New Year’s Resolution number one: Don’t hold anything back . . .
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything You gave me.’” ~Erma Bombeck~
Archives For December 2011
UPDATE: Two winners have been emailed!
How would you like to start the New Year with a great blog party? Well, here it is: the first blog hop of 2012! You can hop around from blog to blog and scoop up some great book-related prizes without leaving the comfort of your own home. This exciting event was organized by Inspired Kathy of the I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Blog.
The hop will run from Friday, December 30th, to Tuesday, January 3rd at 11:59 pm. Do you remember how it works? You can enter my giveaway and then hop to any blog on the linky list (at the end of this post) to see what they’re offering. Who knows what wonderful prizes are out there!? Continue Reading…
Congrats to Laura Hilton, who won my December Amazon Gift Card Giveaway! (She commented on this post.)
If you entered the contest from several weeks back but didn’t win, don’t despair. I have another giveaway post going up tonight—with lots more chances to win!
So stop back in during the next few days to join the fun here at Doorkeeper.
Happy New Year!
Now that Christmas is over, are you feeling a little down? Do you find yourself wanting to cry for no reason? Do you feel a longing for something you can’t quite put into words? You’re probably suffering from a case of the after Christmas blues.
Not so sure? Here’s a quiz for you. Consider the following scenarios:
Scenario 1: You’re healthy and have a stable job, but you’re vaguely dissatisfied and often lonely. You spent weeks dreading the holiday. Your Christmas celebration fell flat. You’re certain that everyone else you know—the folks you work with, your neighbors and friends—all are happier than you are.
Scenario 2: You have a happy marriage and loving family. You spent weeks planning the perfect holiday. Your Christmas celebration was lovely and meaningful. The meal was the best you’d ever produced. You spent time with your family without any major outbreaks or fighting.
Question: Which of these scenarios will most likely lead to a good case of post-holiday blues?
Answer: Either one!
You may have thought you did everything “right” to avoid the syndrome this year and were surprised when it hit you anyway. But depression is all about feelings that attack us in spite of the truths we know in our heads.
It doesn’t seem to matter if we’re single or married, going through a rough patch or living an uneventful life, when the after Christmas blues seep into our souls like a cold rain on a chill winter’s day.
For some of us, holiday time brings to the surface our failures, griefs, broken dreams, and unmet longings. And we wallow in them. Oh, we know better. We tell ourselves that life is not a Hallmark movie. That we’re expecting too much. That no husband, friend, or loved one could live up to our expectations. After all, there is no person in existence who can meet all our needs, always be there for us, know us inside and out and love us anyway, make our wildest dreams come true . . .
Or . . . maybe there is . . .
C. S. Lewis said, “If I find in myself a longing which nothing on earth can fulfill, the most likely reason is, I was made for another world.”
For me, this quote brings home the fact that nothing in this world will satisfy us forever. Oftentimes joy accompanies our journey, but God did not intend for us to find our ultimate happiness here.
So our blues can be a reminder that even the best earth has to offer will leave us wanting more. That even the most wonderful experiences are only a foretaste of what God has in store for His children.
Somehow allowing my blues to serve a purpose gives me a tad more strength to endure them.
Now that we’ve identified the source of our blues, what do we do about them? Tune in later this week for part II.
Oren Arnold‘s “Christmas gift suggestions . . .
- To your enemy, forgiveness.
- To an opponent, tolerance.
- To a friend, your heart.
- To a customer, service.
- To all, charity.
- To every child, a good example.
- To yourself, respect.”
Merry Christmas, dear friends!
I’m linking up with some favorite blog hops: Miscellany Monday and Soli Deo Gloria.
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Merry Christmas from all of us at Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoyed these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you’d like to keep up with Pearl Girls and our new book project, Mother of Pearl, coming this spring, just click this link and sign up for our newsletter (lower left sidebar).
Also, just a reminder that today is the last day for the pearl necklace and earrings giveaway! Enter now by filling out this {form}. The winner will on announced on 1/1 at the Pearl Girls blog.
Jesus — The Reason For the Season by Rachel Hauck
Through the narrow scope of 2000 years, Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears to be one lucky woman. Chosen by God to give birth to His son, the Savior of the world? All right, Mary, way to go.
“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you,” Gabriel said.
How many of us would like a declaration like that? Highly favored. The Lord is with you. But Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Mary seemed confident and resolved when she responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
She’d just been told the Holy Spirit will come upon her, that God’s power will overshadow her, that she’d become with child even though she wasn’t married, and she said, “I’m the Lord’s servant. Let your words be true.”
I find this amazing! A young woman. Ancient Bethlehem. Unwed mother. They stoned women for such things in her day. But Mary believed in God. And submitted to His will. He gave her the Holy Spirit—the same Holy Spirit given to us. If He gave her confidence, He will give us confidence. Even though, like Mary, our situation seems impossible. Continue Reading…
“Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart—filled it, too, with melody that would last forever.” ~Bess Streeter Aldrich~
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from some of today’s most beloved writers as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched lives during this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun … there’s also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 – 12/25 and the winner will be announced on 1/1. (US and Canadian residents only.) You may enter once per day.
The Panhandler’s Breath
By Robin DanceHe slipped in sideways between the closing elevator doors, as if he were late to a meeting. He pressed the 5 without looking. Instead of suit and tie, though, baggy pants and faded navy hung on his tall, slim frame…and his stealth entry stiffened the hairs on the back of my neck.
I had noticed him a few seconds earlier, just after we had parted a sea of clamorous teens. He was smiling, grandfatherly, standing maybe 30 feet away, where the electric shuttle picks up.
I had no idea he had been watching us, studying us, predator patiently awaiting his next prey.
The four of us were sealed in a four-by six-foot metal tomb. Tomb. That thought really scampered across my mind. I wondered if he had a knife in his pocket. I wanted to protect my son. Fight-or-flight adrenaline pumped, but there was no where to run.
These extreme and ridiculous thoughts—and more—flashed through my mind.
The Stranger began speaking. “Yessir, I see you’re a family man with your wife and your son here.” He nodded in my and my son’s direction.
“You see I’m homeless and all I’ve got—” On cue, he reached into his left pocket and pulled out two old pennies blackened with age. Two cents to his name?! It was all too contrived, too practiced, and I didn’t believe a word he was saying.
It was then I smelled it—the small space lent itself to that—and I doubted my doubt. Continue Reading…
