Candy and Light

Sometimes I wonder how time can pass so very quickly. This week is one of those times. Did we really light the 4th Hanukkah candle?

We also made 4 batches of Peppermint Bark Candy. Yum! I have to be very careful not to "sample" too many pieces.

Isaac and his dad went to Medic in Knoxville (on Christmas Eve? Not me!) In all the years Eddie has gone through this routine (one year it was every week) he said it had never been so crowded- so much so there local news station was there. But Eddie's real motive in making a trip to Knoxville was to surprise Isaac with a stop at the music store where a 3/4 Classical Cordoba was just waiting to find its way into a young man's hands. I must admit Eddie accomplished his goal in the surprise. Sure enough Isaac knew the "perfect" guitar when he felt it.

When the guys arrived home, it was time to head to my Mom and Dad's home for dinner with my sisters and their families. Mother always does such a nice job with meals for our families (she's done so since I was a little girl... had a "square" meal on the table every evening when Daddy arrived home) but this year she had another special surprise for Isaac. Remember I shared with you that he thought we never had turkey at Thanksgiving because it wasn't a brown bird like you see in photos? Mom had a "picture perfect" turkey. So picture perfect that we could not carve it until a photo session was completed!
Midway through our meal, Daddy noticed the lights flickered... so he pulled out flashlights... just in case. Sure enough, the power did go out- and stayed off for some time. The little ones had been told that they could open their gifts after we ate. To them the fact that we were in the dark had absolutely nothing to do with opening packages. With flashlights and candles in hand, boxes and bows were torn from every package and bag... in the dark. We looked like a 70's disco with flashes from our cameras mixed with bouncing and bobbing flashlights.

"Big B" brought me one of his gifts to show me that it was Thomas and Friends. I told him when the lights were back on we would take a look at it and maybe play with it. I'm so glad I witnessed what happened when the lights did come on and illuminate a room that looked like the storm outside had blown inside! Big B looked down at the box in his hands and began to shake, jump, and squeal with excitement when he saw what it really was that he held. Hm... got me to thinking. How many people today are just like Big B? They don't understand what it is that is available to them- that is right within their reach- because as scripture says, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light." We walk around in darkness not knowing the precious gifts of Jehovah. Gifts the world just can't give: peace and contentment, security, genuine and perfect love, acceptance. Oh that we would see The Great Light and choose to accept His gifts to us.