On the First Sunday of Advent...(Updated)

New Update, November 30, 2025...I haven't had time to do a new post for this yet, so will share this from the past. Let us prepare our hearts for the celebration of the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Good Morning everyone...and welcome to Advent!  Today is the first Sunday in Advent.  Some of this is a repeat of previous years, with maybe a few edits here and there to bring it up to date.

So, without further ado, let the 2021 2025 Advent Adventure begin:

(Our home Advent Wreath, 2018)

Note: This post was originally written several years ago from our home in Salt Springs. At that time we were having a small group meet in our home for Sunday morning worship services, and the majority of this post is from that season of time in our lives. We have since moved from that location to a new community and wonderful little church that we dearly love. Below are a few pictures from our worship service this morning in our church:

11/28/2021:  Here is the lighting of the first Advent Candle this morning in our church service 

On this first Sunday of Advent we begin with the lighting of the first candle on the 

Advent Wreath:

As we light the first candle we read:

"This candle reminds us of the promise of the prophets that a Messiah would come.  The prophecy candle is symbolic of long years of waiting during which the prophets, inspired by God, kept alive the hope that the Son of God was coming to redeem us."

Then we read the following scriptures:

Isaiah 7:14

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall

call His name Immanuel."

Isaiah 9:2-7

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, 

Upon them a light has shined.

You have multiplied the nation

and increased its joy;

They rejoice before You 

according to the joy of harvest,

As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

For YOU have broken the yoke of his burden

and the staff of his shoulder,

the rod of his oppressor,

as in the day of Midian.

For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle,

and garments rolled in blood,

Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace

there will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

to order it and establish it with judgment and justice

from that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

The scene in our front yard as of last night

And then we sing together  "O Come, O Come, Immanuel"

I will continue the Advent Candle series each week when we light the second candle.  If you have never experienced the lighting of an Advent Wreath before, here is a little bit of the history:

"The word "Advent" comes from the Latin, "Adventus", meaning "coming" or "coming in", and the "coming in" of Christ has been celebrated by man on many different levels, both spiritual and social since the first years of Christianity.  The traditional Advent Wreath, like most Christmas and Advent customs, has been passed on from generation to generation.  In the Advent Wreath's evergreen boughs we are reminded of the eternalness of God.  In it's perfect circle, His all-encompassing love is symbolized.  Each week, as we add the glow of one more candle, we meditate upon another facet of the life and role of our Lord.  Candles, which are living flames, are symbolic of Christ, the Light of the World, Whose coming is nearer as the light of the candles is increased.  The purple candles represent the royalty of Christ.  The pink candle is the purple fading into the white candle, which represents Christ's birth and His purity.

Jesus said, "I Am the Light of the World...Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness."  (John 8:12)"

 

(Back to the original post:) Our special antique table that we have been using for our home Communion Service (click HERE for more about that story) is also a perfect place to hold the Advent Wreath.  Little did my husband's grandfather know when he built this little table so many years ago how it would continue to honor the Lord in the homes of his future generations.

If there are times in your life that you are unable to attend worship services at a local church, there is no reason why you cannot have a home worship service.  Although for me it is unique because my husband is an ordained minister, but one does not have to have a seminary degree to lead your family in a time of worship.  You primarily need your Bible, and ask the Lord to guide you and give you insight into His Word.  The Bible tells us that "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  I am not suggesting that this should be the norm, but there are times and seasons in life when it may be necessary for reasons beyond your control.  And, even if you DO attend church regularly, there is still no reason why you cannot have times of home worship and prayer as a family or with your neighbors and friends. As a matter of fact, it could be a true blessing for your family as well as those around you. 

In many nations of the world, this is the only form of church worship available, and that is often in what is considered "underground"...hidden and in secret, due to government restrictions and anti-christian leadership.  I pray that America never has to find out what that is...Pray for our nation. I look forward to the day when the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy will be complete:

"Of the increase of HIS government and peace 

there will be no end..."

Isaiah 9:7

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel..."

Stay tuned for more ADVENT Adventures in the next few weeks as we prepare our hearts for the Advent of our Lord...The first advent was when Jesus came to earth as a baby in the manger in Bethlehem to offer Himself on a cross for our salvation.  His second advent will be when He returns to earth:

"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads,

because your redemption draws near."

Luke 21:27-28

"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that DAY come on your unexpectedly.

For it will come as a snare on those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape 

all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Luke 21:34-36

Are YOU Ready?

If you would like to hear our Pastor's message from this morning's worship service, here it is for you:

Have a blessed and wonderful Advent Season!

Thanksgiving 2025 is a "Wrap".

 Oh dear friends, are you as tired as I am?  If you hosted Thanksgiving dinner at your house, I'm sure you know what I mean. But it's a happy tired, the kind that keeps you going even when your body is saying time to quit...but you don't want to miss a thing or leave something out, so you keep persevering in spite of your aches and pains. At least that's my experience...and now it's time to sit down and organized my thoughts and pictures and share it all with you before it's a dim memory!

Where to begin?  I guess I'll let the pictures do the talking for me (mostly).

Let's start with the day before Thanksgiving...this is what I did...One apple pie and two pumpkins.

And in between pie baking, we went out to lunch to meet my brother Clifford and his wife Caryl, down here in Florida from North Carolina. Caryl's extended family was gathering over at Palm Coast to celebrate Thanksgiving, but they had time on Wednesday to drive over to meet us for lunch. That was a wonderful surprise and blessing!

Our son Benton joined us as well, but sweet Rose had to work so unfortunately couldn't come.

We had a great visit, and I am so thankful for this time. We don't get to see each other very often, so I will grab every opportunity I can!

Back at home again...I got the tables set the night before. We were set for 11, but my brother in law sadly ended up not being able to come due to some health issues, but my sister Doris and the rest of her family still came anyway. We really missed having Art here, but totally understood his need to stay home and rest. My sister took home plenty of food for him to enjoy.

LOL.  Here's the family gathered around the table...Of course I caught people with their mouths full...LOL.  Sorry about that. I tried three times, but they were all funny...

I didn't get in the picture, but here's my plate:

That's my nephew Jack. He's the youngest member of the family, and such a cutie.

Actually I was trying to take a picture of this beautiful "paper" centerpiece that my sister brought as a "hostess gift".  Isn't it beautiful? It looks so real!

There's a story here...this is the lime jelled salad that my sister brought, however, somehow she stepped on the container/carrier that it was in, and this is how it looked! LOL. (It was covered with Saran Wrap so nothing got dirty, just smashed!)  It still tasted wonderful! LOL!!

 

 (kind of reminds me of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Aunt Bethany's jello mold story. LOL   IYKYK)

Speaking of cats...Blackie got a lot of attention from everyone all afternoon.  He followed us around while we walked around the yard after dinner and basically charmed everyone with his antics and rolling in the sand to show off his belly. He was quite happy. Kind of helped soothe the empty spot of not having Sunshine there too...

While us girls walked around and visited, the guys all played "football" in the front yard, well, they tossed a football back and forth and basically had fun just being "boys".

Meanwhile, we girls took pictures of each other...Here's Rose and my niece Debbie:

My sister Doris and Debbie, (her daughter):

Debbie, Doris and me...and Blackie in the background:

And here's the whole family gathered together...

My niece was playing around with an app on her phone that created funny pictures, and here's one she did of me: LOL!

And here's my sister Doris and I wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving:

As you can tell, we had a wonderful day, filled with laughter and good food and the joy of being together.  I am so thankful for our family and also for the ability for us to still be able to get together. 

This particular Thanksgiving quote/meme popped up on my Facebook page the day before Thanksgiving. Of course it really touched my heart, when you see that sweet little orange kitty curled up there...and then the verse itself...

It reminded me that even in the difficult times and moments of life, we are taught and encouraged to "Give Thanks".  It's not always easy to do so, when we are hurting from the loss of a dear pet or missing a precious loved one who was taken away far too soon, or when we see horrific things happening in the world or our nation's capitol on the eve of Thanksgiving.  

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18   NKJV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

These are difficult words, but when we put our faith and trust in God, we know that somehow He always causes "all things to work together for our good" (per Romans 8:28. )  We have to look at the bigger picture that God sees from His side of heaven, and realize that this world is not our final home. There's a much larger story going on that we can't see, and we have to trust God to do what He deems best for us in every circumstance.  One day, we will see Jesus face to face, and all of our questions will be answered. All of our sorrows will be replaced with eternal joy and peace. For now, we have to accept this by faith no matter how difficult it is.  I am thankful for this peace that passes all understanding that only faith in Christ can give.  I pray for those who are still searching for this peace and hope it will be found.  Amen.

And now we prepare for Christmas...stay tuned...blessings and love  to all.  

Tuesday 4~We Gather Together

 

We Gather Together..



Welcome, welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 .


This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving Day when we gather together to ask the Lord's blessing as the song says.
What are your Thanksgiving Days like?


1. Do you celebrate with family, friends or by yourself?

This year we are celebrating with my sister Doris and her family, along with our own immediate family. Everyone is coming here to our house, so I am busily cleaning and preparing our house for a wonderful day! 

2. Do you watch the Thanksgiving Day parade from Macy's in New York City? The appearance of Santa at the end signals the start of the Christmas season. What does the day hold for you?

I rarely get to watch the parade as I am usually too busy in the kitchen to sit down and watch it, but if I can have it on while I work I will catch snippets of it in between my frantic pace of cooking in the kitchen.

3. What foods are the hit of Thanksgiving Day for you?

Well, of course we will have turkey, but that is not my favorite part of the meal. I am more of a "sides" person. I will be making my usual Sweet Potato Casserole as well as regular Mashed potatoes and gravy. My sister is bringing the stuffing, a jello salad, and the rolls.  My niece is bringing assorted vegie and relish trays or some kind of appetizer. Rose is roasting the turkeys (2 small ones) at her house  and bringing them here. I am making the pies: pumpkin, apple, and maybe a pecan pie if I don't wear out before then. LOL.  

4. We say grace before and after meals. Is grace a part of your Thanksgiving meal?

We always say grace before the meal, and then while we are gathered around the table we each share something we are especially thankful for.

Whatever your Thanksgiving traditions, I pray that the day is meaningful and filled with love for you whether with family, friends or alone. May God shine his blessing love down on you and yours and make us all truly thankful this year.

Thank you, Annie, for this post this week. I understand that today (25th) is also Annie's birthday, so let's all wish her a Happy Birthday!

I want to thank you all for your kind words of sympathy and support regarding the loss of our dear sweet kitty, Sunshine.  You are all the best friends, and I thank God for each one of you!   I am thankful for the time that God gave us with Sunshine. He truly was a blessing to us. Now we have to concentrate all our love and attention on his little buddy "Blackie", who is very lonely without his dear friend.  We are thankful to still have Blackie, even if he is a little "scamp". LOL.  He brings smiles to our faces.

Hug your family and furry friends a little tighter. We just never know when this day or this Thanksgiving may be our last time together.  May God bless you each and every one. Amen.

Link to a previous Thanksgiving Day post from years past.

All Creatures of Our God and King...

I don't know how to begin this post, but somehow I need to put this into words...

Our sweet sweet Sunshine went over the "Rainbow Bridge" last night.

I like to think that just as he loved to lay down in the shed in front of the cross and the Nativity scene that we stored there for Christmas, maybe he's laying down at the feet of Jesus now. I don't know where our beloved pets go when they die, but somehow I think there's a special place for them in heaven.

This was Sunshine and Blackie, watching the sunset just a few evenings ago.  

This was last week. Little did I know these would be the last photos I would be taking of sweet Sunshine.

A few weeks ago he seemed to be losing his appetite for the dry food we fed him and Blackie all the time. So we started them on some canned food to see how they would like it, and I think I already told you they loved it.  But as the days went by, Sunshine lost interest in that food as well.

I thought he looked a bit sad in this picture, but I didn't realize he was telling me good bye.

The last couple of weeks he stayed mostly on this straw doormat outside our glass doors. He rarely left it except to go potty or eat, but then he just lost interest in eating altogether, and on this past Saturday and Sunday he didn't eat a bite of food, and barely drank water.  Of course it was the weekend, so there wasn't much I could do. 

All day yesterday he barely moved, but when he did move, he took himself to the woods where he always loved to lay under the cool trees near the pond.

I knew in my heart that he was going there to die, and although my heart was breaking, I knew he was where he wanted to be.

Tearfully, I sang this song to him...

"You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray, you'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my Sunshine away..."

Remember when I took these pictures of him with this ceramic cat we have that looks just like him? He was so funny about looking at that cat...

Anyway, as the sun was going down in the west, I knew that Sunshine was breathing his last breaths. 

I didn't know what else to do, so I just wandered around, praying for him, and taking pictures of the beauty of the evening...

The Sand Hill Cranes were out there on Still Waters Pond, settling down for the night:

And this morning when I woke up and the sun came up, I went and checked to see if Sunshine was still in the same place, and yes, he was. He had not moved an inch, so  I knew he was gone.  

I couldn't reach him because of all the underbrush. So we called our son Benton to come over and help us get him out of the woods and bury him, which he did so very kindly.

Blackie knew something was up...he was comforting me and himself by clinging to my legs...

Benton took care of the burial, and I found something appropriate to put on his grave...

I am sorry to start this Thanksgiving week off with this sad news. But I am thankful for the almost a year that we were blessed to have Sunshine and Blackie here with us. Thankfully we still have Blackie, but Sunshine is going to be missed by all of us.  

I will close with this hymn of praise to our God and King...

1. All creatures of our God and King,

Lift up your voice and with us sing

Alleluia, alleluia!

Thou burning sun with golden beam,

Thou silver moon with softer gleam,

O praise him, O praise him,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

2. Thou rushing winds that art so strong,

Ye clouds that sail in Heav'n along,

O praise him, alleluia!

Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,

Ye lights of evening, find a voice.

O praise him, O praise him,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

3. And all ye saints of tender heart,

Forgiving others, take your part,

O sing ye, alleluia!

Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,

Praise God and on him cast your care:

O praise him, O praise him,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

4. Let all things their creator bless,

And worship him in humbleness,

O praise him, alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,

And praise the Spirit, Three in One:

O praise him, O praise him,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Amen.