The Ultimate Gift

As we enter the season of the true "Ultimate Gift", my mind  rehearses the materialistic view that can captivate me and pull me under, while missing the daily gifts God gives us.  My last seasonal movie review brings me back, once more, into the reality that gifts lay unopened all around us....if we could just have a chance to see them through the eyes of lessons learned in this movie and book. Each of these lessons can be found in His Word.

The lessons from the book were so well illustrated and valuable that I read the book out-loud and will read it again to my sons. One of my friends bought a copy of the book for all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She was so convicted by the teachings that she wanted them all to read this fictional story.

During the holiday season, I love to pull out inspirational movies, curl up with some popcorn, and share time with my family.  So here is one of my favorites... "The Ultimate Gift".

Here is a web site that has discussion questions to be used with this movie.
http://www.theultimategift.com/public/docs/TheUltimateGift-FaithDiscussionGuide.pdf

The book expands further than what can be covered during the movie.
1) The Gift of Work
2)  The Gift of Friends
3)  The Gift of Money
4)  The Gift of a Day
5)  The Gift of Dreams
6)  The Gift of Learning
7)  The Gift of Problems
8)  The Gift of Family
9)  The Gift of Laughter
10) The Gift of Giving
11) The Gift of Gratitude
12)  The Gift of Love
13) The Ultimate Gift

I look forward to viewing this movie again this year and seeing what my fourteen-year-old gleans from it. I think I will curl up with the book again. This movie is at the top of my "Top Ten" list of movies and the upcoming holidays are a great time to enjoy watching it. If I am going to take time to stop and watch something, I want to come away either inspired or laughing...this one leaves me inspired!

Do you have an inspirational movie to share?

It All Starts with The Story

My greatest joy during the Christmas season is to read out-loud to my children. Cherished books are retrieved from storage with eager anticipation for their display on the coffee table.  My four-year-old begged for me to get the Christmas books out before he arrived home from school...what a delight to my book loving heart.  So, the books came out before the decorations.

The REASON FOR THE SEASON always holds the highest priority.  Our advent calendar is small books recalling the redemptive plan of our Savior's birth.

Decorating with books as my theme, I set up places to display them, so they are enjoyed by all.

Even the bathroom holds Christmas baskets of small Christmas readings.

More seasonal favorites are resting on the coffee table.

MY FAVORITE EVERY YEAR - THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER!!!

I cry and laugh through this whole book....God always speaks to me through this children's book.

Does anyone ever grow out of pop-up books and snowmen?

Our black and white Christmas picture from 2006!

As they grow I added more depth in our readings.  All of these have become favorites.

Although I wish I could say we always get through them all...well life happens and good intentions aren't

always met.  We get through many of our timeless treasures and know that next year

we will try to read even more.

What are some of your favorite books to read during Christmas?

Re-Energize - The Last Day

This journey has been both eye-opening and a true energizer.  Thanks for walking along side me as I am rediscovering how to refresh and refuel for the journey that lies ahead.

I want to finish by giving a few more energizers that I have picked back up this week.

Books, books, and more books...reading will re-energize me every time.  I used to have at least four books going at all times and stationed around the house.  Now I have to find my glasses before I pick up a book.  I am not a fiction reader, but I devour books that teach on any aspect of life.  Biographies also inspire me to see how others have lived their life....my son and I are reading the life of D.L. Moody right now.

Nature...I love nature, the smells, the sounds, the beauty, and the contentment that comes when I experience nature.  I love to camp, and like so many other things that we set aside, I haven't been in years.  My daily walks give me a small chance to enjoy this energizer and trips to the National Parks this summer will also dust off my stresses.

Last and the Most Important of All...
                         My Relationship with My Husband

My greatest source of re-energizing is this man I fell in LOVE with at the age of 17!  He has always been the man of my dreams. Though I must confess I haven't always treated him that way.

This is the energizer that life steals from the most.  We all have those times when we think... "well, when this season is over, we will have time for each other again".  The long, hard pregnancy, the new-born baby, the children's activities, the teen years, the graduations, the wedding, the job losses and job changes are some of the never-ending circumstances that steal our time with each other.

This man can calm all my fears with a touch.  He has seen me through my worst and didn't abandon me when I thought I couldn't make it anymore.  He has stood by the children and me even when his own world was falling apart.

We have never had a weekly date night...please, I don't need the lecture. I know we should have, but life seemed to crowd it out.  That was one of those things we would do when life slowed down.

So, if I could list my biggest learned earthly re-energizer, I would say it is my relationship and intimacy with my husband.  When this relationship is on track, then I can conquer the world.

We have now been with each other for 32 years!  We plan to grow old together and fulfill the covenant we made on June 14, 1980.  Even though life has given us some very hard knocks, I hope we have gained a little wisdom and can re-energize in each other as we continue on the rest of our journey together.

Thanks for joining me and please feel free to list some of your energizers...we all could use more hints.

Curl-Up-and-Read Books

I entered the world of picture books through home schooling my children.  They became a passion for me.  Purchasing treasures we had discovered through library loans, I started my home library.  I began with collecting them for my children and then rapidly moved to collecting for my future grandchildren.  Many good books go out of print so I wanted to make sure I had a copy.

I also go to library sales and snatch up wonderful picture books for pennies-on-the-dollar.  This is a wonderful way to build your home library.  You can sign up online for book sales and they will send you a list of which libraries are selling their books and when.  Some will sell books by the bag full.  You can't go wrong. If you impulse buy, then resell them or give them away.

One thing I enjoy doing is putting the date we bought the book inside the back cover.  I also put the date when we first read it and, if it an individual read, I put their child's name.  The younger siblings have enjoyed seeing that their older siblings read the same book years before them.

Here is the first of my favorites.

Patricia Polacco - This is an author for family heritage.  She is one of my favorite authors, as well as illustrators.  She brings her rich Jewish heritage of family into your home.  Other then a few of her more recent books, I agree and love her work.  She has began putting out some politically correct books.

She came to Barnes and Nobles, where two of my children and I stood in line for four hours to meet her and have her sign our books.  She was as charming in person as she is in her writings.

We started with "The Bee Hunt" where she introduces your child to the love of reading.

These are wonderful curl-up-on-the-couch books that enjoy peaking into someone else's family of treasures.

What are some of your favorite picture books?  I always love discovering a new favorite.