Snow Hill, NC 28580
jeanietaylor@jeanie-taylor.com
What's Inside
November 18, 2021
I love the holiday season. My neighbors are beginning to decorate for Christmas, and soon the neighborhood will be aglow with lights. It truly is a beautiful sight every year.
When I was a child, I was amazed by the homes that were all decked out in lights. I envied all the blown plastic Christmas decorations that adorned the porches and yards.
Our Saturday night entertainment consisted of riding around and "seeing the lights." My sister and I could barely wait for these outings and would repeatedly ask when we were going. I think Mama and Daddy were just as excited as we were. They would point out the houses as we slowly drove past, "Look at these!"
Back at home, our yard was dark except for the porch light, the red plug-in candles in the front windows, and our tree.
We always had a beautiful tree that in my early childhood was decorated with handmade ornaments and fragile glass ornaments my parents received from their parents. The highlight of decorating the tree was tossing the icicles on it, and my favorite ornaments were the gold plastic ornaments that had nativities inside of them. On top of the tree was a gold plastic topper that had a bell on each side and a light in the center.
Even though I loved our tree and each treasured ornament, I was envious of those houses that were all "lit up," but my parents were content with our simple tree. When I would ask if we could decorate outside, Mama and Daddy would remind me when we are home we can only see what is inside of the house.
There are so many valuable lessons my parents taught me with simple decorations and focusing on what's inside. So many of us, myself included, try to live above our means just to have a few weeks or one day of "all lit up," but when the lights come down, when Christmas day is over, we have still "gotta" live. My parents knew this, and that was why they were content with a simple tree. They knew what was important in life.
The most valuable lesson, though, was to focus on the inside. Like houses, we need not only focus on how pretty we make our outside for others to see, but the inside where we see and more importantly, where God sees.
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." 1 Peter 3: 3-4
Grief at the Holidays
December 3, 2021
As I attempt to navigate the holidays, yet again, I see an unclear course. Grief tends to cloud our way, no matter who we are. The loss of loved ones who were the center of lifelong traditions leaves us floundering for how to move forward.
Traditions are wonderful, but when those traditions are abruptly interrupted, what do we do? My cousin told me after she lost her father, my uncle, the second round of holidays without him was the worst. How right she was! The first year we are still trying to accept our loss. The second year, it seems the entire world has moved on, except us.
Some pain we do not "get over" or "get through"; we just adapt to its presence in our lives. However, the holidays that were once filled with tradition and love are now simply vacant.
Do not get me wrong, I know the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, that does not change the fact that we surround ourselves with people we love at the holidays and the loss of those people is all the more obvious during the holiday season. As Christians, we know we will one day see our loved ones who accept Christ as their saviour, and there is great comfort in knowing we will see them again. For the present, though, we are constantly reminded of their absence in our lives.
I have always busied myself with stuff, and now, as I face a second year without either of my parents, I find myself even more "busy." There are alone times that the realization of their absence becomes overwhelmingly real.
I pray for everyone who is suffering from loss, whether it's a death or some other loss. Adapting to our current situation is as temporary and ever-changing as the traditions to which we look forward every year.
I have no great advice for anyone on how to adapt with grief. Every day, for me, it changes, and I am certain I am not alone. Just choose today. Find new ways to incorporate tradition that once brought you happiness. It is okay to be sad, but we cannot allow ourselves to lose sight of all the good things that remain.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Christmas Countdown
Greetings
December 14, 2021
Here we are less than two weeks before Christmas, and I still have not addressed my Christmas cards. I love Christmas cards. I love sending them and receiving them, but time is an issue.
In this day of social media greetings and texts, it's difficult to imagine a time when correspondence was done with lengthy handwritten letters. We find it rude when someone does not respond to a five second text or at least click an emoji on a social media post. Likewise, people of the Victorian age found it extremely rude when someone did not respond to a letter they had taken the time to write.
So, enters Sir Henry Cole of the UK, who found himself swamped with letters and little available time to answer each one with a handwritten response. Like our modern day emojis, a less time-consuming response was needed, and thus, the brilliant idea of Christmas cards was born.
Although Christmas cards can be traced back to 1611, the custom to which we are familiar began in 1843. Sir Henry Cole developed his idea along with his artist friend, John Horsley. Together they designed the first Christmas card and sold them for one shilling each. It took a few decades for the idea to catch on in the UK and the US, and WOW, did it catch on!
The first Christmas card originating in the United States was in 1875. Louis Prang, a Prussian immigrant, is credited with printing the first Christmas card in the US. The card was a painting of a flower with a greeting of "Merry Christmas." The cards were works of art.
Card publishers organized competitions and offered cash prizes for the best designs. With an appreciation of the artistry of the cards, people began collecting Christmas cards. Much like books, movies, and art today, new card designs were reviewed in newspapers in the late 1800s.
In 1915, a Kansas City postcard printing company started by Joyce Hall, published its first holiday card. Rollie and William Hall later joined their brother, Joyce, to form The Hall Brothers company, which would become Hallmark. Their company adopted the design of the four inch by six inch folded card with an envelope.
Now, that you have a bit of the history of the Christmas card, what does the Christmas card mean today? For me, it's greetings and wishes from loved ones. I used to only send cards to people I didn't see often. My card sending has since grown to also include neighbors and my church family.
There is something really special about receiving a card that someone has taken the time to send. I treasure the cards and have saved many over the years. I once was more organized and would box and label each year's cards with the intent of creating something with them.
My mama initiated my desire to save cards. When I was a child, Mama saved the cards & the following year, my sister and I cut them up & made "new" cards with glitter and construction paper.
Last year, I pulled some of the cards I had saved out and ended up sitting for hours just reading them all. So many friends and loved ones are no longer with me, and I thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing. I planned to create something special with those cherished mementos, but after reading them, I boxed them all again to read another day.
Luke 2:10-11
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
Stormy Seas
January 6, 2022
Isaiah 43:2
2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."
There are times in our lives when it seems we are drifting alone in a raging sea. Our tiny boat has lost its oars, and we are drifting in the dark and hoping beyond hope that our little boat does not sink.
Here's the thing, y'all. Ships do not sink because of the water around them. They sink because of the water inside them.
When we are inside that drifting boat and the waters are raging around us, we tend to focus on the water and not the boat. For our boat to be storm-worthy, we must take time to prepare our boat before the storm comes. I am certain you will agree that drifting along without preparation for the storms that will come is irresponsible, and if you enjoy boating, frankly, you would never neglect your boat.
Likewise, we cannot expect ourselves to get through the storms of life if we are not prepared. Spending time with God in His word and through prayer prepares us for the storms. We cannot expect to easily navigate the storms when they come if our inner being is not prepared.
So often, people only speak to God when they are desperate for His help and when they are overwhelmed by life's circumstances. If we wait to talk with Him when we are in the middle of the storm, it will be much harder, if not impossible, to feel His presence. Like the waters around the tiny boat, the troubles around us will be our focus. We will be so consumed by those troubles that we will be unable to make certain that our "little boat" is seaworthy.
If our focus is daily on God, when the bad times come, we will find comfort in knowing He is with us in the boat. The storms raging about us will not overtake our boat because He is in control, and because of our daily devotion to Him, our boat is seaworthy for whatever the situation.