Posts Tagged ‘grandma’

I was struck recently with how little the material things that we surround ourselves with, really matter in the end. When my grandmother had to be admitted to a Nursing Home a few months ago and my mom described her living space, I was devastated for my grandma. It wasn’t the fact that her space was small; it was the fact that so much of what she had loved and had always surrounded her self with, would no longer be with her.

I have never thought of my grandma as a materialistic person and I still don’t. It was the realization that my grandma’s home was gone. My grandparent’s home had always been a place where celebrations had happened. Whether it was someone’s birthday, Christmas Eve dinner or a special girl’s sleepover, grandpa and grandma’s house had always been a very special place. Some of my fondest memories took place in their home.

But if you asked me to name 10 things in her home that I thought had significant meaning to her, I probably couldn’t. When I think about it, it all seems so pointless to work our whole lives to accumulate things that in the end “you can’t take with you.” Society has become so driven by who has what and what is the next best thing to get, must have or cant live with out….whatever. So why then, especially during this time of the year, do I run around looking for the new must have, cant live without….whatever?

Suddenly, it occurred to me the other day that what I would be missing about my grandma’s home and what ultimately matters most is relationships. I will miss the simple days of celebrations at my grandmas home when grandpa was still alive and all of us kids lived in the same state and all of my cousins would come around! It is those relationships that I treasure and grieve for the most. My grandma, happy and available to have a chat with, or a spontaneous sleepover! My grandpa, tickling me and discussing the latest sports drama with my brother and dad. My siblings, around me, bugging me, but some how all part of creating this home and place that I miss. Not the objects in the home, the relationships that happened there.

It shouldn’t be a surprise then that God’s greatest gift to us would also be in the form of a relationship. A relationship with His son. He could have come to this world, driving the latest it mobile, but he didn’t, wearing the latest must have but he didn’t and ultimately He was and is the cant live without! I think God sent Jesus in such a humble way, to demonstrate, that it isn’t about the material things in this world, it is about our relationships.

My advice for this Christmas, celebrate your relationships! Tell someone you love them, forgive them, cherish them, believe in them, understand them and value them. And most of all receive that most precious of gifts, a relationship with Jesus Christ!

Merry Christmas!
Luke 2:10-11
“But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. 11For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord!”

Just feel ‘pretty’ silly today sooooo…..

Here are a few things pageant life taught me (and yes I do have a past pageant life…eek!)

• White isn’t only for brides

• Not a good time to have grandma make your dress

• Lots of people don’t know that Iowa is the Corn state not the Potato State

• Lots more people don’t know Iowa is a state

• Crowns can be painful if worn for long periods of time

• Hairspray can help keep your swimsuit in place

• Vaseline makes your lips slide over your teeth even when you have absolutely no saliva

• Preparation H …. Yes they really do use it under eyes

• You can have lots of friends one minute and none the next minute

• If you put “bless her heart” in front of it, you can say anything you want about anyone

• You can slap your mom back stage (live to tell about it) and win a pageant

• Some contestants may scream…”but she doesn’t know Jeeeesus” after the queen is crowned

• Some contestants will have “coaches” and “color consultants”

• A girl from Iowa, the corn state, with a dress her grandma made, doesn’t stand a chance