The Fog....

An odd weather thing happened today - during the night last night, a dense fog set into our area. Apparently, while the fog was coating most everything in sight, the temperature dropped down below freezing. The result was that the trees, shrubs and other stuff ended up coated in ice! It was beautiful this morning. Each delicate branch was coated in ice and it looked like a fairy land with all the trees glowing in the early morning sun. It was truly a unique sight. I took some pictures and posted them on our family web page. Check them out!

It's been a good weekend and believe it or not, tonight I finally got our Christmas tree out the door (whether it needed it or not!). Come to think of it, it needed it. It wasn't the dryest one I have ever thrown away but it was getting there; not quite a cactus yet but not suitable for turning the lights on (unless you actually like flambe de Christmas tree) I do not prefer indoor fires unless they are actually "inside" the fireplace. So, sadly, another Christmas period is officially over because the tree has hit the curb. We still have remaining Xmas type items to put away but at least the urgent one has been dealt with.

I'm teaching the adult bible class at Church this semester and we are studying the life of Christ in chronological order. It's a fair amount of work in that I put some 5-8 hours each week into the preparation including slides, notes, and hand-outs. The class is a popular study and I am learning a lot (as teachers always do when trying to teach their students). We are just getting to the birth of Christ after talking about the gospels, their intended audiences, the prophesies and the birth of John. Next week we talk a bit about Herod (one bad dude).

I was thinking about my kiddo's a lot today. We have lots of little ones at Church these days. They range in age from a couple of months up to 11. There are a few after that in the teen years too. Seeing them run about and act so happy made me think of my own children and how precious they are to me and how much I miss those days when they were little.

I talked to Sam for quiet a while tonight - Sam's 10. He talked about how much he enjoys reading, his pizza party on Friday (coming), his gym class, his ice cream party on Friday too (for reading a certain number of books) and etc. He's quite the pleasant and talkative little fellow and he's quite bright. He reminded me of Mark when Mark was the same age - many lifetimes ago....

I guess life has a cruel aspect to it in that you never can really fully appreciate the gift that your children are to you while they are little and living at home. Oh I know we love them and we care about them but we are so busy wiping noses (and other stuff), taking them to sporting events, music lessons, school things, scout things, and etc that the daily cares of life kind of diminish our ability to see clearly.... and specifically - to see how lonely life is going to be without them some day. I have enjoyed each stage of my children's lives. I think I enjoy them even more now that they are all maturing so well and they are able to converse intelligently about things that matter to them - even very serious things. I am happy that they are becoming adults and able to take care of themselves. Yet, a part of me still longs for those sweet days of the past when me and three little people would flop on the couch on Lanesend Drive and watch some silly Disney or Nickelodeon show.

It all goes by so very quickly! I don't think any young parent (having been told this by an older parent) really understands this - or at least truly appreciates it's meaning and impact. However, someday they will.....

Well, a new week emerges from the sleepy haze of the weekend. I hope yours was restful for you and you too have your now defunct Xmas tree sitting outside for the next trash collection if you haven't done so already (I'm sure you have).

Kiss somebody you love. Tell them how important they are to you. Hug them and tell them how much they mean in your life. - Repeat, smile then repeat.... you get the idea.

My best to you for the coming week.... Jerry