"Never lose an opportunity

of seeing something beautiful,

for beauty is God's handwriting."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here in the country,

the moon shines through our curtains

like a glowing nightlight,

while during the day, a snowy egret 

steps daintily in the trickle of a stream

 out our window.

"The scene was lovely.  

The sky was all now--

the earth only a background

or pedestal for the heavens.

The river, far below,

shone here and there in answer to the moon,

while the meadows and fields 

lay as in the oblivion of sleep,

and the wooded hills were only dark, formless masses.

But the sky was the dwelling place of the moon,

before whose radiance, penetratingly still,

the stars shrunk as if they would hide in the 

flowing skirts of her garments.

There was scarce a cloud to be seen,

and the whiteness of the moon

made the blue thin."

George MacDonald,

my favorite 19th century Scottish author.

The house my parents built in Colorado

where many happy Christmas memories were made.

Well, the house is decorated for Christmas.  Our daughter who visited this morning suggested we leave the decorations up all year and let it be the Christmas house!  Yesterday I shopped till I dropped my fingers away from my phone after ordering online.   I read, "The worst part of online shopping is having to get up and get your credit card from your purse."  Agreed.  So, the majority of my shopping is done; Black Friday need not apply.  The only problem with early gift shopping is that things come along later appearing to be the perfect gift and resisting the urge to continue buying.  However, the nice thing about being forgetful is opening the packages that arrive in the mail as a big surprise!  "Oh, when did I order those coconut macaroon cookies?  I don't remember but am so glad I did!"  

My life verse as most of you know is, 

"Every good and perfect gift

is from above,

coming down from 

the Father of lights,

with whom there is no variation

or shifting shadow."

James 1:17

Unlike us who are limited in our means,

 our good Father keeps on giving richly,

in much the same generous spirit in which His Son

is preparing our mansions in heaven for us.

I've put my request in for a log cabin near the stables.

Maybe it will be our year round Christmas house
with decorating help from the Father of lights!