Friday Foto Friends...Christmas is Coming!!

The Friday before Christmas, and all through the house, 

a lot of creatures are stirring, perhaps even a mouse! 

The stockings are not hung yet by the chimney with care, 

in hopes that St. Nicholaus will give me a moment to spare...

Presents to wrap, cookies to bake, family to visit, food to partake...

Still so much to do,

my mind's in a stew...

Jesus, help me remember

It's all about YOU!!!

It's Friday Foto Friends...and that was my humble attempt at poetry...definitely not my strong suit, but it is what I am feeling...still so much to do...and it is so easy to forget Who Christmas is really all about! Lord, help me stay focused on YOU, and You alone, and we will get through this together!

Pictures...Well, let me see, what have I been doing this week? If you have followed me on Facebook you have seen a few pictures here and there, but let me pick out a few of the highlights:

How about last night's sunset as we traveled to our dress rehearsal for our Christmas cantata?  It was actually raining, but the sun was shining with all its glory, and it helped us to know that God was with us, and that He would be with us as we prepared our music and sang it for His honor and glory:

Here's a few pictures from the rehearsal:

This is my hubby, me, and our son Benton, who was one of the narrators for the program

Here we are all singing:

Here's our son narrating...

Here are some excerpts from the program, with voices singing, but not our choir. This was the demo:

The program is "God Came Near", by Max Lucado and Tom Fettke.   We will be performing Sunday morning, so please say a prayer for us.

Speaking of our son, here is a picture I took earlier this week of him and his sweet wife Rose and their two doggies, Sugar and Spice. It was early evening, and we wanted to see their lights:

Aren't they precious? All four of them!! We are blessed.

Today I am very late in posting this because we had things to do and I just couldn't spare the time to sit here and write. My hubby had to keep reminding me of what was most important this morning...and he was right, of course. (Don't tell HIM I said that!)  Anyway, we had a wonderful day today. We visited the nursing home where my mother in law had lived the last year and 1/2 of her life before going to be with the Lord this past August.  We had not been back there since she passed, but we wanted to go and visit with the dear residents and staff there and wish them a Merry Christmas. So, my brother in law, sister in law and their two children met us there this morning, and we took little bags of Christmas candy and cookies to them and had a wonderful time wishing each one a very Merry Christmas. There are still quite a few there who knew "Nanny", and remembered us. It was a very special time and well worth the extra effort it took to make that trip.  It was kind of bittersweet for us since the last time we were there was "Nanny's"  last day here on earth. But we know where she is...she's celebrating Christmas in heaven with Jesus and all the angels and saints of old. Couldn't be anything better than that!!   here's a picture of Nanny from a few years ago, possibly one her last Christmases here in our home before going to the "Lodge" to live.  She loved Christmas...

I will conclude with these series of pictures taken earlier this week in and around our neighborhood. The first two are of a couple of my "Louis Philippe" Rose bush that likes to bloom in the cooler weather. It's been rather cool and wet this week, and I've enjoyed seeing their beauty from my back door.

Many of you saw this picture on my Facebook page a couple of mornings ago. It was about 36 degrees here in the morning, and the mist rising up off of the little pond in our neighborhood in the early sunlight was just too beautiful to ignore. So here are a few more pictures that I took that morning:

I hope you enjoy God's beauty in His world as much as I do.  Here are some of the verses I read this morning in our time of devotions:

Zephaniah 3:17

"The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing."

If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the "must do's" of this Christmas season,

take a few moments sit quietly, perhaps in a peaceful setting wherever you may find one, and allow the Lord your God to "quiet you with His love" and then listen as you may actually hear Him rejoicing over you with gladness and with singing.  

What a beautiful sound...

just listen...

it may be the birds singing (or so we think)...

or the trees sighing in the wind (again...that's what we think we hear)

But very likely it is the Lord rejoicing over you and singing love songs to you of peace and joy and much gladness.  

I feel better already just thinking about this, don't you?

Have a very Merry Christmas dear friends...

Remember Who it is all about!!

Okay, so I am late to the Friday Foto Friends gathering over at Deb's place at Breathing in Grace.  Why don't you take a few moments out of your busy schedule and go visit with some wonderful people? That's where I'm headed right now!!