First Refuge, then Peace

Just a quick recap.

It’s that time of year when I choose a word of the year – or the word chooses me. But let me start out back in January of this year.

My word for 2024 was “comfort” and this is what I came up with for this year:

Listening to the news and how our world is falling apart, I might need even more than comfort. I might need a place to shelter, a refuge from the chaos.

And just like He provides us with comfort, God supplies us with a safe refuge as well. And so, my word for 2025 is “refuge”.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:2)

Holy cow – or more like – Holy Heavenly Father. You gave me a good one for this year. And it served me well. I could have never imagined the chaos that would fall on our nation this year. And then when things got even worse, I knew that I needed “peace” even more. And not one, but two verses.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, New International Version)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27, New International Version)

Stay tuned. On Wednesday, I’ll let you know my word and Bible verse for 2026. 😉

Justice, Representation, and Liberty

This really isn’t a rosy after-Christmas post. But I’ve been wanting to write about this for a long time, however things kept coming up. I think it’s about time, though.

So, here’s the thing. Since last January, I’ve been pretty wound up about what is going on in Washington, which is trickling down to all of our lives. I was devouring news off the internet like it was chocolate chip cookies. Only it wasn’t making me happy like chocolate chip cookies do; it was raising my blood pressure and giving me chest pain.

At the end of August, when my personal world fell apart, I went on a “current events” fast. I didn’t read or watch any news. I still had high blood pressure and anxiety, but for a totally different reason.

But politics slowly crept back into my life, and I was soon back to reading several different news outlets online every morning, trying to find sources that were accurate and not skewed to one political party or the other. I followed what the politicians from my own state were doing. I wrote them multiple letters expressing my disappointment that they were only backing whichever party they belonged to, rather than working for the voters. I bit my tongue in public, but got into more arguments with my husband over things neither one of us had any control over.

I realized once again that none of that was healthy for me. So, here I am, with no knowledge of what either the Republican or Democratic machines are doing to this country at this time. But I still hear murmurs and glance at unavoidable posts on Facebook.

I’m also not an expert on history, but this is what I am pretty sure has happened to many other countries and what I see happening to ours.

The current political party will continue to push its personal agenda. Innocent people will get hurt in the process; guilty people will run the show. Things will get progressively worse until the country reaches a tipping point.

There will be even more craziness and chaos. Civil war? I don’t know about that, but enough people will push back against the current administration that even more innocent people will get hurt, and this time, even some guilty people.

I suspect this will take a couple more years. Until the next presidential election? Maybe. But maybe longer.

Anyway, then what happens? The other political party takes over, perhaps by force, and then our problems are over? Not even close.

Here’s how I see it. Right now, the far-right Conservatives and the far-left Liberals are both way too far out there. So, no, things won’t get better when the other party takes over; things will just be different.

After another maybe four to eight years, if all hasn’t been destroyed in World War III or if Jesus hasn’t returned to claim earth and carry out everything foretold in the book of Revelation, then maybe this country will slowly pick itself back up and rebuild. Maybe the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution will be returned to us. Maybe politicians and the general public will embrace morals, common sense, and kindness towards one another. Maybe we will accept that we all have our differences and work towards making that work for the best for everyone.

Maybe. Sounds rather doomsday-esque, doesn’t it? I don’t know. Hopefully I’m wrong. Hopefully, someone out there with much more knowledge of world history will share an example of when this didn’t happen to any other countries and how it will not happen to the United States.

I welcome your opinions, but only if you share them with gentleness and without bashing either side. Thank you. And have a Happy New Year.

(The picture is of the Capitol building in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, where the people of Virginia discussed and debated the ideas of justice, representation, and liberty in the 1700s. And learned just what it means to be "We the People" – citizens with equal rights instead of subjects of a king.)

Another Christmas Eve

 
Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. Luke 2:19

Every mother has high hopes for her baby from the minute he or she is born. What will he grow up to be? Who will she look like? Will he be smart? Will she be popular? A million questions run through every mother’s head when she sees her newborn baby. Mary had the same questions, and one more that we wouldn’t ask. What will happen to the Son of God?

Imagine that you are Mary or Joseph, and you could see your baby’s future and know that He was going to die on a cross? How could you have any joy in your life?

Rereading these words, that I wrote many years ago, I would never have imagined that my daughter would die a tortured death – not physically, but from the demons wearing down her goodness until she broke. 

But this is how I am going to try to celebrate Christmas this year. If it hadn’t been for that Baby born in a barn and laid in that manger, if God hadn’t sent that Baby to grow up to die on that cross, none of us would have any hope. Because Jesus came to save us, I know that Jesus saved my baby girl.

Oh, Holy Night

 I counted ten nativity scenes in my living room this year. I had a few more at one time, and just noticed a new one that I hadn't photographed before (and didn't this year). These are still all pictures from previous Christmases. 

The one above is one of my oldest, I think my mom gave it to me when I got married the first time. The one below was so close to it that I gave it away a few years ago. 

Here come the kings. I'm always tempted not to put them out because they didn't visit Jesus at his birth, but several months or even years later. 

These guys are from Mexico, not sure who they came from, but I think they are freakishly cute. 

Are rubber duckies irreverent? I don't think so. I love them.

And one year, I took a picture of the chaos as I was setting up the table full of them. 

Now you can play "how many things are different in these four pictures?" As much as I think I'm setting them up the same, apparently, each year is different. 

The two that are new in the picture above and below are from far away. The colorful one is a retablo I bought in Peru in 2009 and my kids brought the wooden carving back for me from Kenya. 

Past Christmases with the Famiy

Last Sunday, besides showing pictures of presents, I wrote about being present, mostly alluding to being with the family. Of course, my first thought is of my darling Valerie. But just because she won't be present this year, doesn't mean she still won't be with us. 

 

Okay, enough of that. The other thing that has me thinking about family is that I am still working on my family tree. My sixth great-grandmother, Anna Margaretha Brauer, was born on this date in 1661, and her sixth great-granddaughter was born on this date exactly three hundred years later. Crazy. 

Yes, Val, that is crazy. 

Decorating for the Past Christmases

 

During this series of my pictures from Christmases past, I've shared a few of our Christmas trees. I don't know if I've told you this but, as much as I love decorarting the entire house for Christmas, I detest decorating the tree. It's a whole emotional scarring thing as a child, but I won't drag that up now. 

But here are all the other decorations I have put out over that past 15 years. 

I do change things around every year.
Not on purpose - I just can't remember where I put everything previous years.
But it's good to keep it looking fresh, right? 

Hard to believe that I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff over the years.
Or maybe I just thought I have....

Presents from Christmases Past

Besides all the cookies, the cards, the lights, the parties, and hopefully a few extra church services, or at least a little extra Bible reading, the Christmas season is about PRESENTS! So here are pictures of some of the gifts my family recieved over the years. 

Even though this was 11 years ago and my brother has changed a lot, he still makes the same happy face. In fact, he was so happy that he said, "Wowie!" when he opened this blanket from Mom.  

Nick's eyes as big as this countertop oven in 2010. 

Mom Kincaid organizing her presents in 2012.

In 2013, Val trying to convince our dog Dino that not all presents were his.
Oh, how he loved Christmas and ripping into everyone's presents.

Adding another little Snoopy to my collection in 2014. 

The gift you get when you don't have much on your wish list. 2015. 

I probably said, "Wowie", when Santa got me a new laptop in 2016.
Is that the same one I still have? 

Don't know what he did with the hundred, but I know he didn't buy seat covers with it. 2017. 

Yikes! I've always gone a little overboard, but in 2018 looks like I was at least organized. 

In 2019, maybe we all went a little crazy with gifts. 

But we all know it's not really about the presents. It's about being present, being with family, with loved ones and cherishing that time you get to be with each other. 
And remembering that the greatest gift is that God gave us His Son that Christmas Eve long ago, so that if we can't be together with our loved ones this year, we will be together again one day in heaven. 

Santa and one story of Christmas past

Hannah didn't quite know what to make of this guy in the red suit in the bedroom yesterday morning. 

Since Hubby has started playing Santa for the Christmas season, I wanted to share this story from the past. 

          One year, the last day of school before Christmas break, Val was driving her car to school when she ran in the ditch. As she was about to make a call for help on her cell phone, two men drove up in a four-wheel drive pickup.  

          “Can we pull you out?” they offered. She was much obliged. As one of them was getting a chain from the back of his truck, another vehicle pulled up.

          “What happened here?” a round man in a full white beard, red suit, and red hat trimmed in white fur asked.

          “Isn’t it obvious?” Val immediately displayed her disdain for this jolly old elf.

          The two strangers pulled her car out of the brush on the side of the road and the man in red handed them a twenty. “Ho, ho, ho. Thank you so much for helping this little girl. Buy yourselves some beer with the money.”

          I don’t know what these two young men thought, but they took the bill, nodded their thanks and drove off. Val gave Santa one last scowl before driving off herself.

It would take her years to see the humor in the whole situation. What kind of Santa gives somebody money for beer? In her mind it would have been so much less embarrassing if her step-dad, on his way to a Santa gig, would have just kept driving.

But that was our Val. 

All the Little Cookies from Christmases Past

 

Making the roll-out cookies in 2015

These were from 2010. I guess I haven't changed my decorating much. 

Looks like I was measuring the sugar to use on the spritz cookies in 2014.

Tried something different in 2017. Did not make them again. 

I don't know where these came. Could be store bought.

These were definitely professionally made. 

There's all the little cookies I make every year.

I've been watching way too many videos of a woman decorating her roll-out cookies with royal icing, so I had to look up the recipe and bought the secret ingredient at walmart yesterday. I'll keep you posted how that turns out!