Territorial Birthday Gift

Oklahoma is 100 years old this year. I'm having a birthday too but I'm not quite that old. However, I love old historical things and Oklahoma is full of late 1880s history. In fact, one town, Guthrie is a step back int time. The old buildings and homes of this first state capital town have been beatifully perserved. Every December, Guthrie hosts the Territorial Christmas celebration. Townsolk dress up and step back in time. There are carriage and trolly rides, historical tours, and at night a Victorian Walk in which the shop windows are filled with living Christmas cards, shop owners welcome you inside with a cup of wassail and warm cookies, carolers abound, children in period dress sell peanuts on the streets, and an entire building is filled with Christmas trees decorated by hand in wonderful old-time methods.

Visiting Guthrie and partaking of the great historical fun was my birthday present this year. And it was also GREAT research for the historical Christmas novella I am currently writing for Barbour.

Miracle of a new baby

I had the most amazing experience yesterday. My son and daughter-in-law invited Gene and I, along with her mom and grandparents, to a 4-D ultrasound of our unborn grandson, Noah. The place was set up very nicely with a large sectional for family and a nice twin bed for Mommy. Daddy had a chair beside the bed. A large screen, plus a TV screen were positioned so all could see. And then, the miraculous show began. Baby Noah, whom we await with great excitement anyway, is now so real to us. We've seen his precious face with the big eyes like his Daddy had, the tilted little nose and the perfect, round face. We've watched him kick his legs, cross his feet, and suck his fingers. He is a real, unique little person, blood of my blood, bone of my bone, that we have yet to meet.

Today's technology is marvelous. A baby is a miracle.

Advent thoughts

My family never celebrated advent. In fact, I didn't understand the concept until recently when I decided to put more Christ into my Christmas and less of the media's idea of the 'holiday'. I will never be politcally correct because, no matter how much a small, deluded group of people try to change it, Christmas is Christ. And more importantly, Christ is everything. And everything He brings into life, everything He stands for and wanted for us, is so wonderful and so positive and so loving. I cannot understand why anyone would want to push Him out of the season--or out of their lives, for that matter.

One of the ways I'm keeping focused on Jesus this season is by reading a scripture each day from the Old Testament that pointed to the coming Messiah. I am amazed and blessed to see how clearly God heralded Christ's birth and ministry over a thousand years before it happened! Check it out for yourself: Isaiah 9: 6 is perhaps the most amazingly clear, but there are many others.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Middle School kids are great!

I had the nicest experience recently. Moore West Middle School invited me to speak to 9th graders during their career day. I'll admit some trepidation. Ninth graders are not known to suffer fools gladly or to be polite or even politically correct unless they want to be. Well, I was wonderfully blessed by this group of kids. Six classes rotated through to hear my spiel on the joy of being a working novlist. They were awesome. The questions they asked were insightful and intelligent. They were polite and listened as though my words were gold. They were warm and welcoming. I think I may have even met a future John Grisham and a future Amy Tan.

Sure, some of them had weird hair and funky outfits. But beneath the tatoos and the orange dos, were a building full of great kids. I hope they invite me back some time.

Life is short--Pray hard and play hard, too!

Life is too short for drama & petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly!"--unknown

I don't know who wrote that, but I wish I had! It truly describes my feelings about life. We just don't have time for pettiness and unforgiveness. Life is a gift from God to relish and live as fully as we can. One thing I've learned along the journey is an absolute truth: Happiness is a choice that we make or don't make. And every moment we spend fussing or unhappy is a moment we'll want back some day.

Be blessed and joyful today and every day throughout this holy season of Jesus' birth.