December 22 Martha's Musings

Hubby and I will not be in town this Christmas. Instead, we will be with our eldest son, Nathan, and his wife, Michelle, in Georgetown, California. Yes folks, we are west-coast bound, and so excited about it. They live on a ranch in the El Dorado National Forest, in northern California. It is stunningly beautiful there, with loads of scenery and wildlife. But for us, the main attraction is family. Nathan’s son, our grandson Stuart, will be coming to visit for a few days while we are there. It is a fun habit of mine to measure the passage of time by my grandchildren. We were at the hospital when Stuart was born, and he has somehow managed to become 24 years-old, about six feet tall, with facial hair and the deep voice of – dare I say it? – a MAN. Stuie is my beautiful little grandbaby, the one I gave chocolate milk to in his nighttime bottle. (I knew then that I was a better-than-average grandma.) But there is no doubt that that little dumpling that stole my heart so long ago has grown up. To be completely honest, when Nathan switched over to manhood it was equally shocking. Except with Nathan, he was also a United States Marine during some of this transformation, and they simply do not allow anything less than perfection. Hubby and I can only take partial credit for how well he has turned out. God and the USMC did the majority of the work. I love visiting with them all, but to be truthful, I will really miss the Christmas Eve Service here at St. John’s. Our church is always beautiful, but especially so during the Christmas Season. Nothing says “Christmas” quite like a candlelit church, poinsettias on display, beautiful music coming forth from the choir, a sermon I am sure will be fantastic,
and friends galore. Hug one another, sing together in harmony, and thank God for the gift of His precious Son, our greatest blessing.

Merry Christmas!

Martha Arizpe, St. John’s Prayer Team