"Not a Creature Was Stirring....Not Even a CAT? MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE DUMB BELL RANCH!

(Izzy politely found himself a box I left in the middle of the floor. He laid there for over 2 hours as we all stepped over and around him. He clearly wasn't bothered by all the hubbub going on around him. Oh to be that content...to just let life go on around you, come what may! That might be a good hint toward a resolution for 2008! Just gotta enjoy Christmas right now! Too soon to be thinking about what I'm going to resolve! But Izzy may have given me a good start on what to start thinking about!)
Merry Christmas from all of us at the Dumb Bell Ranch to all of you!
Marah is home. We have been baking, so the house has been filled with good scents and good things to eat. We are blessed. We are warm, safe, we have a home, a loving family and incredible friends. Another Christmas is upon us.
Karen Winfrey, Denny Potter, (they are sister and brother) Karen's son Hank and Jake (Karen and Denny's nephew) came to visit yesterday. We had a BLAST being together!!! We are close friends...more like family and we have all been through so much together this year. We have made it though! And that is certainly worth celebrating.
Young Nancy and Doug came over last night to open gifts and share Christmastime with us. We had talked about words like "change" and "different" and how time doesn't stop and wait, so we have to make the best of situations and do the right thing. We had fun together. One irony is that Young Nancy is "her mother's daughter" for sure...yet I saw a more grand statement in what I'm about to tell you. We were opening gifts and I have us take turns...one at a time to drag it all out! It was my turn to open a gift. When I opened it, I began having chills and felt I was going to cry. It was the SAME IDENTICAL COASTER SET that Frieda had given me for my birthday...and Nancy said the same identical thing that Frieda said..."They just looked like you." I agreed! I love them then, and I love the new ones now. Somehow, that made Frieda's presence with us in a strange, yet profound way. I can't wait to tell her today when we visit. She'll get a kick out of that! Nancy and Doug also gave me a beautiful fountain that I'll find a perfect place for after Christmas.
Later in the evening, Marah, Wayne and I were watching Christmas movies and I was emailing back and forth with our dear friend Mel Stanforth. He and his wife Mary are in Montana with their daughter and her family. It was so neat to hear the stories he was telling of last minute shoppers that are not at all dissimilar to the shoppers here in Eastern North Carolina. It was great fun to share and connect at Christmas...even over many, many miles. Melf (as we call him at Christmas time!) even sent us a wonderful "game" he knew we'd love...and we did! There is a Yeti (a bigfoot) that holds a club. A penguin jumps off the rock and the Yeti tries to hit it! HA! It has a counter for how many feet the Yeti hits the penguin and everything! Strange noises, funny Yeti behavior when you MISS (which is fairly often!) We have had a blast with that crazy game! Thanks Mel! Poor Penguins!
And isn't that part of the magic of Christmas? Surprises? Unusual occurrences? It's not the "things" so much as it is the laughter, the gathering and the SPIRIT of being together. People can fuss about the gifts, etc. but if you allow it, even those have their place and their own magic and indeed can and do reflect on the Christ child. The mere exchanging of gifts offers love. Someone selected (hopefully not too out of budget!) something carefully and thoughtfully about "you" and gave it to you as a symbol of love. Several things come to mind..."Where two or more are gathered, there is love," "God is Love" and more thoughts along those lines.
I wish you peace and on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day filled with nothing but love and good things. I wish each of you that read this blog a healthy, happy and prosperous 2008. Most of all, I wish for you God's blessings and the knowledge that a baby was born in Bethlehem for us all. We celebrate that birth on December 25 each year...don't forget to celebrate what that birth has done for us all, indeed the whole world.
I have "met" so many nice folks through my blog and I am thankful for each and every one of you. I appreciate the time you take to send me emails, to make comments and for sharing your thoughts on what I have to say "with me."
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MY HOME TO YOURS! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR SHARING MY THOUGHTS, NOTIONS, FEELINGS AND "WHATEVER I FEEL LIKE TALKING ABOUT" WITH ME!
GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU AND LET'S GET READY FOR A BRILLIANT 2008!!!
With love from us all,
Annie, Wayne and Marah

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