Five Things...(PM)

News for Monday:

1. Baby Jacob from prior post is stable after surgery. They moved him to the cancer ward in hopes of keeping him more sterile. Still infection there, but he is stable for now. Many thanks for those who encouraged, prayed, and gave consolation today. When you grow burdened, nothing like it. Those who leave prayers here I plan to copy the parts that apply and send them down to the family...in a busy holiday season, just being remembered, even by those they don't know has to mean so much. As much as they blessed my heart to read today, it had to move the heart of God to tears. All in His plan...His hands.

2. Claimed moments of "serendipity" today I needed. Reading Chronicles of Narnia Prequel with my son his first day off for break.

If you've seen the movie, it's worth getting The Magician's Nephew to know how Narnia came to be, where Aslan began, how the White Witch got there, and how there came to be talking animals...all questions I had watching the movie.

C.S. Lewis wrote the prequel last, intending it to be read first. They left this part out of the movie. Many read the book and then go back later...either way, go back and find it. Good reading. Read it with your kids if they chose to read it. You'll enjoy it thorougly, and can then explain to impressionable aged kids why the lure to magic is so easy, and so opposed to the true Godly power of love and Christ. Even so-called "white magic". How it clouds the mind to His voice and true power...so evident in the books if not in the movie in the character development.

Trying to keep up with my son's reading today! This can't keep up all week or I'll never get anything ready for Christmas! Bbut I'm enjoying explaining it to him and reading aloud some as I have time.

3. Got my 10 yr. anniversary diamond wrap" back from the jeweler. Double wow! All they did was super clean it. Dang! It didn't look this good new!

I'd always wanted to have replaced one black diamond on one side that was ugly...in getting a gift, I asked about getting it replaced...cost and all. He said, "Let's clean it good first, could be dirt." I'm like, "How could it be 'dirt' when it was like that when I bought it? But, can't hurt to try, right? First day, still looked grey. He said, "You know, it almost looks like glue stuck on there are something under there. In which case I used the wrong cleaner. We could try a solvent. "

Not crazy about letting it go away from my hand another night, but I let him keep it to soak and scrub again. Then will all the excitement last week, I couldn't go get it. But, I had someone pick it up for me and when I saw it...Whoa! It sparkled like you would not believe! I said, "How can this be?" She said there was something like superglu that had run down under all the diamonds...they scraped all that and cleaned it--that black diamond WAS dirty way down underneath! Not a big diamond at all, but still it was dark beside my engagment ring. Now it's all pretty and shiney, a big surprise, a cheap fix, and a great delight to me. Ten bucks.

4. A friend dropped by with a Christmas gift today. Delight. My first gift this season.

5. Now to plan a Christmas dinner to cook for Grandma for the first year. Turkey and dressing and the fixings. I think I can. I want to. Tomorrow, lots of stops and errands. Thank God for mothers who live close by and can help me with kids! I seriously do not know what the rest of you do for sanity. May someone "mother you" this holiday! That's my wish for you.

me