It's one in the morning...my husband is sleeping...my 5 month old is sleeping...but I am not...what am I doing? Wrapping Christmas presents! One in the morning didn't use to seem that late...but now it is only a few mere hours until waking up time in the Pinson household...but there's that thing about the holidays that makes me lose all sense of normalcy...In the quiet of the house...the only sound being that last load of laundry before packing begins...I am remembering many of my favorite holiday memories...here are just a few...
...my grandma's pancakes on christmas morning...she makes them in the shape of our initials...now that takes talent! it was great until my cousin michael wanted her to make them for he and his friend, only he wanted first and last names...and my grandma...being the saint that she is...made them!
...decorating the christmas tree...one ornament at a time...while alternating between the anne murray and oakridge boys christmas records...that makes me feel a little old!
...my baby brother (who is now 20!) singing his favorite christmas song, "Baby Jesus in a Manger" over and over until he got it just right...
...my baby brother telling Santa Claus that his name was "Bradley Tyndall Hardin Ralph...but I call myself Ralph"...not every day you hear that from a three year old!
...my baby brother taping a sock to his face and playing Santa Claus...and the sad home video that we have of me as a 3rd grader doing the same thing a few hours later, trying to pass the idea off as my own...
...and of course, my baby brother yelling as we took off in the plane for north carolina at 5 am, "Up, Up and Away!" (along with some other things that I will not mention on this blog for fear he may never speak to me again...
...my sister emily's story of the most "BEAUUUUUUUUTIFUL girl to be given the most BEAUUUUUUUUUTIFUL present", chosen by Santa Claus...her name being, of course, "Emily Tyndall"...all this being told with a very beautiful and flattering rug burn on her nose!
...baking with my mom in the kitchen...
...watching my poppa play Santa...
...spending christmas in south dakota...
...spending christmas in north carolina where I always feel closer to my dad than anywhere else by getting to see him in a place he loves so much...
...my aunt Marianne going NUTS over the school bus toy that Bradley got...yeah, you had to be there...
...the amazing cookie swap party that my mom threw for my sister and me and our friends, which we recently re-created for our cutie cousin Melissa Jo...
...not being able to go sleep, and not being able to leave the bedroom after a certain time, therefore resulting in my sister and I running laps around the room until we finally passed out!
...lining up in the hallway, in age order, with all the cousins...waiting to see what Santa brought us...
...sleeping upstairs in the loft on the farm and listening very closely for sleighbells...
...the bowie gift exchange...better named as the battle of the sexes...
...the gunfight videos...only in our family would children (and adults!) be dressed up as outlaws and stage a gunfight for a video camera!
...all of us piled on the floor in my grandparents bedroom, trying very hard not to giggle and to go to sleep...very difficult if you know my sister who is 21 and still a...what's the word...gigglebox!
...having my family set up a christmas tree and even a faux fireplace in the hospital room where I lived for six months in the years 1998-1999, and bringing Christmas to me...not the most fun place to spend the holidays, but with my wonderful family, I almost forgot where I was...
...losing my sanity and letting Santa explode all over our college house in Abilene...something I think my roommates will never let me live down, and I don't think that they should!
...celebrating an engagement to the love of my life in 2002...and then in 2003 learning that we would receive the beautiful blessing who is now sleeping peacefully down the hall...
So many memories, and those are only a few...I am so excited about our first Christmas as a family of three...we can't wait to start making our own memories...I know I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful family who loves to share the holidays...not only that, but I married into a family like that also...I am doubly blessed!
God, who in His grace, gave us His son, also gave us the precious gift of family and friends...the gift of time that He gave us is one we can pass on...I hope that during this holiday season we will not forget to slow down and spend time with those He has blessed us with...oh sure, i got some fun and memorable presents over the years, but notice that those didn't make the list...my favorite times are the simple ones...cuddling up in our pajamas and laughing for hours at home videos...reading the christmas story from the Bible, the Night Before Christmas, and the Polar Express...eating till we are sick, taking a nap, and then eating again...cherishing more fully than any time of year the gift of Jesus in our lives...
People often say that Christmas is not about gifts...but it is about THE GIFT...the hope that was brought to us in the form of a baby boy, as innocent as my precious child asleep in his crib, yet powerful enough to save the world...and the promise that we have of eternal life because He never stops giving us the gift that is His mercy and love...
In this holiday season, I am humbled at how undeserving I am, and so encouraged and thankful that God in all His glory does not look at it that way...What a blessing that we have the example of the ultimate giver to follow and that His gift is free to all...even me...
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Monday, December 20, 2004
hustle and bustle
Well...we braved the malls this weekend. Why do I always seem to get it in my head that there are like seven weeks in December? I once again waited to do all of my shopping, along with the rest of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, this weekend. But I really do think that there is something in my subconscious that enjoys the "hustle and bustle"...no...it's not subconscious...I love it! My husband, on the other hand, looks like he is about to have a nervous breakdown the whole time! There was one point when he gave a huge sigh of relief and said, "I never thought I would be so happy to walk into Ann Taylor!"
Jack and I both are going to be experiencing our first Christmas in Smithville. We switch off Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it is our year for Christmas with Matt's family. It is always hard to be away from my family on the holidays, but I am so blessed to have a wonderful family "in-law". Matt and I have had so much fun playing Santa...this of course has been more for our benefit than for Jack's, as I am positive he will have no idea what is going on.
I guess what I hope is that as the years go on, Jack does have an idea what is going on. I love Christmas. I love the family togetherness, the presents, the cold weather, the trees, the lights, the food...but now that I am a parent, I realize even more the importance of "the reason for the season". I hope and pray that my little boy will always know and cherish what it is we are celebrating during this time, and that he will grow to live a life that celebrates Christ every day of the year. Of course, this is just one more way that the Lord has convicted me to put my mind on the true importance of this season and on the abundance of blessing that I have been given.
I hope that everyone travels safely. And just for the record, it is my sincere belief that the song "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time" is the most annoying holiday song ever written.
Jack and I both are going to be experiencing our first Christmas in Smithville. We switch off Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it is our year for Christmas with Matt's family. It is always hard to be away from my family on the holidays, but I am so blessed to have a wonderful family "in-law". Matt and I have had so much fun playing Santa...this of course has been more for our benefit than for Jack's, as I am positive he will have no idea what is going on.
I guess what I hope is that as the years go on, Jack does have an idea what is going on. I love Christmas. I love the family togetherness, the presents, the cold weather, the trees, the lights, the food...but now that I am a parent, I realize even more the importance of "the reason for the season". I hope and pray that my little boy will always know and cherish what it is we are celebrating during this time, and that he will grow to live a life that celebrates Christ every day of the year. Of course, this is just one more way that the Lord has convicted me to put my mind on the true importance of this season and on the abundance of blessing that I have been given.
I hope that everyone travels safely. And just for the record, it is my sincere belief that the song "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time" is the most annoying holiday song ever written.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Inspiration
I am a Christian and an artist...two things which can often be seen in contradiction. However, I find inspiration in these quotes. I am reminded that God is the one who has put this art in me, and it is not only my desire, but also my responsibility to use my gifts for His good purposes...
"O Me! O life!...of the questions of these recurring; Of the endless trains of the faithless-of cities fill'd with the foolish; Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who, more foolish than I, and who more faithless?) Of eyes that vainly crave the light-of the objects mean-of the struggle ever renew'd; Of the poor results of all-of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me; Of the empty and useless years of the rest-with the rest me intertwined; The question, O me! so sad, recurring-What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer. That you are here-that life exists, and identity. That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse."
~Walt Whitman
"I believe that each work of art, whether it is a work of great genius or something very small, comes to the artist and says, 'Here I am. Enflesh me. Give birth to me.' And the artist either says, 'My soul doth magnify the Lord,' and willingly becomes the bearer of the work, or refuses."
~Madeleine L'Engle
"Where are the creative men and women-the writers, the artists, the filmmakers-who will capture the imagination of our confused world in the name of Christ? Where are those who will expose by their work the vanities and contradictions of our age, and affirm with all the skill they can muster that only in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge? May God rise up the theatrical artists to fill this gap!"
~John Akers
God is the ultimate artist...and all that He has created has His art within it. May we find the strength and courage to reach inside and use the gifts He has blessed us with for His glory.
"O Me! O life!...of the questions of these recurring; Of the endless trains of the faithless-of cities fill'd with the foolish; Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who, more foolish than I, and who more faithless?) Of eyes that vainly crave the light-of the objects mean-of the struggle ever renew'd; Of the poor results of all-of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me; Of the empty and useless years of the rest-with the rest me intertwined; The question, O me! so sad, recurring-What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer. That you are here-that life exists, and identity. That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse."
~Walt Whitman
"I believe that each work of art, whether it is a work of great genius or something very small, comes to the artist and says, 'Here I am. Enflesh me. Give birth to me.' And the artist either says, 'My soul doth magnify the Lord,' and willingly becomes the bearer of the work, or refuses."
~Madeleine L'Engle
"Where are the creative men and women-the writers, the artists, the filmmakers-who will capture the imagination of our confused world in the name of Christ? Where are those who will expose by their work the vanities and contradictions of our age, and affirm with all the skill they can muster that only in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge? May God rise up the theatrical artists to fill this gap!"
~John Akers
God is the ultimate artist...and all that He has created has His art within it. May we find the strength and courage to reach inside and use the gifts He has blessed us with for His glory.
Saturday, December 04, 2004
i have the greatest friends...
What a wonderful husband I have who took me on a date last night! Mimi and Pappy(that's my parents) kept Baby Jack and Matt and I went and ate downtown at the Reata. Wow, if you haven't had a chocolate taco, you just haven't lived! (Or, you just aren't living in Texas!)
We got our Christmas tree up on Thursday night. Matt made a fire and Jack could not decide which was more beautiful so he spent about 30 minutes darting his eyes back and forth! Is it bad for babies to stare at lights for prolonged periods of time?! I just love getting the Christmas decorations out, and listening to my christmas music all day long if I want to, and as weird as people think I am, I love the cold weather. Isn't it just great to get all bundled up by the fire?
I have recently gotten a chance to reconnect with several people that I have been out of touch with for years. Isn't it wonderful how God gives us such a bond with other Christians that even years can pass and our love and concern for each other can be the same or even stronger?
I for one am so thankful that friendship can transcend miles and years. Matt and I were so blessed with the greatest friends that we could have ever hoped for at ACU. Right now we are all in transition periods of our lives, and are spread out all over the country.But thanks to God's faithfulness(and a little help from email)we are able to hold on to the treasure that is friendship. I do know that our lives are changing and moving in different directions, but I am still so thankful, because I know that without each and every one of those people I would not be who I am today. No one has better girlfriends than I do...they are the most fun and the best friends in the world. And the boys, well, they were great to let me hang out with them in college when all the other girls had dates!
But in seriousness, this blog is a chance to say how thankful I am for my friends...the people who accepted me for who I was, loved me as I grew into who I am, and challenge me to become more.
We got our Christmas tree up on Thursday night. Matt made a fire and Jack could not decide which was more beautiful so he spent about 30 minutes darting his eyes back and forth! Is it bad for babies to stare at lights for prolonged periods of time?! I just love getting the Christmas decorations out, and listening to my christmas music all day long if I want to, and as weird as people think I am, I love the cold weather. Isn't it just great to get all bundled up by the fire?
I have recently gotten a chance to reconnect with several people that I have been out of touch with for years. Isn't it wonderful how God gives us such a bond with other Christians that even years can pass and our love and concern for each other can be the same or even stronger?
I for one am so thankful that friendship can transcend miles and years. Matt and I were so blessed with the greatest friends that we could have ever hoped for at ACU. Right now we are all in transition periods of our lives, and are spread out all over the country.But thanks to God's faithfulness(and a little help from email)we are able to hold on to the treasure that is friendship. I do know that our lives are changing and moving in different directions, but I am still so thankful, because I know that without each and every one of those people I would not be who I am today. No one has better girlfriends than I do...they are the most fun and the best friends in the world. And the boys, well, they were great to let me hang out with them in college when all the other girls had dates!
But in seriousness, this blog is a chance to say how thankful I am for my friends...the people who accepted me for who I was, loved me as I grew into who I am, and challenge me to become more.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
blessings
Here are some funny excerpts from campaign at my husband's work called "What are kids thankful for?"
...I am thankful for my teacher because she helps us when we are stuck on a word...
...and all the people in the universe and the galaxy, the astronauts too. When I grow up I want to be an astronaut, and all the people that are religious.
I am thankful that they made lasagna and juice and turkey, and sweet cranberry juice, and mash potatos, and I am also thankful that I am alive.
...the army and the other teams that fight for our country...
...I am thankful for what I am thankful because I know it is the right thing to be thankful for because I want to be thankful for what I want to be thankful for.
...I am very thankful for drinks that God gave us like Coca-Cola or Sprite, or juice or Dr. Pepper...
...I am also thankful for doctors, police officers, firemen, and Ambulances because this summer I swallowed a quarter and maybe I would be dead with a quarter stuck in my throat without those guys...
...and indians and pilgrims and Martin Luther King because he is the one who made white people become nice...
Wouldn't it be nice if we could uncloud our minds from the little problems and stresses and take time to be thankful for the little blessings? Just thinking about all of these little things makes me smile so much, that I can't help but think of all of the enormous blessings that God has given me...I am so blessed...I have a wonderful husband who loves me and holds me to a
higher standard...I have a beautiful baby boy who has given me a whole new picture of the cross...and more than that, I am a child of the King...I often lose sight of just how much God has blessed me and I CHOOSE to let myself slip into self-pity...it is hard to admit that...Instead of really exploring opportunities to involve myself in God's work, I often sit and think about how I wish I could get more involved...when I need to just get up and get moving! I have health issues that continue to put strain on my physical body...I often let the fatigue and pain that I feel physically seep into my spirit, and I feel like lately I have really buried myself. In this weakness I am sure that Satan has seen an ideal breeding ground for his evil work.I often pray about evangelism instead of going out and just doing what God has commanded, while allowing HIM to do HIS work through me. I am hopeful that he will show me very soon a door for doing that work, and that I will walk through it without the hesitation and fear that I often feel. I know that God has more for me than I give Him credit for if I would just get my eyes off of myself and see it. I have a baby that needs me to show him the Lord, and I am just praying each day that I will strive to be the person that God calls me to be...that my child will grow up being more familiar with my head bowed in prayer than with my often compulsive need to clean the house and get the laundry done.
Thanksgiving...more than an excuse to eat your body weight in turkey...much more...
...I am thankful for my teacher because she helps us when we are stuck on a word...
...and all the people in the universe and the galaxy, the astronauts too. When I grow up I want to be an astronaut, and all the people that are religious.
I am thankful that they made lasagna and juice and turkey, and sweet cranberry juice, and mash potatos, and I am also thankful that I am alive.
...the army and the other teams that fight for our country...
...I am thankful for what I am thankful because I know it is the right thing to be thankful for because I want to be thankful for what I want to be thankful for.
...I am very thankful for drinks that God gave us like Coca-Cola or Sprite, or juice or Dr. Pepper...
...I am also thankful for doctors, police officers, firemen, and Ambulances because this summer I swallowed a quarter and maybe I would be dead with a quarter stuck in my throat without those guys...
...and indians and pilgrims and Martin Luther King because he is the one who made white people become nice...
Wouldn't it be nice if we could uncloud our minds from the little problems and stresses and take time to be thankful for the little blessings? Just thinking about all of these little things makes me smile so much, that I can't help but think of all of the enormous blessings that God has given me...I am so blessed...I have a wonderful husband who loves me and holds me to a
higher standard...I have a beautiful baby boy who has given me a whole new picture of the cross...and more than that, I am a child of the King...I often lose sight of just how much God has blessed me and I CHOOSE to let myself slip into self-pity...it is hard to admit that...Instead of really exploring opportunities to involve myself in God's work, I often sit and think about how I wish I could get more involved...when I need to just get up and get moving! I have health issues that continue to put strain on my physical body...I often let the fatigue and pain that I feel physically seep into my spirit, and I feel like lately I have really buried myself. In this weakness I am sure that Satan has seen an ideal breeding ground for his evil work.I often pray about evangelism instead of going out and just doing what God has commanded, while allowing HIM to do HIS work through me. I am hopeful that he will show me very soon a door for doing that work, and that I will walk through it without the hesitation and fear that I often feel. I know that God has more for me than I give Him credit for if I would just get my eyes off of myself and see it. I have a baby that needs me to show him the Lord, and I am just praying each day that I will strive to be the person that God calls me to be...that my child will grow up being more familiar with my head bowed in prayer than with my often compulsive need to clean the house and get the laundry done.
Thanksgiving...more than an excuse to eat your body weight in turkey...much more...
Monday, November 29, 2004
no more turkey
Well...I have officially eaten my body weight in turkey...Baby Jack is sick today and it is no fun...I feel so bad for him when he is sick, he doesn't know what is going on...and he also doesn't know that he has to go to the doctor today and get 5 shots! How horrible a person must you have to be to give a four month old 5 shots?! Not as horrible as the one who gave my two month old 5 shots!
Thanksgiving was wonderful...we were with my family all week and just ate and ate and ate...feeling the effects of that now! I often get bogged down with loneliness here as a stay at home mommy and I don't take time to realize all of the blessings I have been given. I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful baby boy...he is really starting to babble and giggle and it is so cute...well, I don't have much to say today...it's Monday and it's raining...
Thanksgiving was wonderful...we were with my family all week and just ate and ate and ate...feeling the effects of that now! I often get bogged down with loneliness here as a stay at home mommy and I don't take time to realize all of the blessings I have been given. I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful baby boy...he is really starting to babble and giggle and it is so cute...well, I don't have much to say today...it's Monday and it's raining...
Sunday, November 28, 2004
first post
this is my first post...i am new at this, so i will see if i can actually come up with something intelligent or at least remotely interesting next time...probably not...
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