my heart is full

"My soul glorifies the Lord 

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." 

Luke 1. 46

Birthdays. Christmas. Family reunions. Relationships. Celebrations. Laughter. Tears. Hello's and good byes. 

I said before, December is a full month but what I really mean is that my heart is full. Full to overflowing. The outpouring of love and affirmations that came with my birthday party-- being surrounded by some of the best people in the world...  Celebrations that shine bright in my memory hall of fame... being together with family, investing in those relationships... these are the moments I treasure. 

I was excited for my family reunion this weekend but I underestimated the measure of joy and fullness it would bring. There was a time in my life where the thought of spending the day with family depressed me. (I was a surly teen of course) Even in my adulthood there were occasions for us to gather and I sighed with resignation because our relationships were fractured, or tenuous. But, O thank the Lord, thank the Lord, for the healing He brings. Not because my family is a new and improved version. No it's the healing in my own heart and mind to see and appreciate the wonder of my brothers and sisters, to delight in their uniqueness, to enjoy their antics, to gain a better understanding of each of them and their special contributions to the world and to our family. 

My oldest brother is 11 years my senior. He is severely mentally handicapped. He lived at home until in his 20's and since then has been living in supervised residences. His communication skills are limited and his behavior is... well, odd. We have no idea what is going on in his mind and how much he really understands when we talk to him. But he is a child of God and a delight unto the Lord. One of God's masterpieces. 

My second brother is 10 years older than me. It felt like I really didn't know him until recent years. He and his wife, my sister-in-love, played a significant role in my life during and after my divorce and became very close friends of mine and Bruce's in the years prior to their move to Montana. I miss them so much and so the visit with them over the past 2 days was so dear to me. Saying goodbye was hard. 

Then comes my sister. Oh, my dear readers, you know how I feel about my sister. She has my heart without a doubt. My other half in some ways. I wonder sometimes if we aren't really twins, born 5 years apart. And to think, now that she lives here, goodbye's are really just see you later!

In our family line up, I am next and I was the baby of the family for 9 years. Then.... a surprise. Baby brother was born. We didn't really get along until long after I was out of the house. He makes me laugh, sometimes even on purpose! He was a great host, along with his sweet wife, for our family hoedown. 

With a large house and a brand new smoker/bbq, they kept us well fed and comfortably ensconced for a full day of sitting and gabbin'. 

everybody and their dog. One brother has 2, another brother has 3. Not seen are 3 more belonging to various other family members. 

As Bruce and I drove home last night we talked about the meaning of holidays, the meaning of Christmas. To remember that Christmas is all about Jesus-- God sending his son into the world to save us, to have relationship with us. That's what it's all about. And building relationship with those around us, investing in those relationships, that is our purpose here on earth, regardless of what career you were designed for, regardless of the talents and gifts you have, it all comes down to relationships. 

birthday lunch for Bruce.

Our last event of the weekend was a farewell party for our senior pastor and his wife who have retired from our church to enter full time into overseas missions. They have poured themselves into the lives of their congregations, holding nothing back. I have never been so impacted by a pastor, never been so challenged. It was with much laughter and tears that we celebrated the years they have given and sent them off proper to go on to the next chapter of their lives. The place was packed with people who feel similar to how I feel about the impact he has made in their lives. And again it was all about investing in relationships. 

it's all about relationships

2013 is coming to a close and with a new year before us it's time to re-evaluate and look ahead. I already know what my word for the new year will be. Yes, that's right. RELATIONSHIPS. I look forward to a heart that is filled to overflowing. 

Birthdays and Parties and Family, Oh My!

December is a busy month, no doubt about it. While Bruce and I have really cut back over the years in the amount of craziness that( a commercialized) Christmas can bring, we have not forsaken the idea of spending time together with those we love. In fact, that is the main focus! And let's not forget that both Bruce and I are December babies so between my birthday and New Years Eve, we can count on lots of celebrating!

grandson Bennett helping me bring birthday cake to Grandpa

Bruce's birthday is tomorrow (Sunday) but we had a little celebration last night with our son and daughter- in- love and our grandson. Today Bruce has gone snowshoeing with his son and a friend and tomorrow will be filled with church, family and friends. He's a lot more low-key about his birthday than I am about mine. He said he spent this whole year thinking he was already 58, not 57 and that realizing this was a gift in itself.

happy birthday!

playing with Grandpa

I am super excited this year. My big brother and my sister-in-love are here this week visiting from Montana. It's been a couple of years at least since our last visit. But what makes this visit extra special is the fact that today when we gather at my little brothers, it will be the first time in 7 years that all of us siblings will be under one roof at the same time. (The last time we all gathered was for my dad's memorial service in Jan. 2007.)  I have 3 brothers and one sister and today we will be together, with our spouses, kids, and our mom. (Pretty sure she'll be over the moon when she gets there and sees ALL of us together-- get your hankies)

Now, here's the crazy thing about our family... we all like to talk. No, I mean, TALK.  Um, as in.... TALK!! Aaaaaand.... some of us are not real good at the Listening part. My little brother said it best when he issued the invitation to come to his house today for what he is calling The Honcoop Hoe Down. He said "Bring your sitting pants and your gabbin' gear... no listening devices allowed. Dis is Da Honcoops!" 

To give you an idea about what I mean when I say listening isn't a strong point,  I give you this memory. My dad and 2 of his brothers were sitting in the living room in the house I grew up in. All three brothers were engaged in intense, enthusiastic conversation as they discussed baseball. All talking AT ONCE. No one listening. Just talking. At. Once. They just got louder. And louder. AND LOUDER. At one point one of the brothers was pounding on another brother's leg to try and be heard!! It was hilarious....

 (granted, we all know that all talk and no listening has its serious downsides)

I don't think we'll be that rude when we meet today. I think some of us have mellowed and learned to appreciate what our siblings have to say. But I don't doubt that this will be a loud, crazy, fun day. With lots of picture taking!!

Since my lil brother said this was a Honcoop Hoe-Down, I thought I'd found the perfect outfit to wear...

seriously, I already had the shirt before the Hoedown was announced.

life is beautiful

ready to roll... California here we come!

A day and a half driving down, 

2 full days there 

and a day and half driving back home. 

picnic lunch in the car

2 motel stays,

countless poddy stops, 

3 nights in the vacation condo, 

breakfast and lunches with family,

a little downtime lounging by the pool and enjoying the sunshine!

forgot to pack a swimsuit but dangling my feet was almost as much fun.

visit to the nail salon, 

dinner with old friends, 

and of course, one magnificent wedding and reception. 

There was also a special component at breakfast one morning

 that featured color enhanced cupcakes to reveal the gender

of a baby-on-the-way !

it's gonna be a boy!!

mother of the bride and the bride getting pedi's

Sharon was my pastor for many years before she moved away.
She performed the wedding ceremony for Bruce and I!
 Her daughter Michele and I were housemates for a couple of years before I met Bruce.
It was really great to get together for dinner and catch up with each others lives. 

this is the unique and very fun program used for the wedding! 

filling in the crossword puzzle using these clues, informed us about the bridal party!

all the guests got one along with cute little souvenir pencils.
here my two niece-in-laws work their puzzles while waiting for the wedding to begin.  

HERE COMES THE BRIDE!
followed by her supportive parents. 

mr and mrs newlywed!

Kimberly and Andy

my sister and her beautiful family

 

sunset along the freeway

 It was a whirlwind trip and the festivities were fun. 

The wedding was lovely; the bride even lovelier. 

Connecting with family, old friends and making new ones

 was all part of the plan and 

everyone came away full. 

at a rest stop in northern Calif. near the Klamath River. Autumn at it's finest. 

The Reunion!

35 years.
Thirty Five Years????

My, it just does not seem possible. I have been out of high school for 35 years.  I've stumbled over the words each time I've said them. But in 35 years a lot of amazing things have taken place and it was a night for reconnecting, remembering and re-evaluating friendships, life, and the journey life has taken us on.

We were blessed with beautiful weather (hot!!) a great turn out, and the hard work and team effort of some fabulous people. We even had some of our teachers join us for the dinner. What fun! We had a tour of the high school and it HAS changed. We partied and socialized till the wee hours... Bruce and I left at around 2 and the party was still bumping and thumping! Who'd a thought we could still go this late at our age, HA HA HA!

So.... What did I wear?  Well, I ended up changing my clothes at the last minute... I'm not sure why.
This is probably my favorite dress (and since I only have 3 or 4 dresses it rates pretty high) I had it in my mind all along that I would wear this.....

I only have one foot in the picture. LOL

But.... at the last minute, as hubby was putting on shorts, I decided to grab the capris and top I had laid out as back up....

I added flip flops and was good to go.... Either way I was sporting my school colors, felt comfortable and feminine and stayed cool most of the evening.

We had a great time!

Well, OF COURSE (with a reminder from a friend) we took the traditional FEET picture... happy feet. LOL

My awesome Alumni  T shirt. Rocked it with my denim skirt this morning... YES, I wore it to church!!!  (these are the kind of decisions you make after just 4 hours of sleep. But, I am proud to be a Pioneer.)