{The Flag}

Hello. Remember me?

Some people call me Old Glory, others call me the Star Spangled Banner, but whatever they call me, I am your flag, the flag of the United States of America.

Something has been bothering me, so I thought I might talk it over with you — because it is about you and me.

I remember some time ago, people would line up on both sides of the street to watch the parade, and naturally I was leading every one, proudly waving in the breeze.

When your Daddy saw me coming, he immediately removed his hat and placed it against his left shoulder so that his hand was directly over his heart — remember?

And you, I remember, were standing there, straight as a soldier. You didn't have a hat, but you were giving the right salute. Remember your little sister? Not to be outdone, she was saluting the same as you with her right hand over her heart — remember?

What happened? I'm still the same old flag. Oh, I've added a few more stars since you were a boy, and a lot more blood has been shed since those parades of long ago.

But now, somehow I don't feel as proud as I used to feel. When I come down the street, you just stand there with your hands in your pockets. You may give me a small glance, and then you look away. I see children running around you shouting; they don't seem to know who I am.

I saw one man take his hat off, then he looked around, and when he didn't see anybody else take off their hat, he quickly put his on again.

Is it a sin to be patriotic today?
Have you forgotten what I stand for, and where I have been?
Anzio, Guadalcanal, Korea and Vietnam!

Take a look at the memorial honor rolls, and see the names of those patriotic Americans who gave their lives to keep this republic free. When you salute me, you are actually saluting them!

So when you see me, please stand straight and place your hand over your heart, and I'll know that you remembered. I'll salute you by waving back!

"The Flag"

- Anonymous

{He Chose Me - a Christmas story}

On a freezing cold, snowy evening, we went to experience an outdoor Living Nativity.   We walked the trail, stopping at various campfires along the way, where characters were gathered to each tell their part of the story.

Mary's relatives

Joseph and Mary, traveling with their donkey.

The Innkeeper and his wife, who allowed use of their stable out back.  

Shepherds and their sheep, in awe at the angel's message to them.  

As I listened to these shepherds tell their story, I saw a piece I had never noticed before.  Their awe was first because of the news itself, but secondly because God had chosen them to be the first ones to hear.  As one shepherd said to us, "He chose us to hear the news first!  Nobody ever chooses us for anything."

Shepherds were the forgotten ones.  Like when Samuel came to the house of Jesse to anoint a king, and had to ask if there were any more sons . . . 

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”  “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”   1 Samuel 16:10-12

I get the impression that shepherds weren't exactly the first people to be told when something exciting was happening.  

In this spectacular moment, God decided that the shepherds in the field would get the birth announcement first, instead of them being forgotten and hearing the news later in the city streets.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:8-12

Nobody ever chose them for anything.


That night, God chose them.  After that, nothing mattered.


God also chose me.  Before the foundation of the world. . . He chose me. . . and I don't think I'm ever going to get over that. 

For he chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.   Ephesians 1:4-8a

I will forever live in awe that He chose me to belong to Him...and that He sent his son, Jesus, the good Shepherd, to this earth to die on the cross for my sins, so through the blood and by His grace alone I can spend eternity with Him. That is the beautiful Christmas story.

{Thanksgiving: Hits & Misses}

Thanksgiving has come and gone in a flurry, but like most holidays, there was definitely a share of good food involved.

I was feeling adventurous this year, so for my contribution to the Thanksgiving meal I tried a couple of new recipes....thank you, Pinterest.

Here are my hits & misses from this holiday -


Coconut Pecan Sweet Potatoes by Simple Bites were my first choice, because I love both pecans and coconut, and could throw everything in the crockpot.  While the recipe was great in concept, I felt like I had to do a lot of extra to make it acceptable for the dinner table.  After the cooking time, I still wasn't able to mash the potatoes enough, so I added water and microwaved them for a couple minutes and then got out my hand beaters, attempting to make them a bit fluffier.   I also mixed in more brown sugar, butter, and toppings.
Since I had to transport this, I used a large glass bowl and layered potatoes with covering of pecans & coconut, more potatoes, etc, so there was plenty of tastiness in every serving, in addition to mixing a bunch in when I whipped them.   I considered this recipe neutral -- not sure I would make it again, but I didn't get any to take home as leftovers because apparently everybody else snatched them up!


Pumpkin Swirl Chocolate Brownies by Comfort of Cooking won out for dessert....although they probably shouldn't have.   I followed the recipe exactly, except that I doubled it, which maybe caused a problem.   The pumpkin flavor didn't stand out AT ALL, and the brownie was really dense and dry, even with the cream cheese.  Being the brownie-hound that I am, I was incredibly disappointed in this recipe and would definitely call it a miss.

We were sent home various containers of leftovers, and since we're not huge fans of having Thanksgiving dinner all over again, I decided to be more creative this year on how to use up the extra Turkey.  Folks, we have some winners!

Chicken Kisses by Shugary Sweets was an easy and scrumptious meal.   I didn't want to use pre made crescent rolls, so I made my own, which obviously made the recipe more time consuming.  We had leftover turkey and gravy, so once the dough was ready, this was easy to throw together.  The leftover "kisses" warmed up great in the oven.  I'll definitely be keeping this recipe for my collection; it was a real hit!

Turkey Tetrazzini by The Pioneer Woman was the base recipe I used, and then added and subtracted the "filler" ingredients to fit our personal taste.  Another great way to use up leftover turkey, and can easily be frozen for an easy dinner on a wintery night.   This was a huge hit!

Did you try any new recipes that were a huge hit this Thanksgiving?