~ A secret, "I Love You Hand Squeeze" ~

Things were very hard for me when I was young. There was a lot of stress. When I was very young, my mom came up with an idea on how to tell me she loved me when we were out and she might not be able to talk at the time ( like when everyone stands to sing at church, at school etc... ) She told me that she would squeeze my hand three times in a row and that would always mean ~ I. Love. You!!! Many times I would be standing in church singing the hymns with everyone else, while holding my mom's hand, and all of a sudden she would squeeze my hand three times. I would squeeze back three times. This meant SO much to me when I was young and going through difficult times. This is something that you can do with your child or grandchild and it will mean the world to them!! A secret hand squeeze that says SO much!!

~ The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey ~

We recently watched this wonderful movie!! It is now one of my very favorites and reminds me of the movie, "Miss Potter" The scenes in this movie are just beautiful and the story is just wonderful!! I almost didn't buy it because I didn't know it would be such a great movie from the cover of the DVD. If you loved, "Miss Potter" then you have to see this movie!! It can be found at Walmart, Amazon, or by doing a search on Google!!
Get cozy and have a big bowl of popcorn at hand because you are about to watch a very special movie!!

~ What Gift Did You Give? ~

What gift did you give? No, I am not talking about the gift you gave to your spouse, your child, or friend. I am talking about the gift you are giving HIM!! Our Lord. To celebrate His birth!! Think about all the things you could give Him this Christmas. There are things you can actually write down on paper and put in the manger or under the tree. How about giving Him the gift of not worrying; giving your worries to Him. How about patience or giving Him your problem with anger. How about the gift of befriending someone that you know needs a friend!? The list can go on and on. You choose!! Write your gift to Him on paper and truly give it to Him!! This would be wonderful to do as a family, or alone. Don't forget to give the Lord your gift as we celebrated His birth!!

Merry Christmas!!

~ Christmas Ideas ~

~ Fun Christmas Ideas ~
Here are some wonderful ideas to make your Christmas special

~ As a family read about The Lord's birth in the Bible
~ Decorate the Christmas tree differently this year or buy a new ornament
~ Visit someone in a nursing home- Maybe someone that doesn't have family
~ Give a secret gift to a friend or neighbor
~ Build a snowman or fort
~ Go sledding and out for hot cocoa and doughnuts afterwards
~ Watch Christmas movies and pop popcorn
~ Go caroling as a family or with friends
~ Make a new Christmas dessert
~ Shovel snow for an elderly person
~ Give Christmas gifts to a family in need
~ Make a special meal and take some to a friend or someone without family
~ Have a dollar gift exchange with someone for fun and see what you come up with
~ Play a new game
~ Hide a little gift under your spouses or child's pillow
~ Start a blessings journal for the New Year
~ Call a friend and wish them a Merry Christmas
~ Have a snowball fight
~ Write notes to those that gave you something
~ See a Christmas play
~ Have a cookie exchange
~ Send a gift or note to a soldier
~ Visit a new church that you have been wanting to visit

~ Down in The Dumps!? ~

Do you ever feel down in the dumps? Do you ever feel like you are in a deep pit or that this time you are having a hard time getting out of it? I have recently been going through quite a time with these feelings and a lot of it had to do with my dad's death and then right after that my mom wasn't well and then during all of that some other very hard things were thrown my way. I started really feeling like I was in the deepest pit I had ever been in and I tried SO hard just to get through each day and continued to pray that this struggle would all be over soon. Before my dad passed away, my cousin sent me a book called, "Lies Women Believe" It was written by Nancy Leigh DeMoss who I have such respect for. She reminds me so very much of Elisabeth Elliott. The book is all based on the Bible and how we believe the lies the enemy whispers to us. I think we all go throughout each day forgetting that we fight an invisible battle(Ephesians 6:10-20)!! That satan really wants us to become miserable and unhappy. The way he does this is through the lies he whispers to us. A lot of times we believe those whispers (thoughts). We believe we are fat, ugly, unworthy, unloveable etc... Some of us even believe that God could never love us because of the choices we have made. These are all lies from the enemy; wanting to steal our joy, our happiness, and make us believe these lies.

I began reading so many books and each time I read a new book I would also have my Bible to look up the scriptures given in the book I was reading. I can tell you that I am still going through a hard time, but things are getting better!! If each of us can remember that we are fighting an invisible war and if we can work each and every day at not letting the enemy win and not believing the lies, I know we will begin to see a huge change in our lives.

A book I had heard about and recently found at our library, "Get Out of that Pit" by Beth Moore has been another awesome book that is filled with Biblical truth and I feel can be a huge help to those that are struggling. One thing I did as a young girl, and wrote about here on my blog is a, " Happy Diary" I just saw a show on this, but they were calling it a," Gratitude Journal" They suggested ( and this is what I did growing up ) that before going to bed you write down 5 things you are thankful for (5 happy things that happened that day). You do this every day and before you know it you are going through the day looking for happy things to write about that evening. This worked for me and I have heard others say it has changed their life!!

~ A Devotional By Gary Chapman ~

The Importance of Attitude

Attitude as a Choice- I am responsible for my own attitude. My spouse may treat me unkindly or ignore me, but I am still responsible for choosing my thoughts. Love always seeks the well being of the other person. When you choose the attitude of love, you are asking yourself: What is best for my spouse in this situation? That always means holding your spouse accountable for unacceptable behavior.
Outside Help-Trouble is inevitable, but misery is optional. Attitude has to do with the way I choose to think about things. Maintaining a positive attitude in a troubled marriage may seem impossible, but the Christian has outside help. "Lord, help me to see my marriage the way you see it. Help me to view my spouse the way you view them. Help me to think the thoughts that you have toward them." This kind of praying will lead you to a positive attitude.
The High Road-A positive attitude can be the salvation of a difficult situation. We must not yield to our natural tendencies. We must seek to walk the high road of looking for God’s hand in everything. Even in a troubled marital situation, God is always at work.
Scripture's Challenge for You-The challenge of keeping a positive attitude is not a new idea. It is found clearly in the first-century writing of Paul the apostle. He wrote: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds. ...Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.” Phil. 4:4-7.
What's Your Attitude? -One reason my attitudes are so important is that they affect my actions: that is my behavior and words. If I have a pessimistic, defeatist, negative attitude it will be expressed in negative words and behavior. The reality is that I may not be able to control my environment: sickness, alcoholic spouse, mother who abandoned me, spouse who is irresponsible, aging parents, etc. But I am responsible for what I do within my environment.
If you want to know your attitude, look at your words and behavior. And, your behavior greatly influences your spouse.
Excerpt taken from Loving Solutions: Overcoming Barriers in Your Marriage by Dr. Gary Chapman. To find out more about Gary Chapman's resources, visit http://moodypublishers.c.topica.com/maaiXpCabDdSdbK0xUfcafpRrd/.