thehereandafter

On Epiphany Sunday, our pastor brought some thoughts to mind that I would like to add my thoughts to and share with you.  This post is a culmination of my thoughts and his thoughts. All too often, especially in this day and age, during the Christmas season we want everything to look perfect and easy. Our houses are beautifully decorated, we offer guests plates of delicious Martha Stewart's best home baked cookies, and we spend a fortune on packaging gifts to give to our family and friends. A lot of time, effort, and stress goes into these things behind the scenes. Another things that is prominent during the Christmas season is the Nativity scenes. Now think a minute....have you ever seen a Nativity scene with a big pile of cow manure in it? Don't laugh! How about hay stuck together and smelling of urine? Have you ever seen the costumes of the wise men tattered and dirty? How about the costumes of Mary and Joseph? Have you ever seen any Nativity scene that was anything except

Sunday in Mass we sung a hymn that got me to thinking . Part of t he words are as follows: As with joyful steps they sped To that lowly manager bed, There to bend the knee before Christ whom heaven and earth adore; So may we with hurried pace Run to seek your throne of grace.  The words that stood out to me were the words "joyful steps they sped" and "may we with hurried pace run to see your throne of grace".  During this Christmas season, not only for me but probably for most of you, there was a lot of "speeding steps".  During the month of December we have a lot to pack in...Christmas shopping, parties, trips to the post office, extra church activities like live nativities, school activities, Christmas plays and concerts, trips to see Santa Claus, hay rides and Christmas lights to see, just to name a few. We run ourselves ragged trying to fit into our lives everything that the season offers .  Look to the second to the last and last lines..."s

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I have started on my list.(not necessarily in this order)...lose some weight, eat better, pray more, spend more time with family, save some money, call my big sister more often, be more patient, get more rest, only say postive things... Most of us during the new year make a list, either on paper or mentally, of all the things we want to do differently in the coming year. There is something about a starting a new year...it is like the slate is wiped clean and it gives us renewed hope for a better year ahead. We make all kinds of well meaning promises but if you are like me, those promises don't last too long! I try hard, I really do. Little by little I break those well meaning promises. Life seems to get busy and most of the things I promised myself I would change go by the wayside. Do you find the same thing happening to you? As I was thinking about the new year and making some promises to myself, I got to thinking about the promises that don't get broken ye