Reminds Me of Sophie the Peacemaker
HT: PureChurch for this link ... (Totally reminds me of how Sophie the Peacemaker comes up and whispers, "Be a Peacemaker!" in our ears when Fred and I are stuck in a bad quarrel. Only this video is even a zillion times sweeter! Enjoy.)

Just for Fun Re: Thanksgiving
Yes, I love all of the REAL traditions and details related to Thanksgiving: thanking God (not just being generically grateful), the amazing stories of Pilgrims and Native Americans, etc. etc. But I also like to laugh! So in that spirit, here are three things that always make me chuckle on Thanksgiving ... 1. Funny Cartoonists (like this one): 2. WKRP's "Turkey's Away!" Episode (Such a classic--especially for those of us who grew up in the 70's. Hysterical.)

Let Me Taste Your Consolation Too
Thank you so very much for the kind blog and fb comments. I so appreciate your encouragement and just to let you know, we're really having a very nice visit. Sophia adores the attention and fun being lavished on her, and Dad and Marlene adore Sophie and Ella, so it's really a wonderful situation in so many ways. (Makes me really miss being closer to family!) You know, I was doing the math last night and this year, my mom and my stepdad will be married for TWENTY YEARS. And in 2010? My dad and Marlene will be married for TEN years. This strikes me because I think I sometimes fall into t

Family Conflicts and the Holidays
If you've ever listened to my testimony, you know that I come from a bit of a challenging family background. Thankfully, I have a good relationship with my mom, dad, and sister now. But every once in awhile, a wave of emotions related to my past will splash over me (and often feel like they're drowning me). This is especially true around the holidays. I don't know why the holidays can be so tempting to feelings of sadness, loneliness, and dissatisfaction with family relationships. Maybe it's the canned, fake sentimentality of a "Folgers Christmas Commercial" perfect family. Maybe it's genuine grief over the e

Grandpa Joe and Marlene Arrive!
We're so grateful that Grandpa Joe (my dad) and his wife Marlene are here for a week's visit. Ella (Eleanor) is named for his mother (my Grandma Klena), so it's particularly wonderful that he gets to meet her: Sophia's having a blast too, of course! And Sophie had a really fun violin lesson this morning. We just found out that she gets to play a Christmas carol in her violin recital next Saturday. She picke