Southern Living Yankee

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'll never forget the New Year's Eve when I was pregnant and two weeks overdue. My two-year-old, Brooke, was asleep for the night, my husband, Bruce was working one of his two jobs, so I was home alone for most of the evening, and I thought I'd be pregnant forever. Six hours and thirteen minutes into the new year (and a little snowstorm, of course), I was not. Lisa was born, a time-proven bundle of delight. Maybe that's why I have such a spirit of "expectancy" every time the New Year rolls around! Each new year I feel like God is handing me 365 beautifully wrapped presents, one for each day! I'm excited! Another thing I anticipate every new year is starting over with a Bible reading plan. When I was a little kid, my Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Paulson, at First Baptist, Waupaca, WI, would show us her Bible reading plan--a nice new little folder with every day of the year and assigned chapters to get through the whole Bible in a year. She us...

ELVIS SIGHTING Highlight of my day--Elvis bought a watch from me on his way to a show this afternoon. He wanted a big gaudy gold one. We started at the $500 price tag, moved down to $160, ended up with one for $72, but he'll be back. He said so. He was in a rush to get to his show. I didn't swoon or anything. And I had absolutely no desire to kiss him. Can it get any better? Thanks for the comments last week. It seems God is always willing to repeat Himself, and this time the key word was "community." I could use a little today, or maybe some sleep would be good, too. Have a great "only 6 more shopping days!" And a truly heart-felt Christmas.

COMMUNITY It's starting to feel a little bit like Christmas: I've done some shopping, we put up the tree, the house is a shambles of unpacked decorations waiting to find their place . . . But better than feeling like Christmas, is the feeling of finding community. Seeing people we know in church and chatting with them a bit between services, someone asking me for a recipe, getting in on shopping for a surprise gift for one of the pastors, taking the day Thursday to enjoy not only one but TWO women's get togethers . . . I've been real happy with this move, but now I'm feeling more connected. That's a good thing. Another good thing is that I heard from Michael, letting me know he's almost done with the other book proposal. He'll phone me about it after the new year. Pray that God will make clear to me what He wants me to do with this opportunity. Thanks for checking in on me, and for your prayers. Have a great "only 14 more shopping days until Christm...

ACCOUNTABILITY I thought I'd talk about accountability today. Just preach a little about what YOU ALL should be doing. You know, wag a finger in your face. But it always happens: hold out your hand, point your finger at someone--and, look! Three fingers pointing back at you. Or in this case, me. Thanks, Sharon. You posted a comment last week holding me accountable, asking how the writing went. (And here I thought nobody was reading these things). So, ouch, thanks. I'm feeling a little put on the spot. But I asked for it, didn't I. And I do need it. We all do, don't we? Anyway, getting back to writing last week wasn't as dreadful as I thought it could be. There's stuff to clean up/delete, and stuff to shorten, thinking to clarify. But overall, I was encouraged. I think it's coming together. Please continue to pray for me as God leads. An email penpal also had an accountability question for me this week: How was my walk with the Lord? A very good question! Kin...