Third Sunday of Advent

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe. Your prophets spoke of a day when the desert would blossom and waters would break forth in the wilderness. Bless us as we light the candles on this wreath. Strengthen our hearts as we prepare for the coming of the Lord. May he give water to all who thirst, for he is our light and our salvation. Blessed be God forever.

Light three candles to watch for Messiah,
Let the light banish darkness.
Lift your heads a lift high the gate-way
For the King of Glory.

The Second Sunday of Advent and Another Christmas Tradition

Second Sunday of Advent
Blessed are you, O Lord, ruler of the universe. John the Baptist calls all people to prepare the Lord's way for the kingdom of Heaven is near. Bless us as we light the candles on this wreath. Baptize us with the fire of you Spirit, that we may be a light shining in the darkness welcoming others as Christ has welcomed us, for he is our light and our salvation.
Blessed be God forever.

When we were growing up, each Sunday in Advent, Mom would light the candles and recite a prayer, always before we ate our Sunday dinner. It's another tradition my sisters and I have continued. I wish Mom were here to light the candles, I truly miss her.

Advent

Some years ago, my sister Kathy made her first Advent calendar. Each day of advent, an ornament verse was drawn from their pocket and hung on the small Advent tree. Since then, my sisters and I have made many a calendar for family members. This one, I made for my niece. These calendars are now a tradition in our family, and still being made for the kids as they grow.

From Mom to All of You

"Thank-you to all of you for your prayers and kind words. You have no idea how much it means to me to know how many people care. Please keep me in your prayers."

I agree Mom, and yes, prayers are always coming your way.

Ivory Necklace

My father served in WWII, and brought back several beautiful pieces to my mother, from Iran. This is one of those treasures, hand painted ivory necklace. It's quite long, with four scenes repeating. This is a portion of it. Hard to believe this is 70 years old.

Mom
We're hoping that a new team of specialists will be able to help Mom. We've had so many ups and downs, we just want her to be ok. Thank-you to all for your thoughts and prayers. Our prayers continue for healing and a turn around for her.

God is in Control

After being in surgery for almost 7 hours, Mom is out and in ICU for at least 48 more hours. The surgery didn't go as planned, and because of this, it is going to be a long haul. We are back to square one with finding out what is wrong, and all I can say is please. All the prayers she can have right now will be so appreciated. We don't know where all this will lead. I don't have the energy to go into detail, except to say we need a miracle.
I haven't kept up on my reading, but will get back to all of you soon.
Blessings,
Laurie

Mom Update

The last two weeks have been crazy! Mom is now in U of M hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. My sisters have been back and forth, getting updates from the many drs. and specialists that have gone in and out of her room. Originally, we were told Mom's surgery would be on Saturday, but we don't know where the misinformation came from, as there is so much preparation for this rare surgery. Scopes, electrocardiograms, catscans, etc. have been keeping Mom and her team busy. Yesterday, she finally got the ok for surgery, tomorrow. We will know a more certain time this evening. So please continue the prayers, it will be so good to have this over and Mom home again.
Bless You,
Laurie
Update:
Surgery is scheduled for 9 a.m., had to change from non-evasive. Please heap on some extra prayers, not an easy surgery.