Counting down....

Tomorrow marks the first Sunday of the advent season. It means that at the church we attend we will start to see the decorations go up and the signs & symbols of the season be displayed. The first candle on the advent wreath will be lit.

The candle of HOPE.

Life with God offers hope.


If there is one thing I have learned this past year - is that hope is what makes life worth living especially in the middle of crisis. If we have no hope life seems to lack meaning. It is often said that it is when people loose hope that they loose their desire to live. When I received the news of the re-occurrence & re-appearance of breast cancer, the first thing the Doctor offered was hope.

She did a great job of just that. From a medical point of view the tumor was one of the best to get. Phyllodes though it does not respond to traditional forms of cancer treatments, it is highly treatable with surgery... HOPE! In most cases of cancer it is the treatment that makes one feel sick and beats up the body. I am so thankful that I did not have to walk down that road. The hope that was offered was a life line that I clung to. Knowing & believing that God sees a bigger picture of life than we do offered another type of hope. Hope that this will not be for nothing that some where further down the line I will be able to offer hope to another woman, and her family because I know what it is like to walk the same road. HOPE!

What are you hoping for this season?

My hope for each of you is just that. . . . hope!

Hope of a restored relationship
Hope for health
Hope for kindness and LOVE
Hope for those things that mean the most to you ........ HOPE

One month and counting....

November 25th!

One month until Christmas.

In our house that means the count is on. When the girls were small, we made paper chains and just before bed they would cut off a link, counting down. Counting sleeps & advent Calendars filled with chocolate were all ways to keep track until the anticipated event. Birthday's, Christmas, special occasions they were looking forward to we count To this day we still count sleeps to awaited events.

This year there are several different counts going on, how many sleeps until we go to Disneyland, how many sleeps until school is out, then the big one.. how many sleeps until Christmas. Part of the fun in life is anticipating is looking forward to,expecting, awaiting, hoping for great things to happen. Last night we were visiting with some friends talking about "surprises" versus "anticipating" I am more of a gal that likes to anticipate than be surprised. Sure I love the surprise of Christmas gifts and such, but I would much rather anticipate a trip or a party than have it sprung on me. That being said, I would quickly recover and enjoy myself if someone were to surprise me with a trip or a party. (just for the record!) Christmas is one of those good things we look forward to each year, and after the year we have had we are anticipating and looking forward to a good December.