7 Quick Takes Ed 1

1. This is a new experience I am trying.  I need/want to get my blogging voice back, so I decided that I was going to participate in some memes to get me started.   My friend Dana has been doing this for several months and I have enjoyed her Quick Takes so this is where I am starting.  

2. They may be posted late in the evenings as I am a night owl, married to a hubby whose work has him waking up at 4am every morning, even those morning he doesn't work.  So I tend to stay out of the way most nights and let him sleep.  

3. We finally got our tree up last night.  And for those of you who know me in person, know this is late.  It is usually up by the first of Dec.  I also did not put out any nativity scenes, except for those that go on the tree. Again for those of you that know me, that is another big thing.  Nativities are my Christmas collection.  I love them.  But I just didn't take the time to put any out.  With an almost 2 year old in the house I didn't want to spend the whole month of December chasing him around telling him no.

4. I have been thinking a lot about death in the past couple of weeks.  My best friend lost her father this week,  two other friends have lost parents, a former student passed away from an undiagnosed heart condition at the age of nineteen,  my mother-in-law lost her best friend from complications to injuries sustained in a car wreck,  an internet acquaintance of mine lost her husband, two others are caring for spouses at the end of life.  Christmas Eve will mark the second anniversary of the murder of yet another friend.  It is hard not to be overwhelmed with all of this sadness and grief, especially at this time of year.  But  , thankfully I am not.  I can only attribute this to my Heavenly Father, who is guiding and sustaining not only me but my friends and families as well.  

5.  On to happier, if no less weightier subjects, I am also thinking a lot about God's love, and really seeing it in a totally different light than before.  I am also learning to accept the things that I am discovering.  Believe it or not this has been a difficult process.  Not because they are negative, but because they are so enormously  positive that it literally overwhelms me.  This is potential blog fodder for the future.

6. I have been crocheting a lot lately. A lot for Christmas gifts, I do have several giftees that are crochet worthy so that is what they get.  But in the process I have discovered that my skills are increasing and I am enjoying  working on patterns that once intimidated me.  I am loving the textures that I can create with just some yarn and a hook!

7.  Last but not least,  I  never realized how hard it was to come up with seven random things.  But I have enjoyed it.  So here's to the first of many 7 Quick Takes.