This Week’s Review

Seven days.  Seven days is all the time we are allowed to review our Christmas. And that’s if you celebrated on the 25th. In the few days between Christmas day and the new year,  one must pause to think about what the holiday held before we begin looking forward to Christmas 2018. If you had to put your family Christmas on the big screen, would it roll out like Christmas with the Krank’s, or the Griswold’s in Christmas Vacation? Was your celebration more It’s a Wonderful Life or A Nightmare Before Christmas?  Maybe it was Home Alone or The Polar Express.

 I felt like my family had some quotes this year that were Christmas card worthy.  Such as the sister telling the brother who was asking for ideas for mother at the last minute, “Ya know, Christmas comes the same time every year. It shouldn’t surprise you.” From the husband to the wife who was criticizing the leaning Christmas tree,  “Maybe people will think the wind blew it.” The announcement from the one that was in charge of the pets, “ I was watching, no one peed on the floor.” And the good line from the decorator who was trying to get the nativity scene set up, “Oh dear Lord, what happened to baby Jesus?” (OK, that one was me)

We all scrolled through Face Book posts looking to see what was happening with other families, praying that our kids weren’t recording anything we might regret later. The empty boxes and wadded gift wrap finds its way to the curb. The tree begins to lose its luster and the few days of reflection are gone. It’s time to look ahead to a new year.

What will 2018 hold? I had friends that were delighted with surprises in 2017, new babies, new homes, career changes and personal goals met. I had friends that were devastated in 2017 with the death of love ones, illness, divorces and personal loss. 2018 will be another year of unknown, and only at this time, next year, will we review again and wonder how the 365 days passed so quickly.

I will see you and you will tell me “Someday I’m going to travel,” and I’ll encourage you to not wait. I will see you and you will tell me “My husband/wife/partner just won’t travel!” and I’ll tell you to not wait, to go without them.  I will see you and you will tell me “Not this year, you’ll go there again, then I will go with you, “ and I’ll tell you one can never predict the future, don’t wait.

Whatever is on your “Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda” list, I hope that 2018 provides an opportunity for you to seize the day, and go, do and live. We will have A Christmas Story and photos for our ‘18 Christmas letter.  I hope you have some Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and that this time next year we will look back on the memories with Love Actually.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas time is filled with family traditions. We loaded up and went to a local tree farm to cut our own evergreen for the season, ready to be decorated! OK, that’s not true; I sat down and ordered one on Black Friday, pre-lit, to be shipped for free.
 

Once our towering pine was placed, we began the task of placing our heirloom, hand crafted family ornaments on the tree. OK, that’s not true. We do have some ornaments that might be considered vintage and handcrafted if we count the popsicle stick sled that Matt Roberts made and gave to son, Caleb, in the second grade. Or the wad of pacifiers that dangle from a limb. That same boy wouldn’t take any binky I offered although I bought every brand. What to do with all those rejects? I was determined not to waste them and declared I would hang them on the Christmas tree. And they have been there every year for going on thirty years… including the mousetrap. Wait… what?

Now this goes back even farther. It started the year I tried my hand at stringing popcorn only to have it eaten Pac-Man style off the tree. Little nephew, Justin, now almost forty years old, asked me “Aunt Patti, why is there a mouse in your Christmas tree?” Good question. So I added a mousetrap and caught two of those vermin. Nothing says Christmas like a dead rodent tangled with the tinsel.

Then our clan begins the treasured task of shopping for our beloved family. OK, that’s not true either. There is probably only about two in our tribe that actually enjoy shopping. We cut that job out years ago. My mother insisted on us having a present to unwrap, so we all buy our own gift and then we randomly choose one to open and guess who bought it for themselves. It’s rather hilarious and everyone loves their present. Zero returns. Right now some of you are gasping in horror, but there are others thinking, dang, that’s a good idea.

Then there is the family tradition of cooking, and baking and candy making. Those sacred recipes passed from generation to generation, coveted and anticipated every holiday. Yeah, that’s not true either. Don’t get me wrong, our clan does have some good cooks. But as families grow and split and add to, just finding a time to be under the same roof at the same time is an accomplishment with or without homemade noodles. Our bunch has been all over the board, or I should say, table, with foodstuffs. We’ve gobbled Mexican, breakfast and fried chicken. Christmas still happened.

But there is one family tradition that is constant: As believers, we choose to remember the season as the celebration of our Savior’s birth. This is true. Whether we have trees or turkey, we have the tradition of attending church together, of taking the time to hear about the baby born in Bethlehem.

May all your family’s traditions be fun, and memorable but more importantly, let them come home to the truth.

It’s Christmas Time in the City

A travel friend gave me the nickname “Waldo” would just throw out a random note asking me, “Where’s Waldo?”  Maybe you remember the books; Waldo’s image is hidden in his postcard from scenes all over the world. I would respond with my location. 

You may have opened your paper and looked for the She’s Good to Go article with the same thoughts, wonder where she is this time? At least, I hope so! It is more fun to read a travel column written by someone who actually travels. I’ve been doing some “Waldo” in 2017 and reporting in from near and far.  Let me tell you about a recent long weekend in New York City.

There is something magical about Christmas time in the city, and I found myself humming the “Silver Bells” as those lyrics were being played out in front of my eyes. The sidewalks were busy with shoppers, arms loaded down with shopping bags. Department store windows were beautifully decorated with animated displays.  Elves climbing ladders, tiny figures skiing down slopes, circus animals performing, and the windows become a major attraction. 

People file by, taking photos and trying to absorb all the wonderful details. There is more magic for the eyes inside the stores as evergreens sparkle with lights on every overhead beam. Huge wreaths adorn walls and doors. Lord and Taylor transformed into a snowy woods complete with a sleepy owl that turned his head and squirrels twitching their tails. Saks Fifth Avenue’s exterior transformed into a multicolored castle thanks to a laser light show. I stood grinning ear to ear with the five-year-olds, pointing this way and that, not wanting my gang to miss anything. 

We skipped the subways and opted to walk the extra miles just because there were surprises on every block.  Fresh cut Christmas trees leaned against buildings and the smell of pine and balsam gave fragrance to the air. Families made their selection and carried their tree down the sidewalk.   A Salvation Army Bell Ringer ring-a-linged his bell to his IPods’ playlist of snappy carols and added some dance steps. That was well worth an extra dollar. The horses pulling the carriages around Central Park were decked out in bows and tinkle lights. Pop-up markets, spread over pocket parks and green spaces for the holiday season, invited us in to look at treasures. Food booths with tempting treats like giant s’mores and hot chocolate were hard to pass up. We felt like we were in a scene from a movie, like the ones we binge watch this time of year. 

Locals offered directions and suggestions and we laughed with other out of towners as we bumped our way down the crowded streets. Some folks were bundled up in their fuzzy hats and gloves, and we thought the temperature wasn’t even cold enough for our coats, and there wasn’t any snow to crunch. 

Wherever your inner “Waldo” takes you this year, let’s all try for that second verse:

In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas (It’s Christmas time in the city)
Children laughing, people passing (Ring-a-ling)
Meeting smile after smile (Hear them ring)
Very soon it will be Christmas day!

Houston, We Have a

Solution! That’s right, instead of “Houston, we have a problem”, thanks to you, we can now confidently say “Houston, we have (had) a solution!” Thank you so much to all the wonderful Good to Go Gang that answered our emergency email asking for donations to help those negatively affected by the hurricane that hit Houston around Labor Day this year. The generous, immediate response helped in ways we can’t fully explain, so we reached out to pastor Donny Garner for an update. 

Donny is one of our favorite motorcoach drivers, and we have enjoyed sharing with him the activities of their church in Pearidge, Arkansas. Here are the words from Pastor Garner:

Hello All!  First off I hope and pray that this letter finds you well and blessed!  My family and I enjoyed a great thanksgiving holiday, hope you did as well.  In the wake of Hurricane Harvey we just wanted to share testimony of what God did with, within, and through the folks at River of Faith Church.  

We began gathering items and packing semi trailers Tuesday morning August 29, 2017,  just a few days after Hurricane Harvey "CRAWLED" through Houston and surrounding cities.  When the packing was finished on Saturday morning the trailers were hooked up and on their way to Victoria, TX to be parked at a local church where we had arranged to set up and cook and serve meals. It was  a long night of driving three 18 wheelers, plus a truck pulling a 40 ft. gooseneck trailer full of equipment, two trucks with camper trailers , a Tahoe with a cooking trailer. Fifteen  people landed in the parking lot of the church and were sent away with the explanation of "We don't need you." Needless to say...God had other plans!  Our team parked the rigs and began driving around and asking God what we were supposed to do. It was now about 1:30 in the afternoon and nearing 24 hours from the time the team had left Arkansas.

When I returned home from Church that morning I just sat down in my chair to gather my thoughts and I remembered a contact that I'd been introduced to by my friend Edwin Brewer earlier in the year.  His name was Pastor Don Nordin at CT Church in Houston.  I immediately made a call and asked if we could serve them in any way.  The pastor was so excited. They had a team  cooking for a few days but they had to return home because of work schedules following the dinner meal that evening. Pastor Don and his staff were asking God to send someone to help feed the people.  So I called the team and they headed to Houston to set up. 

When we arrived we had enough food to feed approximately 300,000 meals (that's a lot of food!)  My wife, Lora, myself and others drove the church van back and forth rotating people between jobs.  God used a small group of folks from our tiny church here in Arkansas  to feed those 300,000 meals.  A  couple of our guys, John and Jonathan, stayed to "manage" the operation the entire time.  Our team was in Houston to help and hopefully change some folks lives.  While I do believe that happened...our lives were unmistakably changed!  Our team returned home in totality during the first week of October.  Our time in Houston was almost unexplainable.  There were miracles, signs, and wonders and many, many lives touched!  God is All Knowing and He has a big plan for all of us - it's amazing to see what He can do when we just trust and get involved in His plans! To the travelers I have come to know in the Grand Lake area, thank you so much, we are so grateful for everyone who made this mission possible!  We received multiple gifts of food, financial support and people putting their lives on hold to give their time.   

Oh, one more thing, our trailers came home with more in them than when they left!  God is The God of Multiplication!  

God Bless you and remember - His plan includes You!

Pastor Donny Garner

So another thing for which I, Patti Beth, am thankful is YOU and your kind people. Our travel family does so much more than travel. During this Christmas season please know that there are many gifts that touch so many. Thank you.