe book
• Plant a tree in someone's name
• Frozen food (my new favorite idea) - if you know someone's favorite, make it for them and freeze it for them. Or of course sweet treats!
• There are tons of ideas on the world wide web.

Also, in having a simple Christmas, think back to your favorite memories of Christmas. They most likely will not revolve around material things, but a simple tradition. Find ways to to create similar rituals and moments like those.

You don't have to sacrifice your favorite traditions or things to do. Simply scale them down; increase the meaning of your time. I truly hope you'll have yourself a merry, warm, and simple little Christmas.

Christmas: When, Who, What, WHY?

It seems prior to each holiday this year, I begin to ponder what it is I will tell my children about that particular holiday or celebration. How am I going to explain the purpose, why it started, where it originated, what we do to celebrate it, and on and on.

It usually goes something like this (in my head):
Let's see....Halloween's coming soon. Gotta ask Dylan what she wants to be. Lane will be a cowboy this year, already got the costume. I think I'll wait until the week of, so she'll have less time to change her mind. Okay, so I'll say, Dylan Halloween is coming this weekend, what do you want to be? That doesn't make sense. Does she even know what Halloween is? Wait....do I know what Halloween is? Carve a pumpkin, make a costume, wear a costume, get a candy bag, go door-to-door and ask strangers for candy, eat the candy, hand out candy to strangers kids....ugh. I better visit Wiki and see what the origins are so I can at least tell her why we do all of these things.

Note: I am not ignoring Lane. While he does hear what I'm saying, he doesn't have a lot of questions just yet.

So, in all actuality, I guess I have the questions too. I have issues with telling my kids, we're going to do this, and not know why. Does that make sense? I don't have issue with saying, "becuase I said so," or "just because," in everyday conversations with them, but I want to know why I'm forcing them to don costumes and go door-to-door on Halloween; why we do pink and red hearts on the fourteenth of February; why we wear green on St. Patrick's Day and pinch others who don't; why we eat turkey and way too many other things on Thanksgiving.

This year, my Life Group teacher did a really great lesson before Thanksgiving about the origin of the holiday. Come to find out, those who started the "feast" had only seven kernels of corn as their ration for the day. Hmmmm......

First, I have to say that I think myself to be extremely philo-traditions. Philantraditionist? Anyway. I love them. I keep them. I become very unstable if they're broken, and it takes time for me to accept changing tradition. It wasn't until I had children, that I began to investigate some of them. I never really wondered, or cared to do the research, to find out all of the "why's" behind each of the holidays we all enjoy. I loved them too much. Didn't really care WHY we all got together to eat turkey, ham, deviled eggs, dressing, three salads, eight casseroles, mashed potatoes, four pies, and then leftovers each year. It meant my entire family being together for several days and that was wonderful and happy.

Christmas - same thing. I loved, and still do love, everything about it. I love fall. Love fires. Love bustling. Love Christmas lights. Love going and cutting down a Christmas tree and decorating it. Love presents under them. Love buying presents for others. Love Carols and Candles at my church. Love all of the Christmas stories. Love it. It's ingrained in my head, my heart, my who-I-am. Oh and now, for the last six years or so, I....yes, I love Christmas music. I even have a few CDs.

Now, I have children. My daughter, now 3 1/2 is really beginning to understand Christmas. So thus it begins. She will now begin to remember things we do during this holiday season. Traditions are beginning, or beginning to be remembered. It has now become extremely important to me to determine what it is exactly we will teach our children about Christmas. In fact, it's consumed much of my thoughts these last few weeks.

I think it began like this (in my head, as usual):

(To myself is blue. Outloud is red.)
Okay, let's see, Christmas is coming.
Dylan, Christmas is about to be here. Do you know what that means?
Wait what does that mean?
Ummm....that means that Santa is coming.
That's not right. Well, it is, but that's not why.
We celebrate Christmas because that's when baby Jesus was born, and we're celebrating His birth.
And so Santa comes too? And brings presents to us for baby Jesus?
Yep, Christmas, mommy's favorite time of year.
I've gotta figure this out. This is too messy. Little bit of secular, little bit of religion. Not liking that.

And thus my research began. I'm not an idiot. For the record. And my parents instilled some very meaningful traditions in our lives, and taught us the real meaning of Christmas. I was taught that Christmas is commemorated to honor and celebrate the birth of Christ. Gifts are given, as the wisemen gave Jesus gifts, and we each received three gifts from Santa. We ate pancakes on Christmas morning and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. My Dad read us two books each Christmas Eve, which told the real story of Christmas and Jesus' birth.

But it was really bothering me. Real story of Christmas and Jesus' birth. Why is it called Christmas then? When did this celebration/tradition begin? Does it talk about Christmas in the Bible? Does God say to celebrate Jesus' birth in the Bible, and if so, how?

Who. started. Christmas?

I wanted to know, if we told our children that we celebrate Christmas to celebrate Jesus' birth, if that was true. Did God leave instruction for us to celebrate Christmas? And what about all of the things that go with it? Tree, food, gifts, lights, carols?

Maybe I'm a little behind the times, or my generation. Maybe you've already thought through all of this. But for me, it took the very scary, yet exciting thought, that we have a huge role in defining what our children believe, until they're of age to decide for themselves. Whoa.

So. Here is some of the research I found. I found it online, so NONE of it can be taken for truth. Except for the information I found in the Bible. I take that to be truth. Everyone interprets, or is given, different interpretations of what it says. So you have to read it for yourself and then glean what you will, or are blessed with. I just want to share what I found. Also, I've gone back and inserted in red, some of the answers, or information my pastor so graciously sent me. I believe this to be truth as well.

CHRISTMAS RESEARCH

• There is no celebration of Jesus' birth referenced in the Bible, (only His death) This is true as far as celebrations like a holiday, a huge feast, decorating a tree, decorating your house with lights, red and green, goes. However, they did celebrate (as in the verb tense). And they (the Magi) did bring gifts.
• No one knows the actual day/month/year Jesus was born
• Christmas is celebrated on the 25th due to several assumptions - that He was conceived on March 25, and it was thought that prophets died on the same day they were conceived; and that if Jesus was conceived on March 25 that would be exactly 9 months later
• One source said that Christmas was created as a combination of several pagan feasts (Saturnalia, Brumalia, and the Birth of the Unconquered Sun/Persian sun god). When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, the bishops thought they'd never be able to get the enormous number of pagan "converts" to give up observing these festivals so they "Christianized" them and made it to celebrate Jesus' birth.
• MOST INTERESTING THING I FOUND/LEARNED - that Paul, in Galatians, expresses concern about celebrating certain days/months/years; the research I found said he was most likely referencing the pagan festivals and the possible bondage people could find themselves in, when celebrating or commemorating these. It said that Paul didn't say they were wrong but he was concerned with WHY they were celebrating these days/festivals. Paul said that observances should be kept on an individual basis; should not be bound on others.
• I also read that we must be careful not to displace keeping God's commandments with upholding human traditions. Mark 7:9 - "You are experts at setting aside the commandments of God in order to keep your traditions."

My Pastor's Thoughts in reference to my questions/research

On celebrating - Luke Chapter 2 verses 7-20 seem to point to Christmas as a time of celebration. An angel of the Lord announced to the shepherds and to the world that a savior was born. It was definitely a time of celebration as the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and good will to men.” (Luke 2:14) We should celebrate the birth of the one who died for our sins.
On gifts - We get the biblical understanding of gift-giving from the magi (known as wise men) from Matthew 2:11 where they brought gifts to the savior and each gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, have a special meaning for the savior. Also, Matthew 2:1-12.

On the date -Historians have speculated on the exact date of Jesus' birth and concluded that it is more than likely at another time of year than December 25th. However, we know Jesus was born and whenever that exact date was, we celebrate the event of God coming into this world as a man to go to the cross for our sins. What an event to celebrate.

On the origin - There are different opinions on how Christmas got started and I am sure some pagans and others (modern-day people) have abused and misused this holiday for the wrong purposes.

Conclusions, Sort of

So, if "Christmas" isn't in the Bible, then wouldn't that alone mean that God never intended for us to create a holiday like we have, or wouldn't He have included that in His book to us?

It's so hard to decipher and to decide what to teach our children. I love Christmas, but want to stay true to the real reason we're celebrating; and I want my children to enjoy Christmas and Santa, but still know the real reason it all started. I don't want to become too tightly wrapped up in the whirl and blur of events and shopping and spending and giving for the wrong reasons, and pleasing, that I lose sight of what's at the core of this snow blizzard.

I believe that as long as we teach them to always be thankful to God for everything; to be thankful for the gift of Christ's birth; the gift that Christ gave us by dying on the Cross; to have giving hearts and give to those in need; or give to others as long as the objective is to express love and kindness and not to receive in return or because you it's something you're supposed to do, then those are things God would want us to teach them.

And as far as the "trimming" traditions go, I guess we just have to be careful not to let any idolatry occur with the tree, food, gifts, and the holiday itself. We can't allow that to become the focus, or all of them equally to be the focus.

I really like what Paul said or inferred. That we should focus on the WHY.

Peace and love.