Walking an OLD, THIN line....

Here we are again...
the "holiday" season.

It is the HARDEST time of year for us.

Not because of money or gifts....
but because we sit on the outside of tradition...
MOST
OF
THE
TIME.

THIS part of our life has been  JOURNEY.

In 1998:
Our faith was NEW to us. I was just getting my footing and in my spiritual life and had just been SAVED.
Everything was new to us....we were a NEW family.
We were unsure of the way WE WANTED to handle holidays.
So we DIDN'T. We shunned them...completely.
We didn't go to dinners. We didn't exchange presents. We didn't "believe" in Santa Clause.

As you can imagine.....
THAT
WAS
FUN
and the parents LOVED that! (Right, Mom and Dad? LOL)

NOT!!!!
But, in my mind...It was necessary.
Until I could decipher the TRUTH from the NON-TRUTH in the holidays and the traditions....we would refrain.

And we did JUST THAT....for years.

Then...as we became more comfortable in OUR FAITH-
we
loosened
up
a
bit.


It was a journey from VERY STRICT and JUDGEMENTAL(although I would not like to ADMIT that to myself sometimes)..
to NOW.

Now...we participate in SOME traditions.
We choose the ones that are full of TRUTH and haven't been watered-down by "American culture".

We have Thanksgiving dinner with family...but we talk about the TRUTH behind the holiday.

We still don't do SANTA...but we are considering dinners.

Like I said...it has been a JOURNEY.

So...as you can imagine-
When I got my curriculum for the school year...I was so STOKED to get a book called "Celebrating biblical Feasts".

It is a great book that helps you celebrate all the Feasts and Holidays that CHRIST would have celebrated.....
He was JEWISH.

So all of the Feasts are Jewish feasts this year.

Last week we celebrated Rosh Hashanah.

I have learned that I LOVE these amazing feasts.

They are filled with tradition and an ancient feel.
I love the way these Jewish holidays have not been "diluted" and contaminated by money, gifts, and fictional characters that SURELY take away from the TRUTH.

It has been wonderful to start to think of how we can "meet in the middle" with our family and friends....
a blessing to ponder what OUR HOLIDAYS will look like after years of creating OUR  OWN CULTURE.

The Slow Burn....

Here we are again....

A holiday.

EASTER.

For our family...it is a delicate walk.

From where we once were to where we are has been a LONG JOURNEY.

It has taken a good DECADE to become comfortable in WHO WE ARE and WHAT THAT means.

It has been a SLOW BURN of sorts.

A slow DE-PROGRAMMING of American thoughts and traditions that were EMBEDDED in our brains from childhood.

A ritualistic UN-WASHING of our brains.....

A life in the MAKING....


We have made the choice as a family to NOT follow the crowd.

Surprised????

I bet. LOL.

We have chosen to be VERY TRADITIONAL in the holiday department...not traitional in the "AMERICAN traditions" kind of way, more like in the ANCIENT WAY.

We have decided for ourselves to go STRAIGHT to the ROOT.

We have made a choice to forgo all the "flowery and comfortable" parts of holidays and family traditions.

Not because we don't want to be WITH our family or share in family traditions, but because,for us- we want to go --------->

STRAIGHT
TO
THE
ROOT

TRUST me...it would be MUCH easier for us to just "go with the flow".
It would be MUCH easier NOT having an awkward moment with the grocery store checkout lady when she asks the kids, "What did the Easter Bunny bring you?"

TRUST ME...those moments take some getting used to.

It is a narrow line we walk.

We want to honor Christ....and remember who he TRULY is.

But we DON'T WANT to surrender ourselves either.

We want to be MINDFUL of the things we teach and tell our kids.

But we DON'T want to ALIENATE ourselves or our family and friends...

So here we sit....walking that line.

Always trying to find our way in THIS world.

Drawing our strength from our ROOTS.

Bending as not to BREAK.

On the inside….

Its been 9 years since we’ve celebrated Halloween.

In those 9 years…I haven’t really THOUGHT about it too much.

We basically have just SHUT OURSELVES out of it.

We turn off the lights and seclude ourselves inside..

leaving all that is “Halloween” on the outside.

It is a choice we have made after learning the TRUE meaning of halloween and the roots that are behind it.

It is a “controversial” choice…I know.

Believe me….If I had 1 piece of candy for every time someone said “Aww…you don't let your kids dress up???” or “Awwww….that is sad..No candy???”….I would have TONS of candy.

Please…don’t feel sorry for them-they are in no way DEPRIVED of candy…

AND- they have a TON of dress up clothes.

It’s not sad…at all.

BUT…

this year….things are different.

I work…in a bar.

And

I have to work ALL weekend on Halloween weekend.

Friday

Saturday

Sunday(AND I have to DRESS UP!!!!  Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!)

Which means…..

I am “OUT THERE” on Halloween.

For the first time in YEARS…I am out there.

And let me tell you……….It is CRAZY.

I mean seriously…I see ALOT of things at Tradewinds.

ALOT of CRAZY THINGS.

But

Halloween…make take the cake.

CRAZY.

But…

As I have thought about this more and more …

I think that God has put this in my life as a lesson.

as usual….

If you haven’t figured it out yet I am BROKEN and yucky on the inside sometimes….I need work.

Lots.

This forces me to FACE my battle HEAD ON.

It forces me to take a HARD look at myself and realize that sometimes the lesson is to LOOSEN UP.

To recognize these things for what they are….

To just let it go  and

DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

Sometimes it is just that simple…..

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Psalm 107
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.
“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High. That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.

Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron. Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.
Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

The godly will see these things and be glad, while the wicked are struck silent. Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

A Vacation in Pictures….

   

     

We had a GREAT time with Pawpaw and Mimi Suzy.

I asked EACH of the kids what their FAVORITE thing they did was and HERE it is:

SHEBA:

“I liked making the cupcake!  It was fun and tasted like strawberry cupcakes!”

MALACHI:

“I liked getting my Heelys, and making the GIANT cupcake.   Geo-caching was fun too!!!  I liked the travel bug Sheba found.”

SHASHAMANE:

“I liked the fort!  We got to hear the cannons ..it was only sound.”

EZEKIEL:

“My favorite was Geo-caching.  I liked the one near the ampitheatre.  It was right near a palm tree and it had 1 travel bug in it. It was pretty hard to find.  We tried twice.  It was in a place where there was water for the people to drink while they made coquina bricks!!!”

(love the history lesson in the last one!!!  Thanks Pawpaw!!!)

We also got a Wiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They LOVE it!!!!

I have to referee …..ALOT NOW!

I also got an AMAZING little gadget called a FLIP VIDEO…

STINKIN’ AWESOME!!!!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

We had a great time and hated to see them go.

they ONLY thing that gets me thru is ……

My MOM, SISTER and NEICE are NEXT!!!!!!

Family is such a blessing and every year I REALIZE it MORE.