BOXING DAY

It is December 26, Boxing Day in Canada. I know this because that's where my childhood memories are stored. Not only in Canada but in all the Commonwealth countries including New Zealand, Australia, The United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. In South Africa it is known as the day of good will when people give gifts to the less fortunate.

Boxing Day orginated as St. Stephens Day in honor of Stephen the disciple. He was the first disciple to be killed as a result of his proclamation of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the World. Stephen embraced his love for the Savior. He was stoned to death in 34-35 A.D. But, as with all things, we tend to stray from the original celebration and create new ways to celebrate.

When I was growing up it was shopping day. Lots of people would flock to the stores in search of the greatest after Christmas deals. According to my boys, the greatest thing about Boxing Day is that it is the biggest "FOOTBALL" (or soccer if you are American) DAY of the year. The big rival teams play each other and apparently that's cool.

However you are celebrating Boxing Day don't forget to remember that once upon a time it was called St. Stephens Day.

May we all follow Stephen's example and possess conviction of the heart!

ANNUAL COCONUT BREAD FEST!

I did not realize my annual Christmas Coconut Bread was such a hit! People are wondering when its coming and if they are still on my list. Sorry, I'm a little late with my baking rituals this year. But don't worry...if you have received a loaf in the past you're still on the list...if you want a loaf then you better make your request. Time is running out and I'm in baking mode now!

BTW - Click here for our family Christmas Card!

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE DAY!

This special moment reminds us
of the miracle and wonder of our place in the universe,
and calls us to recognize & honor
the universal forces which make us One
with the spirit of Divine, Cosmic, Earth-Nature, and all Living Beings.

Feel the energy which links us
and which creates a miraculous Whole
circling the entire globe.

Take some time to complete a Light meditation,
a ritual fitting for the Rebirth of our Sun:

Through the returning Light of our star, Sol,
we cultivate our inner light in these times of dark.
Let the Light within go forth
Let the Light gather and spread
from each point and across this Planet
and way beyond still,
creating a great Web of Light.
May Light be distributed through
our every feeling, thought, word & deed.

May all find their place, their Light & peace,
their earthly and spiritual nourishment.

Visualize clearly a circle of light
which englobes our entire planet.
Send our support, love, gratitude and light thru this circle.

ADVENTURE IN THE NIGHT

The joys of parenting include clean up in the night. Hamilton was feeling a little nauseated when he decided to climb in bed with me last night. Needless to say my sleep was interrupted at 12:50 as he was throwing up on the pillow next to me. When he finally came to life he got up and ran and as he did he left a trail all over the carpet and the bathroom floor.

So there I was doing laundry and scrubbing floors for the next 45 minutes. I put him back to bed in the guestroom then searched the house for blankets. You see, Ra and the boys like to sleep outside and since its a crisp 30 degrees they take all the sleeping bags and extra blankets out there with them.

No sooner had I found some blankets and lay back down when Hamilton was running to the bathroom again. 2 am and I was cleaning the other bathroom.

The alarm went off at 5:15 and I was certainly not ready for it.

...home alone on friday night really sucks...

CELEBRITY PHOTO OP

Ummm yah, so I'm at work and really shouldn't be posting to my blog right now but Amy (she's in the picture above) showed me this picture on Mark Wills facebook and I wanted to post it to my blog while I was thinking of it.

Mark Wills and a few other country celebs rolled into town for a concert in September. We had some fun during sound check and this picture was one of the many we took. Now that I think about it, I wasn't feeling too great that day. In fact, it's pretty miraculous that I'm even smiling in this photo.

SOCCER RULES and I am left alone...

Ra is away on business and the indoor soccer arena has captured my boys. It's just me and Sammy...again.

It is the Christmas season and I'm feeling really good about that. The sounds, the lights, the spirit, have wrapped themselves around my heart. It's been a long time since I've felt the joy of the season.

Christmases past have been empty and sort of scrooge-like. My only explanation is that the experiences of this past year have transformed my soul.

Details of that transformation may bore you and besides, they are locked away within the secret passages of my soul. I will say though that I am closer to God that angels walk beside me and that the Saviors light illuminates my path.

ME AND MY DATE

Ra is out of town for a couple of days and I had to go to a banquet for the Rotary Bowl tonight. I didn't want to go alone so Ammon was my date! It was nice of him to endure this 2 hour banquet with me. Phil Tucket was the keynote speaker so he showed us lots of video which made the time go by so much faster.

Here's something random...it's 41 degrees outside and everyone (except me) is getting ready to go outside and sleep. Does anyone think that is strange? Every night I sleep inside the warm house alone snuggled comfortably under an electric blanket while the rest of the family sleeps on the patio in sleeping bags. Crazy...but then nothing around here is ever very normal.

MOLOKA'I - ALAN BRENNERT

Rachel knows my heart - "On the return voyage Rachel had ample time to consider her future and what shape it might take; and as she neared Hawai'i she now discovered something else her father must have felt on his many voyages. As the green palisades with their white skirts of sand appeared in the distance, Rachel could not imagine there was any place on earth more beautiful, any sight more welcoming, than these magnificent islands. And like Henry she knew that no matter how far she might roam, she would always come back to them."

This review says it best...

"Spanning nearly 80 years from the late 19th Century to 1970, it is a story of epic proportions. Young Rachel Kalama is taken from her home at the tender age of 7 and by age of 8 is interred at Kalaupapa on Molokai, more commonly known as Father Damien's Leper Colony. Apart from an uncle who is already there, she is all alone. Yet even with her sadness, with her little girl sweetness, she quickly charms everyone she comes in contact with and makes several very special friends along the way including two women who takes on motherly roles who couldn’t be more different from one another. From Rachel’s friendships with the other young girls – who are all there as if the were orphaned, to romances, to mischief she gets herself into, Brennert breathes such life into this wonderful character. So much so that when you read historical accounts of Father Damien’s Colony you fully expect to read her name among the former residents.

Rachel quickly gets into the reader's heart in such a special way, taking a hold of it and not letting go, not even after the last page is turned. If you love a good story with characters that simply stay with you for a long time, if you love the Hawaiian Islands, if you are more interested in reading a bit more about Hansen’s Disease (as leprosy is now more correctly called) or are simply just wanting a good book that you can’t put down than I urge you to give Molokai a try."