Christmas Prayer...for all year!

I did NOT write this, but it was sent to me from a friend.  I'm sure it has made the email rounds for a while, but I just got it.  It really hit home...for I too am guilty of judging before loving!  This is a wondeful reminder for compassion!

 Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in
 traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that
 day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the
 laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested
 young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old
 college student,
 balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not
 getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in
 the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a
 slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst
 nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow
 through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are
 savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she
 got back last week, this will be the last year that they go
 shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you
 give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that
 love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those
 who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge
 and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.
 
Working for God on earth doesn't pay much......but His retirement
plan is outstanding.

Santa's Reason for the Season

By: Bonnie Hirdler
Copyright 12/13/10 1-533188251

T’was the night before Christmas and all through our home, not a creature was stirring except a rather large gnome!

 He came to fill the stockings and leave gifts under the tree.  I didn’t expect to see him, and I know he didn’t expect me!

 I stood quietly watching just down the hall. He left everyone gifts, and gave the dog a ball! 

He turned around quickly, I thought he would go, but instead he saw me and he let me know.

He held out his hand and gave me a wink; I took his hand without even a blink!

We sat by the fire, a story he told, a story I knew well for it was very old.

It was the story of Jesus and his much awaited birth, the story of Christmas known around the earth.

“What do you know of Jesus?” I asked,my tone rather stern.  Oh my child, he said, you have a lot to learn.

I bring you these gifts once every year, to give you Christmas spirit and bring Christmas cheer.

Christmas is time to be happy again, to remember the gift God gave to men.

The birth of Jesus brought ultimate joy, which is why I try to bring the perfect toy.

Nothing I bring could ever compare to the love God has given for you to share.

But, once a year, on Christmas Eve I try my best a grand gift to leave,

So when you awake and see it there, you feel His love, His warmth and care

Maybe you’ll feel the sheer delight, the Wise Men felt on that black starry night.  

It is the magic of Christ that will fill the season, and it gives Santa his only reason.

Delight in your gifts and one another’s love, but remember…the greatest of gifts came from above!

Merry Christmas!

Recipe: Camelizing Llamas!

This blog was "requested" by our friend and FB page fan, Jessica.  She asked for the story behind the "camels"!

As you can see, a couple of the llamas were asked to do their rendition of a camel.  This is the story behind the final performance!

About a month ago, or even maybe longer, a woman I had worked with several years ago called to ask if I would "loan" some llamas to their church.  Mmmmm....what for?  Well, there was going to be a Christmas parade and as most of the participants often highlight Santa, Frosty and Rudolf, the church thought it would be nice to add the story of Jesus.  You know...the ride on the donkey to Bethlehem, the stay in the manger...Oh yea, and the Three Wise Men and their...camelized llamas!

Once I stopped snickering, I agreed!  How fun!  Oh, my poor babies!  But, how fun!

First of all, there were some requests on my end.  I couldn't guarantee the llamas would show up if it was icy.  I didn't want the "Bambi on ice" rendition and have to hoist chubby Dez up by her chin!  Second, my trailer hasn’t been used in years, so I wasn’t sure I could haul them and certainly didn’t want to have to walk them into town to walk in the parade and walk home again. Third, whomever was going to walk them had to show up out here to do the whole “meet & greet” routine and spend some time building up trust.  If the llamas were leaving the trails, they really need to trust their leader!

So, the fun begins!  A few nights later I received a call from another person I had worked with a few years back.  (Small town and I’ve had a lot of jobs!)  Joyce was not only someone I had worked with, her family had volunteered one weekend to come and take care of the llamas so we could go out of town.  This was great…they KNOW my llamas!  Joyce and her family showed up that night to measure the llamas for their humps!  Does that sound as funny reading it as it does writing it?  Joyce is the one that coined the phrase…camelizng the llamas!  No butter or heat required!  Just a mother-in-law that must be half nuts, her trusty tape measure and some pins!  So, which llamas would make the best camels?  Curtain call!  I always thought I would make a great casting director!  Well…it briefly, very briefly, entered my mind to have a beautiful white camel…Pelican.  But, she is new and still spits! Um…not good for PR.  Okay…moving on!  Camels are brown…for the most part.  That left me with Twizter, Dez or Gadjit.  Gadj has the stature and definitely star quality…but with his long locks he looks more like Snuffleupagus! (The elephant from Sesame Street!) That left Dez and Twizter.  Short, chubby, slow.  What more could you want in a llama?  I mean camel?!

We agreed this would be our duo.  Mother and son.  Short and fat along with shorter and fatter! There were not three camels as my trailer can only haul two.  The theory was, one of the wise men was way too smart to try to get a llama into camel gear! ;)

At this point, it was time to measure the llamas.  Where do you place the hump?  It was cold out, it was night and getting late.  I have not EVER studied where the hump is on a camel.  Our best guess: right in the middle of their back!  But…one hump or two?  C’mon!  One…let’s make something simple!!  So, the boys helped get the llamas to stand still as Joyce’s mother-in-law attempted to measure the llamas.  Twizter was easy.  Pick a spot, drop the tape, reach under his belly and pull the tape to the top.  Ta-da!  Fat llama!  Now Dez.  Simple?  Pick a spot, drop the tape, reach under…reach under…dodge butt, dodge legs…try again.  Reach under…and watch Dezi dance!  I had forgotten how ticklish she is!  She wouldn’t let Twizter nurse as a newborn -  every time he nuzzled her she would kick him!  How he got so fat is a wonder!  She eventually let him nurse and perseverance paid off again…we got the tape around her!  Chubby!

Joyce and her family helped tuck the llamas in for the night and that was all I heard from anyone until three days prior to the parade!

Joyce called to ask if they could bring out the humps and try them on the llamas.  Sure!  I had never written down the exact date of the parade as I figured when the Wise Men showed up to walk the llamas I would get the date from them.  Joyce informed me that the parade was in four days!  WHAT?  I had plans to go out of town shopping for my daughter...she is in Afghanistan and will miss Christmas, so this was a major upset! I had set plans!  A phone call later, I found that the parade was on Friday night and not Saturday.  I could change plans and leave Saturday morning.  It will work.  But…there was a glitch.  I was told that some high school boys were going to be walking the llamas and NOT the family that had been out here.  This produced a bit of stress all the way around.  There was miscommunication about coming out and working with the llamas prior to the parade.  I explained that, first, the llamas don’t trek at night.  Just my going in and trying to halter them after dark was a whole new program.  Secondly, they hadn’t been in the trailer for a number of years and the trailer had a flat tire.  Manageable, but still stressful. Third, the llamas are going to be walking down a road, not their trail and will be dressed like camels and with people they have never seen before!  This is not the slow, easy lumber on the trails that they are accustomed to. This was major stress on my part!  It was decided that Joyce’s son and husband would be two of the Wise Men.  Her husband, Greg, would be without a llama and provide “bolt insurance”!  If the llamas bolted, he was going to be there to grab them!  It did get all worked out, but it kind of left me sorry I had volunteered the llamas.  This was going to be a lot of work for little ole me!

  So, quickly we had to fashion the llamas into camels and teach them how to “walk like an Egyptian!”  Joyce and two of the Wise Men came out and brought the camel costumes.Well, if you thought it was fun watching Dezi dance to the measuring tape…try strapping a hump down and around and over!  But, she did well.  Once it was covered with blankets and jewels, she actually walked just fine.  All this camelizing was done outside in front of their truck.  The barn lights had gone out and my hubby was trying to figure out how to get them on.  So, in the pitch of night we were doing our best to just getter done in the glow of headlights!

While we were out walking the llamas around the circle on the icy drive, Greg was in helping with the lights!  Ta-da!  They got them fixed.  And, in the true Christmas spirit…Greg said he would be over to help with the trailer, the tire and loading of the llamas!  Hallelujah!                                                The next night we did another pre-production walk.  The other Wise Man came.  It turned out he has a lot of experience with riding horses, being around lots of critters and even some bull riding.  I think he can handle a llama dressed like a camel!  I was a bit concerned that he might try to “bully” Dezi, but after one trek around the circle it was very apparent that he found her as sweet as the rest of us do.  I spent some time going over “what if” scenarios…what if she bolts.  What if Twizter bolts, what if they rear or get frightened…or…OMG!  I forgot…not only is Dezi ticklish, she lays down when she gets tired!  What if?

Performance night

The guys loaded the llamas while Joyce and I pinned the costumes together in the warmth of the house.  All we had to do was get the humps on and throw the rest over the top! We got to the parade starting point on time.  The parade, for some unknown reason, was late!  Along with llamas as camels, there were dogs as sheep.  The sheep decided to break character and chase the camels…which I will state..stayed in character and only glared at those insane looking sheep/dogs/sheep?  Such a look could only come from a camel/llama/camel! ;)

The parade finally got moving and so did the Wise Men with their camels.  About two blocks down, Dezi started…mmm…butt swaying…leg twitching…butt sway, leg twitch, halt.  Oh, oh.  I think she is going to lay down!  The Wise Man doesn’t look so wise…he sure doesn’t look like he knows how to stop a llama in a camel costume from laying down on main street in the middle of the Christmas parade!  We all look at each other and I really think we all quit breathing at the same time!  Dezi, sensing she might have to finish this on her own, started to walk again!  She had this whole stiff legged thing going on…I even commented that maybe she should get tested for Lymes Disease.  We finally figure out…she was losing her hump and the band was pulling around her belly…inciting a llama in a camel costume to try her interpretation of a belly dancer!  She had this little wiggle throughout the parade.  But, she finished.  No drama! Ta-da!