Competition Can Be "Real Goods", Right?

It is that time again. Yes time to head to Springfield and watch the State Fair Queen Pageant. I have been attending since 2002. It has been an interesting and fun experience through the years.

Lots of pressure and not always a lot of fun for the contestants. But why can't it be just the opposite? Lots of fun and not much pressure. I would think seeing a young woman in a more natural state, competing this way, would be the right way to select the winner. Ah yes, the argument of how well could she handle herself in different situations, some with pressure and difficult people and others totally out of her control. Well I really believe if she is at this point of the competition her '"real goods" got her there.

There are some "real goods" that are important: great communication skills, good personal appearance, the ability to get along and be flexible. But generally speaking these things are important for everyone, everyday, everywhere.

Wow, we all could be and should be winners, right?

What a difference life would be with positive attitudes everywhere, smiles, hugs, happiness and peace. What a life, a very good, simple, natural, joyful life!

SO, not gonna happen right? Competition the "devil's advocate" the way the world REALLY is, what a shame!

Perhaps with God's help someday soon we will be able to see a change and competition would include fellowship and helping each other to strive to be their very best every day, simply, joyfully, naturally and thankfully. We would win the competition for ourselves, others and our Lord.

Oh yes GOOD LUCK Malory! You have already won by being all the above. Let's hope the judges are not blind and see it. I am privileged to have you in my life! This blog is for you! As was my first blog:)

In The Darkness Can You See?

As I was driving home this evening I found myself feeling sad. Since November many homes along the way shared the lights of Christmas cheer. They were welcoming lights for the season [that seems to get longer each year].

What strikes me though, that is in anticipation for Christmas we light up our homes inside and out, but once it is here within a matter of days the lights are "snuffed out". This makes me sad and it is really hard to see as it is dark and dreary.

Do you think this is what God wanted? Shouldn't we be turning the lights on everywhere because of God's gift of his son Jesus for us, he is the light, yet we turn out our lights once he is here.

Can you imagine if once Jesus was born that that was it, nothing more just his birth. We are so blessed that God did not let that happen and gave us the bright light of his son Jesus, to lead us and teach all about love, peace, hope and truth. These are the lights that should be leading us to make our lives alive and bright always, not for just a season.

Yet the lights are out, it is over, perhaps that is also why these days our life is dark and dreary, we have turned out the light. Maybe just maybe, if we were to turn the light back on we would see better and maybe we could begin to get back what is ours and not let others take over (as they seem to have) in the dark and change our lives. Yes, it is my hope we turn on the lights and return to living as God wanted us to, with Love, Peace, Truth and Hope.

May God Bless Us All.

And yes please turn your lights back on!

A Wonderful Ending and A Great Beginning!

Wow what a year 2009 was. CHANGE was the word our President used and CHANGE is what I have lived this past year!

We became a true "family" business with no external employees. A good thing I think considering all that we had been through in 2008.

We are now proprietors at last, of The McClure Guesthouse after 30 months of restoration and three months of shopping! That definitely has made it so I don't go out of my way to "shop till I drop" and my husband was a peach through all the shopping, God Bless him! He knows just about everything when it comes to purchases for a Victorian home. We also now get to be the "housekeepers" and it is fun. Mike has learned to even make square corners when making a bed. It has taken him a long time but he can do it! We are still revising and revamping to get things just right. We get to go and take down the Christmas decor and clean up after we had guests during the holidays. We look forward to sharing the house this year. It is a dream that has come true and I am glad we have preserved a bit of history for Olney.

We are looking to a new venture in our church life. For four years we went to church in Evansville, Mike was ordained there in 2006 as an Anglican Deacon and we made many wonderful friends. In late November this Anglican Church ceased to exist and now we are pondering just what to do. I am certain that God has a plan for us and it will come together as we start this new decade. We were fortunate last Sunday to be at my Mothers and we attended a lovely Anglican Church in Woodstock Illinois. It was a 90 minute drive, but then that is what it was to St. Andrew's in Evansville. However it was a lovely drive as the snow was everywhere and oh so beautiful, truly a Gift from God to us. It was great to commune with God in church and in nature!

Christmas this year was such fun!

Christmas Eve lunch with Brad, Jeff, Reagan, Emery and Lynden was great and we were Snuggified!

Then we did a bit of Christmas eve shopping here in Olney. Christmas Eve evening we watched the Mass from Rome with Pope Benedict and then headed to bed.

We set out Christmas morning for my sister Betsey's home in Naperville. Our "Garmen Lady" directed our travel on a new route which took us very close to the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery where my Dad is laid to rest. We visited his grave and then went on to Betsey's where we arrived an hour early, I hope they were not mad, but that allowed us some personal time with just their family before the other 15 arrived. All in all there were 24 of us together for a glorious family holiday. It was a new beautiful venue this year at Betsey's home but quite spacious and my Mother loved it! No stress for her this year. As we left that night to head to Mom's the snow was falling and made for a perfect ending to a great Christmas!

On Saturday afternoon we headed to Chicago with my sister Patti and her family up from Florida. We went to the Water Tower area and walked around enjoying the stores and it was snowing. We had hot chocolate from the Hershey store and then all 6 of us piled in a horse driven carriage for a ride around the city. Quite magical if you ask me, not only for the sights but also since the horse was able to take us all on. We laughed so much and as we always have, enjoyed each others company! Although many miles separate us the love we have binds us together.

When we got back from church on Sunday, Frank was helping determine that Mom's computer had a virus and needed the "Geek Squad". My sister Maureen was there the whole time we were and being with her is always a joy. She has some health issues but thanks to Kathy yet another sister of mine, Maureen will see the Dr. and Physical Therapist this new year to get her back on track!

Sunday evening found 16 of us at Hackney's a Wenger/Ward family favorite through the years. As always we had their great onion loaf and most of us had Hackney burgers. Again we laughed and had great family time and believe it or not I was the chauffeur for Mom, Mike and Maureen. They actually trusted me to drive in the city!

Monday was our annual family meeting for Mom and children only, so the spouses got to go shopping without us. After the meeting, I ended up going to our favorite shopping mall Old Orchard with Patti and family, we found Mike and had lunch at Noodles, so good! I went over to see my sister Kathy's beautifully redecorated house while the others went to see 2012, and then that evening we went out for yet another fine dining experience with 10 of us. It was great and a fitting end to our last night with the family.

We headed home Tuesday and arrived in time for Lynden's second birthday celebration. Yet another houseful with Scherer's, Spieth's and Wilson's.

Back to work Wednesday and Thursday morning and then our New Year's Eve festivities with our two wonderful Grandsons. What a great way to end the year and begin the New year with these sweeties.

Yesterday Mike and I did our annual after Christmas trek, this year we went to St. Louis and shopped. Not to the stores we always shop at but we went to The Bose Store, The Art of Shaving, Teavana, Trader Joe's and World Bazaar all unique shops that got a bit of our money. We start the New Year with some neat things. I am so lucky to sit hear as I write this and listen to our new Bose Wave Machine give us great music. {Thanks Mom!}

We are blessed in so many ways! Yes this year our Christmas/New Years Celebrations were what it is all about GOD, family and friends.

May yours be too!

Have a Happy Blessed New Year!