I love looking at people’s travel photos . I don’t necessarily need the three-hour commentary that sometimes comes with seeing a friend’s recent vacay pics, but I do love the photos. Not only is it wonderful to see parts of the world I’ve never been to, but it can be so interesting to see those places through someone else’s lens
Traditions are very important to our family. We all look forward to events and celebrations, especially during the Christmas season. I believe traditions are important to God. God gave the children of Israel specific instructions for annual feasts of celebration. He asked them to start the New Year with repentance, to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest with thanksgiving, and to remember the Passover and His salvation of the Israelites in Egypt. Each celebration was designed to remind the Israelites of their identity and the identity of God. Today, our celebrations aren’t called feasts, we call them holidays. The word holidays comes from “holy days,” days that are set apart. The purpose is still the same—to remind our families of our identity in Christ and the identity of our Holy God. Here are some things that our family does to celebrate Christmas and set this season apart from the rest of our year. Deck the Halls The day after Thanksgiving our Christmas season begins. We turn on the local radio station that plays all Christmas music, haul the decorations out of the attic and begin to transform our home. The first decoration to be put up and the last to be taken down is the baby Jesus in the nativity. I want our family to always keep in mind why we are celebrating. Harold puts lights up outside and the girls and I decorate inside.
but not back to reality. i still have 13 hours before i have to go back to work after spending the long weekend bouncing around santa cruz, san jose, san francisco and berkeley. i definitely enjoyed the smell of the ocean, the abundance of bearded men, the bounce of dreadlocks, the freshness of organic/vegeterian cafes, the paper goods (and new wallet) that screamed to go home with me ,and the creaminess of $1 a scoop pumpkin and egg nog ice cream
At times, it would be natural to wish to be from somewhere like Virginia with all its earlier beginnings, manicured estates, and thoughtfully propagated family trees, but I always come back to a place of ample pride for being a North Carolinian. There’s just something about this wide plucky state that excites the imagination
As hard as I try to protect myself by ignoring the news, every so often, a story or sound-bite sneaks in under the radar. This morning, in the car on my way to an appointment with Anna, I scan the airwaves, searching for a peaceful bit of classical music
November 19, 2009 Lily’s two sons from Canada, Stephen (Vancouver) and Warren (Toronto), joined us yesterday and today we went to Shunde. This is Lily’s ancestral ‘village’. Her family emigrated to Malaysia which is where Lily was born
admin on November 30th 2009 in Travel
I booked this trip on a whim. The seat sale was so good I couldn’t pass it up. Of course it is the off, off season but I live in Canada so how cold can it be? As I don’t normally get on a plane unless I’m paid to (or there’s a dance lesson involved) my friends are intrigued and a bit worried by my new found “wings”. As for me, there’s really no logical explanation.
Atlantic Canada in very early fall… This is just one of the many waterfalls in New Brunswick…