Spending Christmas With Jesus

Pastor Scott from PFBC sent Trish this poem... I don't think she'll mind my passing it along.

John

I'm Spending Christmas with Jesus this Year

With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars, reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so spectacular, please wipe away that tear;
For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear.
But the sounds of music can't compare with the Christmas choir up here.
I have no words to tell you the joy their voices bring.
For it is beyond description to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart.
But I am not so far away, we really aren't apart.
I cannot tell you of the splendor or the peace inside this place
Can you imagine Christmas with our Savior, face to face?

I will ask him to light your spirit as I tell him of your love.
So then pray for one another as you lift your eyes above.
So be happy for me, dear ones, you know I hold you dear.
And be glad I'm spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above.
I sent you each a memory of my undying love.
After all, love is a gift more precious than pure gold.
It was always most important in the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do.
For I can't count the blessing or love he has for each of you.
So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear.
Remember, I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

The lights are on!

Just a quick message to say... THE LIGHTS ARE ON!!

Yes, after MUCH work by Jim & Sherrie (our friends & landlords) to get things to where it could happen; the power company sent some guys on loan from Montana over to hookup the secondary line to the house.

We don't have the rest of the ammenities - no phone, internet or cable TV yet - but we DO have a roof on the garage and the POWER IS BACK! The others can wait (for a little while, at least).

Thanks to ALL that helped. Whether with your prayers, labor, phone calls or just supportive thoughts... we appreciate it.

So many were involved in keeping us safe & warm, plus comfortable (enough) to make it through the blackout week! To Jim & Sherrie; Lew, Nash, Josh & Kevin (Lew's crew... I hope I got the names right); Momma T; Mom & Ralph; TL & Jimmy; our neighbors and friends (the list goes on & on)... Thanks so much!

And just in time for Christmas! We will forever be grateful!

Thanks again!
John, Dina, Elijah & Austin!

DAY 5!

The 4th full day without power came and went last night (or is it this morning) at 12:30am... So begins Day 5!

I know it may seem odd for me to keep posting about this, but since I'm still without power, work is the only internet access I have. Oddly enough hard to think about other things to write about.

That being said, you'd think I'd just wait until I do have something more to write about... but, I've been having (as the author of another blog I saw called Organized Chaos! wrote) the computer detox shakes, so the need to post outweighs the need for deeper content.

Thanks to nearly 2 full days of work from the power crews, the rest of the neighborhood has their power bamore thanks to the Samdal's, for helping out with a generator... we now have a few of the basic comforts of home.

No fridge yet; but that's only because we'd already thrown EVERYTHING out! However, we do have a microwave when needed, and plugged in the TV for some video games. We were even able to pickup a local TV station (reception was a bit snowy, reminding me of the old rabbit-eared tv's of my childhood... good memories!) and watch a movie together.

Many years ago, Dina started the tradition of making gingerbread houses. Last night, for the first time since the power went out - We turned some Christmas music on the radio; plugged the Christmas tree in; and built some (Sorry for the poor picture quality. Pretty dark in the dining room).

What a ball! I think I can speak for the 4 of us if I say we were able to forget about the power for a bit. Close to normalcy! At least for a little while.

Are you ready?
John:)

Baby, it's cold outside!

A little less cold (for me, least) today... but that's only because I'm at work where the power is on! At home - depending on where in the house you are - you can frequently see your breath! Brrrrr!

But we're toughing it out.

I've got lots to do here at the office, but in case anyone read the Friday post... I figured it deserved an update... and since it's lunch hour, I've got a minute or two. I received and replied to an e-mail from family friend, Mariye, so with a little help (stealing a portion of my reply), here it is.

Short and sweet, but none-the-less, an update.

We're still at the house toughing it out... and although a little cold, we're trying to make this holiday season and its' traditions stay as "normal" as possible.

We already ended up (mostly due to the tree being pulled out of the house) missing both Trish's Christmas shindig on Saturday morning & my Mom's on Saturday evening. Dina's adamant that we won't let this storm take us out of our house too, so we're sticking it out.

Say a little prayer for luck to be on our side.

If the neighborhood gets power back (maybe today), then the contractor can get in there to hopefully get power restored to the house, while they complete repairs to the garage (Thanks to Lew Samdal at Samdal Construction for keeping us near the top of their list).

God Bless!
John

What a storm, huh?

So you're one of those people that has power? Obviously you are... since you're reading this li'l note.

At our house, as well as all of my local family's (Trish, TL & Tony) and I'm sure many of yours, things went dark during the big windstorm Thursday night.

Maybe your neigborhood, like mine, looked - or still looks - like one of these pictures I pulled off King 5's website. I know it may be surprising, but I didn't personally snap any pics of our local neigborhood (more on that in a bit).

Anyway, for those of you not currently in the NW that haven't heard about the storm... it got a little drafty here late Thursday.

Then it got a more blustery.

And then it blew a tad harder.

And then it started just blowing so hard, you almost thought it could blow the house down.

Well, it may not have blown the house down, but all over the Puget Sound, it certainly blew the tree(s) down! Lots of them right into, and sometimes through, a house. Waking up Friday morning... with no lights, no heat, and a job to get going to I climbed right over the debris from the tree that fell through my garage and... What? I hadn't mentioned that?

Oh, right... that was the 'more in a bit' that I'd mentioned earlier.

Welp-o, just after midnite on Friday, I woke up - startled by something. I wandered out of the bedroom to explore what had caused it. Whatever it was, it had apparently stopped since their wasn't any ongoing noise.

Next thing I know my neighbor was banging on the door. I (still half asleep, I think) answered the door with something like, "What can I do for you?"

"Are you alright?" he asked. "A tree just totaled your garage!"

So, that's what woke me up. It had stopped, that's for sure! It had stopped once the tree finished falling right through the garage roof. The tree, and ancient-looking one that stood just 6 or 8 feet from the garages corner, just couldn't stand the ferocious winds any longer.

That being said... for us at least, all is well (last reports, still no power at the other family members houses either... but at least no trees through the roof). Everyone was safe and sound, however probably without power for quite a while to come. I'll throw some pictures on as soon as I can get ahold of some (my Boss, Jim, and my son, Elijah both snapped some).

Yes... safe and sound, with Dina & I sleeping only 15 feet or so from where it fell. Even the cars; which were parked outside the garage in the driveway, 5 feet away; were spared! Believe that? Dina & I have discussed it, and we certainly felt Dad watching over us on this one that's for sure.

My youngest, Austin, summed it up the way the rest of us have been since... "We are Blessed!!" People tend to look back and forth between you and then the 100+ foot tree rather inquisitively. How can you be 'blessed' when that just happened to your house.

Well, we know that a big chunk of the roof (it was a brand new roof, too!) is gone. And we know that the entire front wall of the garage is about to leave the other 3 walls company, and fall off into the driveway. And we know it must be around 40 or 45 degrees at best in that house.

Yes, e know ALL these things... and we feel blessed!! It missed our children... our real valuables. It missed us in bed, oblivious & asleep. It missed the living area of the house altogether and missed everything of value (not like there's that much of value) in the garage. No need to replace the washer/dryer combo we'd been given, or the foosball table, or the weedeater. All our safe.

How could you feel anything but blessed?

Make no mistake. It's no fun being freezing cold if you wake up during the night. No fun missing the ballgames, or missing out on Christmas movies & specials. Missing out on Dina's home cooking. And a running hot water heater & a washer/dryer combo to keep us and things around us clean. Missing days of seeing Christmas lights in the neighborhood.

But given the possibilities of what could have been... I'll be glad with the outcome & continue to feel, for lack of any better words... "Blessed!"

A guy came down to pull the tree tonight (causing us to miss out on both family Christmas gatherings scheduled for today). That was a bummer, but what can you do? It's not like you plan something like this. Fiscally by the way, you don't ever want to pay to have a tree pulled out of your house. Whatever you'd guess it'd cost is probably wrong... the actual more than doubled my expectation.

We had to evacuate (as did neighbors on each side) while he & his crew did the job. So we headed off to find a hotel to use as home for one nights sleep. We found one... which was no easy task, and settled in for the night.

And for this one night we're warm. Eating warm food, doing laundry, showered, and feeling a little human again... but only for this one night. Tomorrow, we head back into the trenches to tough it out with those still in the neighborhood!

Power is still out, and the power guy on the block today told the neighbor (it's being told at least, 3rd hand so take it with a grain of salt) that it's probably going to be 3-4 weeks for power to be restored on our block.

As now there's only a hole where the tree once was. And a lot of 'firewood' left behind to clean up!

God Bless! Be Safe! Pray Hard!
Johnny:)

Say an extra prayer for us, too... selfish as it may seem, we really want to be able to wake up in our own house on ChristMore morning! It's a tradition we'd like to keep going!

Are you ready?

That's right... it IS almost here. So I need to know, are you ready for Christmas?

"Sure, I'm ready! I've bought the presents for the wife, husband, kids, grandkids, etc. Sure, I'm ready!"

I don't need those answers... nor do I need to know if you've planned all the parties and meals. Or whether the lights are up or the tree is trimmed. I've no need to know what you found for Aunt Martha, or what your nephew Tim's answer would be if you ask "boxers or briefs?".

"Sure, I'm ready! I've volunteered to pass out candy canes at the local school. Sure, I'm ready!"

It's not important how much you get (or give for that matter). It doesn't make any difference how much is under your tree Christmas morning, or if you've taken time for every Christmas tradition of the past. All of these are part of the Christmas season, but the cliche' about Jesus being the Reason for the Season, still holds true.

"Sure, I'm ready! I've donated food and gifts for the needy. Sure, I'm ready!"

Have you taken time to recognize if there’s any obstacles blocking the Lord's way into (or more deeply into) your heart? Are you spreading His message of Peace, Love & Hope that the world needs so much?

"Sure, I'm ready! I've rang the bell at the local grocery store. Sure, I'm ready!"

I recently read an illustration from the comic strip "Jump Start" that went something like this.

Clarence is dragging his Christmas tree down to the curb, when he's approached by his neighbor Joe who says, "Hey, Scrooge, what are you doing?"

"This must look strange, huh, Joe? It's not even New Year's and I'm dragging my tree to the curb."

"What's the rush, big guy?", says Joe.

"Something weird has happened to the holidays, Joe. Charlene & I are totally stressed out, and my son isn't even playing with his new toys. How come the holidays seemed so much better when we were kids?"

Joe's answer? "Because back then we referred to the Holidays as Christmas!"

"Sure, I'm ready! I've decorated the church, the house, the office, and the car. Sure, I'm ready!"

For most of us, Christmas brings out the best we have to offer. Others are afraid to be happy. Nurturing fears & hurts. Not ready to celebrate & rejoice, because they won't let Christ set them free. If there was ever a time for rejoicing, it's Christmas. The Lord came into our world... a babe in a manger.

Now that's a reason to celebrate!

So, once again I ask, ARE YOU READY? How about starting fresh & new today... Living each and every day like it's Christmas Day!

Merry CHRISTmore!
Johnny:)

What can I give him poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring him a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yet what can I give him? I'll give him my heart.
-Christina Rossetti

Ponderisims...

I've been a bit (quite a bit) under the weather lately, so the best I can offer for now is a copy of an e-mail from the archives of the One & Only, Buddy Ellis.

More from me in the future, but for now... ENJOY one from Dad!

Things That Make You Go Hmm...

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Life is sexually transmitted.

Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Do you ever wonder why you gave me your email address?