$4400~~

No I didn't find $4400 dollars dangit, I could only wish.  Instead that was our nice Christmas surprise we recieved today.  We all like suprises right?  Well not this kind when you find out that your cell phone account and cell phones have been hacked into

Merry Christmas!~

Merry Christmas to all my dear friends and family!  I hope that you get what you asked that cute little "Santa" man for.  I wonder if you have all been good, you know he watches you and he know's if you've been bad or good. So I hope you've been good.

Brrrrr!

You know the Christmas song "Baby it's cold outside"!
Well that is what it is here in Fl. But nothing brings more of that Christmas feeling than cool air and a breeze to go along with it. I am NOT asking for snow or anything, they can keep all that up in the northwest.
I really think that all those seasonal people who came here from the north brought it with them. So much for them going where the weather is supposed to be warm. Hehe
Even though we live in a little paradise where it is usually very warm, at this time of year just right before Christmas this brisk air is nice for a change of pace and it definitely puts you in that Christmas mood and that I am grateful for. I may have to go buy me an electric blanket!

A small blessing!

The past couple days has been alittle downer for me.  My son left on Saturday from Houston to go to Iraq where he will be for the next year working as a mechanic.  The goodbye was

Lights!

This evening the Christmas lights and decorations start to light up the outside of our home.  With the help of Candace and Eric the icicle lights were hung on the house.  The reindeer, snowman and packages were put together and tested to make sure they worked.  So far all has went very well.

I am grateful for the kindness of others.  Taking the time out of their already long day making sure the lights got hung before it gets too late.  No, it would not be the end of the world if  the lights did not get hung outside of our home.  Christmas would still come and packages would be opened, ribbons and boxes all around.  But there is something about Christmas lights that add the extra glow. 

I remember as a little girl getting into the car to take a ride with the family and look at the lights on all the houses that people have so meticulously put out for others to enjoy.  I still love doing that at this time of year.  Minus the snow and the freezing weather, here in Florida you can still feel the spirit of Christmas.

The lights that glow from the trees, bushes, snowmen and santa's mean so much more.  The glow of the lights remind me of the light of Christ.  I am so grateful for my family and friends who have shown me the light of Christ in the little things that they have done for me.  So this year when I look at those lights, I will think of the light of Christ that we all carry with us, and share it with others.

Time is flying by..

I cannot believe how the months are just flying by.  When we were kids time did not fly by this fast at all.  Birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas (and of course all those school breaks that we never had like they do in these days).  They just could not come fast enough and now today they come and go so quickly.

I was thinking of what I could post for today and my thoughts keep going to gratitude.  My daughter Lindsey gave a talk on Sunday.  It was about the "Attitude of Gratitude".  Since this is the 1st of Dec. I want to TRY to post something everyday up until Christmas Day on Gratitude.  Things that I am grateful for however great or small they are.  Sometimes it is just the simple things in life that we don't even think about on a daily basis that we need to be grateful for, and what better time of year to do it during this holiday season.  When we need to think and give to others and not ourselves.

So here it goes:
I was watching a show the other night that really has made me do some thinking about myself.  As most my family and friends know my self esteem is not very high about myself.  There are things that I am not happy with, (as many of us are)there are those flaws or imperfections that we don't like about ourselves. I am sure we can all name a few.  But today I am thankful for my face.  The pimples or wonderful ugly cold sores that I get.  Or my short eyelashes.  These are embarrasing things to have for me.

The other night I saw this show about a couple of men who had some imperfections on their faces.  It was not JUST a pimple, or a cold sore on the lip.  These men had tumors on their face that were quite large that they hung down past their chins. They only had one good eye that they could see out of.  One of the men was so embarrased he spent all his time at home never leaving the house.  The other held a job as a restaurant manager and did not let his imperfection interfere with who and what he truly was on the inside and out.  He had a wife that sincerely loved him for who he was, and children who did the same. 

These two men got to meet face to face with the same imperfections that they were both born with that gradually got worse as they got older.  The man that was not able to go out of the house finally got to where he could get out of the house some just by visiting with this other man.  The manager of the restaurant ended up having surgery and taking off some of the tumor but not all of it was able to be removed. 

So things could be alot worse.  I am grateful for the little imperfections that I may have.  As tough as it is for me to say that, I could have it alot worse.  So those little pimples, zits, cold sores, that we may get are just small in comparison to what others may have.  I need to work on being happy with who and I am over this coming next year.  After all no one is made perfect!!

Dana