New Year Wishes

Ahh...a New Year...2010 to be exact. Upon the dawning of each New Year...I find myself musing, thinking, pondering, reflecting upon the past year and things that stand out to me from the past 365 days. The good, the bad and yes...the ugly. I try to take the lessons from the past year and hope to apply what I learned in the new one.

As you reflect upon the upcoming year, find forgiveness where it is needed; plant seeds of love and water daily to see them grow and blossom; keep hope and faith in your heart because where ever there is light...darkness will not prevail.

I wish you blessings, love, joy, peace and all good things this coming year. If you find that something is not so good, my prayer for you is that you will think of this precious verse from our Father in Heaven, from Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things".

God bless you and send you a Happy New Year! Happy 2010, friends!

Love,

Kasey

The First Christmas

There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries. ~W. J. Cameron

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace". Isaiah 9:6

Amen and Amen! Praise God for that very first Christmas and what it means to mankind! I hope the spirit of Christmas will dwell in your hearts throughout this Season and the years to come of your life. Praise our heavenly Father for sending His beloved son Jesus, to forgive our sins and wash us clean, making us as pure white as snow. In the precious words of my friend Anne, "Thank you God for the best gift...Salvation, Forgiveness, Eternal Love, and Everlasting Peace".

Merry Christmas!!

God bless you and keep you, friends.

xoxo -

Kasey

Poem (StreetLight)

As we drive down the street at night

I see the streetlights Shine

Then Fade

Then Shine

Then Fade

Then I think...is this really my life?

Is this me?

Is this the person I was meant to be?

Numbness...

Then reality hits...

Yes...this is it...this is your reality.

Check

We'll see...

Time always tells.

Time is my friend...

Peace...

I can change my reality.

Unbeknownst to those unlike me.

Watch and see.

Happy Christmas...The Unprecedented Charles Dickens...

"Happy, happy Christmas that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home"! ~ Charles Dickens

What a beautiful quote by Charles Dickens; another extraordinary man of his time. There are so many lovely thoughts in this quote...and when I really think about it...Christmastime, is always such a beautiful time of year. I believe even the hardest of hearts soften even just a little during this special time. Children delight in the Christmas season and their parent's and grandparent's delight right along with them. There is no other time throughout the year quite like Christmastime.

Dear friends, I wish for you the quote above and more! I wish for you; quiet moments to reflect upon the beauty of Christmas...warm fires to sit by and enjoy, good books to curl up to, nice cups of coffee to share with a friend or enjoy by yourself, tall glasses of red wine to enjoy with family and friends, Christmas cards with beautiful photos of family and friends along with their beautiful inscriptions, most of all I wish you Love.

Let's remember to pray for and remember those let fortunate than us, those that cannot enjoy the things above and also for those that haven't heard the good news about what Christmas truly means; God's love for mankind and that He sent His son Jesus, for us.

Much love my friends,

Kasey

Love and Loss: Redemption

Here is my 2nd "click" story that I submitted for my good friend Leslee's blog "Waiting for the Click"...please read and enjoy!

Love,

Kasey

http://lesleehorner.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/midnitemonologues-click-2/

Christmas Caroling

When I was just a girl, I remember watching my sweet Grandma direct the choir at our church. She had such a love for music and still does...it seems to permeate through her. If you know anything about my Grandma...you would know she loves music. She can play the piano by ear...play the auto harp by ear...and sing beautifully...she is so gifted in that "department"...and she has certainly used her gifts to the best of her abilities. (She ended up directing the choir for 50 years...she did this as a volunteer).

This post is about one of the gifts that she impressed upon me...Christmas Caroling...when I think of Christmas...I always think of caroling with my Grandma years ago. I remember seeing injured people that we would sing for and their loved ones crying at the sweetness of the songs we sang...it truly touched their hearts that we were there and were singing these songs for them. I also remember singing for the elderly and the smiles that would light up their sweet faces as we sang to them...sometimes they would even sing along with us. I think the strongest emotion that was in the air during these times was love. Those songs, the fact that we were there, singing for them...letting them know that someone cared...that someone loved them...that was the most beautiful thing to me.

My Grandma knows this, thankfully she is still here...blessing me with her wisdom, love and kindness daily and I have discussed these wonderful memories with her and what they mean to me...and now...I try to follow in her footsteps. This was the second year that I was able to put together an evening for my fellow church members to go out and sing to the sick and elderly in our community. We travelled to two different assisted living places this year...and what a wonderful experience it was! To see the children in our group hugging and loving on these precious individuals was absolutely amazing! To see the faces of the folks we visited and sang for light up like Christmas lights was nothing short of awing...it fills my heart with joy to let these folks know that even though they may feel so alone at times...they are not. One of the ladies we had the privilege to sing for had just celebrated her 100th birthday.

I hope that my children will remember these special times and that it will forever be imprinted on their hearts...a love for the elderly...the injured...the less fortunate...and that when they are older, they will have the desire and the drive to go out and perhaps sing...but definitely "do" for and help others.

Love,

Kasey

"Peacock today...Feather duster tomorrow"...

Ahh yes...those were the insightful words of one of my past co-workers. We worked in retail together...cosmetic retail to be exact...and those pompous men and women (mostly women) who would trudge through our counters was truly something to behold. Oh yes, they came in all different shapes and sizes...from many different backgrounds. They weren't the majority thank goodness...perhaps 25% who walked around with their noses in the air as if they didn't put their pants on the same way in the mornings as the rest of the "common world". At first I didn't know what to think of them...then after a while I felt myself feeling slightly "beneath" them myself...until those hysterical...but true words came rolling off of my friend's witty tongue, "Peacock today, feather duster tomorrow". How sad, but true that is for these persons...unfortunately for them. Now I see them for the lost individuals they are...constantly trying to keep up with - or outdo rather "The Jones'". The never ending shallow, empty relationships they pursued. What a terrible state!

I am thankful to be out of that "chapter" in my life...it was harder for me then, but, I did learn some valuable life lessons and came out...maybe not as a peacock...but perhaps...hopefully...a wise old owl (smile).

xoxo -

Kasey

Christianity: The Simple Truth: Take 1

In the world we live in today...Christianity and the need for God's Word (The Bible) has most definitely become "watered down"...and I'll even go as far as saying that it has become "a chore" , "a burden", even "routine" for the most devout Christians. How utterly and ridiculously sad is that? The Christians of today are not the same as the Christians of 2000 years ago...the martyrs...the crucified...the beheaded...the stoned. What a stand they took...what a love they had for their religion...no...their love was for their Father...God...and for their brother, savior, and teacher, Jesus Christ.

Over the next few weeks, years, decades...heck...I don't know...how ever long it takes...I want to discuss certain points of Christianity...I won't be doing it every day...only when the inspiration comes over me. I am going to take it very slowly...one point at a time...there is so much...it will be difficult...some posts will be longer than others...please just bear with me.

Let's start...well...at the beginning: God is. God always has been and always will be. Is it really that simple? Yes.

Before the earth was created, before the universe was created, God existed. God, his Holy Spirit, and his son, Jesus were in existence always. The Godhead, the three in One. That is a huge concept to take in...but...it is the simple and absolute truth. There are so very many things that we as humans cannot wrap our brains around...but you know what? We aren't supposed to be able to...that isn't how we were designed. Many people, because they cannot understand the Bible and God's creation, nor can they act on faith (which is key in the life of a Christian) and just trust in Him and the sufficient Word that He has given us, simply create another "thing"...or religion, etc. with their own personal beliefs and ideas in order to make sense of it all for themselves and perhaps others.

I think I will end here today with this point...moving on to the next point...whatever that is...next time.

I will leave you with this awesome verse from John:

"In the beginning there was the Word.* The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made by him, and nothing was made without him. In him there was life, and that life was the light of all people. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it". These are the words of John, chapter 1, verses 1-5

*Word - The Greek word is "logos", meaning any kind of communication; it could be translated "message". Here, it means Christ, because Christ was the way God told people about himself.

Thank you for reading.

Love,

Kasey

Mark Twain

"The problem with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so." ~ the illustrious...Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, more known by his pen name, Mark Twain. This is a man whom I would have loved to have met and been able to sit on the front porch with, rock in our chairs while perhaps smoking a cigar and enjoying a nice cold mug of moonshine. My oh my! The fascinating conversations we would have had! The knowledge and wisdom that I would have gained from him.

Mr. Twain was known for his wit and was admired and praised by his friends as well as his critics. During his lifetime, he became friends with industrialists, artists, European royalty and presidents. He was an amazing author and has been extensively quoted. One of my favorites is the quote above - so much truth there is in those simple words of his. How especially true in the world today...with so many things out there trying to grab our attention and make us lose focus. I try to remember to delight in and stay true to the simple things in life, simple truths.

I am thankful that folks like Mark Twain lived and left a great, positive mark on the world...so that we who came after him can learn and appreciate what he did and believed in and gain a bit of insight into the wisdom and knowledge he had.

Godspeed -

Kasey