What Ever Happened To Christmas Cards?

You remember Christmas cards right?

Racing to the mailbox around Christmas time, getting the most amazing beautiful cards with handwritten sentiments from family and friends from afar. They were mailed to you from people you had been in contact with, and to this day, I still have some of my favorites saved, not only for the sentimental words inside but for the wonderful pictures that decorated the outsides.

So what happened to them???

Over the last few years, I've notice that I have gotten fewer and fewer of them. The ones I do get now come from Hallmark, with a notice to save $10 off my next purchase of $50 or more, or from the real estate companies looking to have me call them to refinance my home.

Now I've been getting pictures of children and families printed out on their home computers or from a local printing company with no handwritten sentiments. Just the pre-printed statement wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

The other thing we get are what I've come to call Brag Letters, or the annual Family Christmas letter. I even tried one of these a few years back, and try as you might to not brag about what you and your family did, you inevitably do, thus the term Brag Letters. They start off telling you what their children are up to, what they have accomplished, and where they are all headed off to next.

What I really miss, is the old fashion Christmas cards that you add to your Christmas decorations around the house and marvel at the brilliant art work on the cover while tearing up at the heartfelt words on the inside. Those are memory makers!

So please share with me, how do you feel about the changes in Christmas cards? I'd love to hear your comments. Next year, my goal is to get Christmas cards every day in December and share them with you next year.

What Difference Does Prayer Make?

The Power of Prayer

When atheists pray is it like talking to a disconnected phone? Sometimes even as Christians we can forget whom we are talking to when we pray.

Are you currently facing one of these situations in your life right now, foreclosure on your home, job loss, life threatening illness, fear of an uncertain future, loss of friends or family members? So what should you do? The Bible tells us to pray. “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4:6-7)

I myself find this to be one of my greatest challenges. See when I worry about something, I often wonder if I am supposed to do something to make it better if I can. I wonder when I am supposed to wait upon the Lord? I find myself thinking, ‘aren’t I lazy if I don’t do something and then if I can’t fix it, should I then pray?”

Lately in the midst of this economic crisis our country has fallen into, not without some fore knowledge however, we are ourselves victims. For over a year now, I have placed my application with Apple One, a temporary service out here, to attempt to find a part time job. Do you know this is the first time in my lifetime I can remember, that no one has called me? Not even to answer the phone, do something from home, even file? For an entire year? Anyone else relate to this issue? So for almost the last year, we lived on my husband’s disability while he recovered from an injury from work until recently. We now find ourselves struggling to play the new game for this year called “Trying to catch up financially”. Forget what everyone tells you that by calling your mortgage companies and credit card companies that they will work with you even lower your interest rates and possibly allow you to skip some payments. NOT in this economy! These were the most heartless people I have ever had the privilege of speaking with. No one would do anything for us unless we were officially three months late. Nothing. No matter whom we asked to speak with that were of higher authority.

So what does someone do with no other options, you got it. We waited till we were late, and tried calling back. Can you guess what our options were then? Risk of foreclosure because now we are running near three months behind, our credit card companies are calling hourly wanting a payment and the letters begin flowing in filling our mailbox with legal notices and collection companies. So when do you call on God in prayer?

How do you get yourself out? I find myself with this struggle daily. Sometimes I begin to think I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when we get extra money or a bigger than expected paycheck, and then, BOOM! The light at the end of the tunnel was a train! More unexpected expenses like our car repair, or job related expenses that must be expensed and get reimbursed for later. Can you relate at this point? How about out of town travel just to work in this economy. My husband has for the last 5 months been out of town working because in our lovely state, there is no work. So now we face, how does our family get along for 3-5 weeks without our leader in our home? How do I tell my daughter, that this is what it takes anymore to make ends meet? Yikes! Sometimes I feel that this is more of a perpetual uphill battle where I never make it to the top, I can see it, but can never reach it.

I have found peace however! I have come to realize that God has everything under control, even though to me, I really wish I could peer into the future and just know it will be all right. It’s God’s way of making sure that I continually seek His will daily and rely on Him at all times. He has come through in some amazing ways. Never again will I doubt God, and I know that whatever comes tomorrow good or bad, it’s a brand new day that God has created just for me. I can with His grace find something in it to be thankful for and until things change for the better, I will rest at His feet and wait! God’s peace will guard your heart and mind.