I have loads of great memories of past Halloweens. But the best one is of a “Dance Party” our family performed for my mom on her birthday. Dressed in silly wigs, glasses and hats, we shucked and jived through the kitchen while she watched from the adjoining room. I’m so grateful we recorded it; her delightful laughter is audible in the background.
In remembrance of JinJan, who was sweeter than a bag full of treats—and to share why she shone brighter than a jack-o’-lantern—I’m reposting a perfectly timed analogy of what gave my mom even greater joy than the silly antics of that particular birthday.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom. We love you and miss you.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
What Does It Mean To Be Made New?
by Liz Curtis Higgs (Reposted with permission. Original post found HERE)
When this Former Bad Girl received Christ, you can imagine what my coworkers thought when I danced out the door on a Friday afternoon shouting, “Party!” and then strolled in Monday morning saying, “Praise the Lord, I’ve been baptized!”
Did they notice? Oh, baby.
As spring turned into summer, I soared and stumbled along my new walk with Christ, watched carefully by my coworkers, who were curious about the changes they were seeing.
One October day, our receptionist asked me, “Liz, what does it mean to be a Christian?”
Uh-oh. The most important question ever. Did I have an answer at the ready? I did not. Desperately looking around for inspiration, I saw a ceramic pumpkin on display and stammered, “Oh, Alice, it’s just like being a pumpkin.”
“Really?” she asked. “What do you mean by that?”
Friend, I had no idea what I meant. After silently pleading for the Lord to make sense of my nonsense, I said, “Well, God chooses us out of the pumpkin patch of life.” Whew.
Who says you need a turkey and all the traditional sides or every loved one around your table to have a great day filled with laughter and gratitude? Who says you need to meet on the fourth Thursday in November? Not the out-of-the-box Burlesons. No sirreee, not in many a year! Last year, on the […]
Do you have fond memories of 7th grade? Maybe you were one of the cool kids or you had at least one loyal friendship to see you through those tumultuous, often cringe-worthy days, so the memories evoked by The Wonder Years—or similar coming of age shows—were not too painful. But the scene pictured above hit […]
Tradition. To be honest, I’m not one to stand on it. Turkey at Thanksgiving? Not necessarily. One year I served homemade lasagna — and my family loved it! But some ideas are worth adopting and turning into traditions, lived out year after year, like Noticing Your Necessary People, by Karen Ehman. And some virtues, like the ones noted in this Country Music Award Song of 2016 Continue reading
I bet you there is a celebration going on somewhere in our world RIGHT NOW. Whenever you read this post. Complete with big smiles, lots of laughter, loud cheering and maybe even a balloon parade! Continue reading
Rooted & Growing 