New Years Eve 1951

                                                                  Steve Tom Mark
                                                                              Vicki

This is a special time of the year for me.    It's when my eye caught  something like it had never seen before, something that I just couldn't forget.    It was New Year's eve at the Bohemian hall.  I had been there several times before,   but this night my eyes focused on this most beautiful young lady.    She had blond hair and  a great smile.    I asked her to dance and we have been dancing for 57 years.   I went home that night and told my mother "I met the girl I am going to marry".   She is my bride and the mother of four,  grandmother of nine,  great grandmother of four and hoping for more.  I thank  the Lord for Darlene.   She is the best thing in my life.  Things have not always been easy or peaceful but they have been good because God is good.   We made a commitment to each other and we have stayed true to that commitment by the grace of God.    I would like to share something that is hard  but you can do it.    The Lord is a Lord of new beginnings.  He is always doing new things  in our life.    It is a new year ahead of us so it is time to look ahead,  not behind.     Looking back at our failures will kill us.      In Lk.9:62  "Jesus replied,  'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.' "  In Philippians 3:13. "Brothers, I do not consider myself  yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do;  forgetting  what is behind and straining toward what is ahead."   In 2.Cor. 5:17      " Therefore,  if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old  has gone , the new has come."     If you have not accepted Gods love, mercy, and forgiveness for yourself  it would be a good time.    Peace.

ICE SKATING

When I was in high school our class would have ice skating parties.  Most of the time we had them in an old river bed north of town.  It was a perfect place to have it because the water was protected from the wind and that meant the ice was smooth, it also protected us from the wind.  One time we had it at a pond in a pasture without any trees for protection and it was rough and cold.  But the times that I enjoyed the most was when my brother and sister and I would get together with some country kids north of us.   Our farm home was ten miles from town. We were in the corner of the county so the addresses and telephone company would change.  There were five farm families that had kids about the same age. We went to three different schools. We did several things together and ice skating was one of them.  If it snowed we would have to shovel the snow off of the ice so we could skate.  We skated at night because most of the time the wind would be still.  We had bonfires to help us warm up and give some light.    One time some one brought a car tire to help the fire out. We went home black and stinking--no more tires!  One of the kids fixed up a pole with two six volt flood lights that ran off a battery. We thought that was great, but the best light would be a full moon "Beautiful".   We would have hot chocolate, and toast marshmallows on the fire.  When it got real cold and the ice was thick we would drive a car on the ice and spin around. Our skates were clamp on skates. I still have mine.   One Christmas we got shoe skates. That really helped.  These five families had two boys each about the same age. We were together quite often growing up.   I have seen some of them in the later years.   Out of the ten boys five have passed away, one from each family.   This was some of my best years growing up.   Thank the Lord for the time spent with them.

What is Christmas to you

I asked our family what Christmas meant to them

Steve &Deb= Christmas is time for family gatherings to celebrate the birth of Jesus and visit  and have a good time

Abby & Kevin= Christmas  is a time with family and the ones you love.   Shyann=Christmas is when you're supposed to  spend time with the ones you love.   Ashly= Christmas is the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and to spend time with your loved one.   Jeremiah & Tracy=Christmas is a time of giving and being with people you care about.  Jonas & Maggie and Jack= It's time for family gatherings,fun and celebrating Jesus birthday.

Mark= Hope.    Sheldon & Jenny and Max= Christmas is a time to spend with family.  It is a holiday when Christians can come together and reflect on what is important in their lives.

Thom= Homecoming, Love and warmth. Isiah= It is a day to celebrate Jesus birthday.     Steve & Megan, Jada And Joey= Birth of Jesus,celebration, family and friends.

Harold= A time of giving, of celebration. Vicki= Blessed event, family, show love through giving. Cameron= of Jesus. = Courtney Christ is born.

Darlene - Mom= Christmas is the time to remember and observe the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He paid the price we could never pay.  Who would ever have imagined that  God would send a baby to save us?   I'm so grateful for what He has done for us and I'm extremely grateful for the family and friends He has given me whom I love with my whole heart.  Max-Dad= Christ became man so He could take our place for our sins.  He was a Son so we can become Sons. That is Love.  Christmas is Love.    And I love my wife and family very much and also my neighbor with God's help. " We love because he  first loved us."  John.4:19  " By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another"  John.13:35    

I would like to have some of your comments on our blog especially you that visit regularly.   MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas tears

At Christmas time our country school would have a Christmas program. All eight grades would have a part in the program. Before time we would draw names. We would buy a small gift for the one whose name we drew and give them out the night of the program. Then the school would hand out brown paper sacks that had one orange, an apple, mixed nuts in the shell and also hard Christmas candy. All this was bought in the bulk. Each family would buy the teacher a small gift or would make some food to give her. Everybody would have a good time. But there was a time in the program that made me sad. My mother had scarlet fever when she was young and it damaged her heart. This caused her trouble all her life. So I lived in fear all my life of her dying. She was sick and in and out of the hospital a lot. At the end of the program we would all be on the stage and we would end the program by singing Silent Night Holy Night. And I knew mom would cry and that really would hurt me to see her cry. I thought for a long time she was thinking about dying. But I know today that she was experiencing the Joy of the Lord. " But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to YOU: He is Christ the Lord '" Lk.2:10-11. I was 38 years old before I experienced the Joy of The Lord. If you have not experienced His joy just ask Him to be born in your heart. My mom passed away in 1956 at the age of 48. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Look who's in town

They say they're here to hunt rabbits and skunks. But i'm telling you you'd better hide your Christmas presents!! Watch out for the barefooted one with the painted toenails!!

Christmas a sad time?

Christmas time was always an exciting time in my life. I always wondered what Santa would bring this Christmas. We always tried to find where the folks would hide our gifts. Most of the time we would get one big present and one or two small presents like gloves or socks. On Christmas morning we would be up early (4:00 am) and down stairs hollering at mom and dad "we want to open presents". But they were still in bed and they would say if you don't get back to bed Santa won't come. So we would go back to bed and wait until 5:30 and try again. One year the farming was good so my brother and I each got a bicycle, one blue and one red so we would know what one was ours. We had learned how to ride on our neighbors bike so we got on them and rode them down the dirt road to the mail box back and forth. Then mom hollered at us and said come in and eat breakfast. We didn't want to but we did. After breakfast we went back to ride the bikes and a sadness came over us. The dirt road was full of Mexican sand burrs. We each had a flat tire and no stop leak to put in them. We had to wait until the folks went to town (and that was only once a week) to get some stop leak. Merry Christmas!

God name is family

Christmas time is family time. Family started with the birth of Jesus, The Holy Family. Time goes by so fast, you wake up and every thing changes, but we can be grateful that God never changes. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" Heb.13:8. His promises stand for eternity. Our sister-in-law called and invited us to come to her house for soup supper. She said all the family would be home for Christmas except for one daughter and family. My brother had seven children, two boys and five girls. I was a little nervous about going because I have Parkinson's and when I get in a crowd I get nervous and it slows me down big time. But as always there was plenty of laughter and love there. That brought to my mind how important family is to strengthen each other. "My command is this; Love each other as I have Loved you" John.15:12. It was good to visit with each one of the families and see all the new additions. I guess what he showed me again is: "LOVE NEVER FAILS". Enjoy your family this Christmas. (The wine was good,Gary)