The same message, just a different way

I just realized that, even though I had said that I was going to do whatever I could to make this Advent season more relaxed and calm. I seemed to have failed.  My last couple of weeks have been really full and I have even gotten home really late some nights.  I know that 9:00pm doesn't sound late, but at my age (and getting up at 5:30am), that IS really late.  Yet, as I was thinking about this blog, it became clear to me that my schedule these past weeks has been all about Advent and doing what is really important.  I have attended several Christmas gatherings, that all have brought me much joy and laughter.  So, in spite of the way my calendar might look, I have been more focused on the true meaning of Christmas. 

This week I spent Tuesday with Gwen and the kids since it was their home school co-op Christmas program.  That lovely young lady, Lia, in the picture above (who is almost as tall as me) sang with her choir.  I have to admit that sitting in the pew, hearing her sing brought me back to some of Gwen's early programs.  Let's face it, there is nothing better than Christmas songs, sung by children.  Earlier in the day, all of the kids were busy making Christmas cards for their co-op friends.  Ellie decided that they should make crayons to include in the cards.  So she worked on finding all of the broken crayons around the house, peeling the papers off and deciding which colors to mix together in the crayon mold.  She managed to make enough for all of her friends, as well as all of Anna and Zeke's friends.

Before long, Ellie decided that she also wanted to create beaded crosses for her friends, so Lia and I helped her sort out specific colors from large vats of beads.  Zeke and Anna worked had making cards for their friends.

And then Ellie decided that she also needed to color a picture for each of her friends.  

While this was going on, Lia decided to make cookies for all of her choir and her friends.  

As I watched these kids spending time on these hand made goodies for their friends, I was thinking about the love and care that they were putting into each project.  This wasn't some small trinket or toy from the store, by their parents.  Each gift had a hand made card and an item that had required some effort and thought.  That is what the season is supposed to be about.  It was a day well spent for me.  One that filled my soul with peace and calm and love and joy.  

One of the best early "Christmas" presents that I received last week, came flying into my life via a Facebook message.  I was invited to join a Facebook group, started by someone that I had never heard of until that day.  Turns out, we are related!  Not only that, he lives less than 5 miles from my house. Dave Anderson has been doing much research on his own family tree and decided that he would like to find out more about his "Johnson" relatives - all descendants of Axel and Betty Johnson - my grandparents.  It turns out that Dave's grandfather was a nephew of Axel Johnson and came from the same town in Sweden to settle in western Minnesota at the same time as my grandfather.  

Axel and Betty Johnson

Now I know that you might be thinking that this is a really distant relation, but for me, having any relative living so close is quite fun.  Not only that, he has been sent boxes and boxes of pictures and family documents from Sweden that he is trying to sort and identify.  Most were sent to Sweden by those families who all settled in western Minnesota before 1900.  I saw pictures of my aunts and uncles that I had never seen before.  I am so thankful that Dave is taking the time to sort through all of this stuff.  Not only is he sorting it, he is connecting us through pictures and stories.  He has a heart to keep these memories from being lost.  Thanks to this Facebook group, in the last week I have connected with several of my cousins.  I had a phone conversation with a cousin that I know I have never talked to as an adult.  During the phone call she referred to me as "Lynnie" and said that she only remembered me as a little girl.  That short call brought me so much joy.  This genealogy stuff is really interesting, the idea of seeing a family tree is wonderful, but it is the stories that are so important.  

I have shared on this blog that I believe that all of us have been given a unique destiny.  Part of this destiny, is a spiritual heritage that has played a part in who we are and the direction our lives have taken.  Over the last several years, I have become more and more convinced that this is a message that needs to be shared.  This blog has been part of that prompting by the Holy Spirit to share that message.  Additionally, I have begun writing a book with the central message that our prayers can and will impact our future generations. This fictional based on facts book is focused on my mother's parents.  I don't think it is an accident that I am now looking at my dad's parents and learning more about God's plan for our family line through them.  Getting to meet Dave and his wife was quite a gift for me.  Through Dave's work,  I heard the message from the Holy Spirit, loudly and clearly, that I must keep on sharing.  Yes, it was the same message I heard so long ago, just delivered in a different way.      

Yes, it is really amazing to look at my grandkids and think about their great great grandparents.  These loving, caring, young children carry a piece of Axel and Betty and Arnold and Nora in their spirits.  The spiritual heritage that was centered on their love for Jesus, has been sown into this distant generation.  There is so much hope in this message.  We can make a difference in the future as we pray for those who are yet to come.   Tonight I want anyone who reads this blog to know that you matter.  Not only for right now, but also for generations to come.  Don't let the stories from your family get lost or forgotten.  Make it a point to tell and retell those family stories.  Take lots of pictures and preserve those photos with journaling that tell the story. (A shout out for scrapbooking!)

 This is a great season to begin doing this.  As we tell and retell the Christmas story, let us all remember to share family memories.

Jesus, thank you so much for this season.  Holy Spirit, keep our hearts open to love and care for all those around us.  Give us courage to smile and talk to those we meet on the street.  Help us to keep Christmas memories alive in our family.  Thank you for photos and documents that help us know the past and appreciate our family heritage.  Thank you Jesus, for children and Christmas carols.  Amen