One of the great things about my journey over the past three months is my plans have not been constrained. I challenged myself to visit with the kids/grandkids/great-grandkids and meet and greet with other family and friends — new and old.
Take this leg of the journey. It was to be my last leg, a stop in South Carolina. Yesterday I had “planned” on heading back north with an overnight stay in or around Seaside Heights, NJ, for First Night Ocean County. As the days ticked down, I was unsure about the Jersey Shore weather. It turns out it will be about 45 degrees, but with the breeze coming off the ocean at around 10 mph, it will feel like the mid-30s. Not bad — I’ve been there for worse. But I didn’t know the forecast until earlier this week. There was weather chatter about colder, windier and wetter conditions, so I opted for New Year’s Eve fireworks here in 60 degree Murrells Inlet, SC, with the family.
It will cap a 2 1/2 week stay here in South Carolina. I am going to extend it through the weekend, then reverse tracks to Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, New York, and Massachusetts (with a side trip to Maine for a routine, annual doctor’s appointment).
South Carolina has been warm and inviting, quiet with a few adventures thrown in. Here are some of the highlights since entering the Palmetto State Dec. 14. It’s motto is Dum spiro spero or While I Breathe I Hope.
Hope is evident here. It showed up at services at Lowcountry Community Church where music and message got us ready for Christmas and the new year. The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service was special. Sundays typically started with all you can eat breakfast at the Beaver Bar ($5), followed by the church service.
Of course, it’s always a blessing to watch a Packer game with my son and/or family, and I got to watch three with my youngest son!
Angelina and I wandered around the marsh walk — a trail connecting the pubs and restaurants in colorful downtown Murrells Inlet. Angelina went on a barking spree with the pirate but let other visitors pet her. Go figure. Blessing was getting out in shorts and interacting with new people (locals — they were bundled up in sweaters and sweatshirts). Despite a driving wind, Angelina and I also made it back to the beach and watched an angry sea for a few minutes before wading back.
The family and I spent a day at the beach … in December … at 70 degrees — watching the waves lap onto shore, people soaking in the sun, kids and dogs playing, gulls wading in the surf, gentle breeze keeping kites afloat.
Angelina and I watched the sun rise (without the sun cooperating) at Belin Church on the Murrells Inlet marsh and Jay and I feasted at funky Hamburger Joe’s.
Speaking of Angelina, she warmed up to the South Carolina canine crew. It took her a couple of days to jump into play time with Huckleberry. It took longer — like almost two weeks — to tolerate Dobbie, a four week old English bulldog. Little Dobbie is quite expressive and Angelina wanted no part of him. She is just now getting around to tolerating the exuberant munchkin.
This entire trip has allowed me to see my grandkids shine. Here, I enjoyed a Winter Concert at Waccamaw High School. Granddaughter Karly was in all three sets — Concert Band, Waccamaw Chamber Ensemble, and Symphonic Band. That’s her on the end playing trumpet.
Nights were awesome (except when it rained). One night I enjoyed a crystal clear star-studded sky when I took Angelina out. All I could say was Wow!
Jay, the kids and I watched some Christmas movies to while away the pre-Christmas nights {and afterwards}. It was a joy watching the family create Christmas decorations and ornaments.
I completed a Christmas story — Yes, There Is a Santa … And I’ve Met Him Personally Many Times. I sent it to my kids to pre-read. It was suggested I film myself reading it and Facebook Live-feeding it to my grandkids {and anyone else who mighgt have been interested}.. They were my beta readers (listeners). Mission accomplished.
I’ve been cooking a meal on my journey, and this segment’s menu included Chicken Kiev for the family (by request)! Turned out pretty good.
Christmas in the South is a little different. People don’t go all out with decorations, but I noticed the Christmas lights on the house across the street. With palm trees, Spanish moss, and temps in the 60s it’s easy to forget the season … and the reason for the season. They helped me stay focused.
I had been getting a message my phone storage was dangerously low. I thought it was my stored photos, but couldn’t figure out how to transfer without deleting. Enter my granddaughter. With a click on an icon, push of a keystroke, and voila! 2,023 photos transferred off the phone and onto my drive without losing a single one.
That’s the latest chapter. I’ll keep you posted about the postscripts!
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. — Eleanor Roosevelt
The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.
A friend of mine tells the story of returning home after a long trip and feeling guilty over the travel demands of his work. Any fear of an icy welcome was obliterated when his young daughter threw her arms around him, “I love you, Daddy!”
What is one of the most important things we should do as Christians? Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).
We come to You, Lord, because prayer is the least yet the greatest thing we can do for each other. When two or more are gathered in Your name, we confidently know You are with us. What better company can we have? You reign and we trust You! We may be broken and battered but know You heal and quiet the soul. You are the source for all that happens in our lives. We thank You for the progress being made. We thank You for the many blessings we have received this week — some we unfortunately didn’t notice. Nonetheless, those blessings are ever-present in our lives. We thank You for healing. We thank You for slowing us down. We thank You for providing us our daily needs — no more and no less. We thank You for being with us, listening to us, walking with us on this journey. We thank You for the support of our family and friends … for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary — sunrises, sunsets, flowers, kids laughing, adventures, good news amid the bad news. We know we can come to You with our concerns and they will be heard. Through Christ all things are possible. We lift up those family members and friends who are battling various physical, emotional, financial, career or spiritual issues and ask not for Your guidance and healing (although that would be welcomed) but to keep reminding us we are not alone in our battles. Specifically we lift up Isaac, Tyler, Jazzy, Meggs, Rae, Theresa, Tim, Diana, Leah, Joe, and all those needing Your healing and guiding touch. We pray for the families of all those You have called home. We grieve … You celebrate. We pray for obedience to Your Will so Your “Son” Light shines through us through the power of the Spirit. And we come to You through the confidence of the words taught by Your Son Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
This year, I’ll share a commercial — for Five Minute Friday. It’s a primer on what it is all about with the hope you might be inclined to join our group in the new year and contribute your two cents worth — in five minutes or so.
“It has been such a joy and privilege to serve this community, to find new ways to build community, to share in each other’s joys and sorrows, and to offer blogging tips and writing advice along the way.”
Yes, we are predominately a Christian community — imperfect, flawed or, as I read this morning, caterpillars on our way to butterflies. And the community is predominately composed of women, from many young home schooling mothers to pastors to matronly grandmothers and all stations in between. That’s a plus for me. I need the support from women to keep me from becoming a jaded curmudgeon in this winter season of my life.
But those are just numbers. My inclination is to keep doing what is apparently working but my inner self says keep asking. What do you like? What don’t you like? How can I make this blog spot more relevant? For you!
Without skewing the feedback, suffice it to say each segment has found its own audience — some more, some less, some regularly, some periodically. But, again, the question is what you think about them. Which ones do you like? Which ones are you not as fond of? How could they be tweaked and/or improved?
They Never Die
For many of us, life seems to have shifted into the fast lane, and Christmas seems to come upon us earlier and earlier each year. With so much to do and little time to do it, we may find ourselves becoming grumpy, often mimicking familiar scenes from A Christmas Carol. With time at a premium, our thoughts seem to be consumed with what still has to be done or bought rather than focusing on the real reason we celebrate Christmas.
This Christmas, let us ask for help in attaining these virtues. And as a New Year resolution – which we can start today – let’s attempt to practice them in our daily lives.
© Copyright 2010 Steve Haupt & Chris Loesch
But there must have been more than that. Don’t be afraid to bring Mary home as your wife, even though you are about to begin a marriage like no other marriage in history — one which will be overshadowed from the beginning by the coming of the Son of God. Don’t be afraid, even though this baby will be God incarnate — even though raising Him is beyond imagination — even though He will have enemies right and left, and they will break your heart. Don’t be afraid.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to be my Savior — and the Savior of all the world. Amen.
The Light 