Tuesday, December 9, 2014

In 1938, Milton Hershey made a statement I think is relevant, especially at this
time of the year.  He said, "The more BEAUTIFUL you make something
which people can see and use, the more ENJOYMENT they will get out of it."
 
That is what God did yesterday morning.  The sunrise was spectacular!
One that took my breath away.  In the stillness of the early morning
hour, the grandeur of it all, caused my heart to overflow with gratitude.


It seemed like even the birds were celebrating the morning sky.


It is also what Sue and her committee did in our church basement this past week,
for our annual Christmas dinner and celebration.


It showed us all once again, how time and creativity, can transform an older, simple
looking church basement, into a thing of beauty, with ambience abounding. 


They took greens from their trees, and decorations from their cupboards, and set the tables.


Adding to the ambience of the dinner, one of the men, put a fire on the screen in the corner.
For the first time ever, we had the cozy and pretty element of a fire burning during our
dinner.  Milton Hershey was right!


Even the entrance doors provided colorful welcomes and goodbyes, with the outdoor and
indoor wreathes.  Maybe Sue would give bow making classes:)


On Saturday, in our part of the country, it rained all day.  We had our five grand-
children here for the day.  Thanks to this "Gingerbread Mini Village Kit", purchased
at the local grocery store,  we were able to add fun and beauty to the day.  Five tiny
houses...five young, eager children,and one very patient and gifted paw pa, made
for a few hours of entertainment. 


If you want to sell a product, especially to children, add lots of colorful candies and
white icing, and the interest will be there.  For a few minutes, he had their rapt attention,
including the one wearing his black cap.


Each one took their turn, carefully crafting their appointed house.  Still wearing their
nametags, from the afternoon visit to the train room at their great-grandma's retirement
home.  Who would have thought, that five tiny houses, could bring such enjoyment!

 
Add a candy, eat a candy...works well:) 
 

Proudly, they displayed their finished houses.  The mini village is now displayed on their
mother's kitchen counter, and in the process,  their paw pa has aged a few more years, in
those two hours of time:)

Finally, tying in perfectly with Mr. Hershey's quote, was the amazing rendition of
"The Old Rugged Cross", which Craig Wayne Boyd sang last evening, on "The Voice".
It brought me to tears.  In a world that seems to be falling apart at the seams, it
spoke of "hope" and "peace", and the audience responded in heartfelt applause.  For
me, I could hear both of my grandma's singing this song, in my memory, as they both
loved the song.  Thank you Craig Wayne Boyd!  I am still singing it.
If you want to hear him share this song, you can find it here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amxE80Zj1Ys


Thank you for stopping by today, for the things you make BEAUTIFUL on your
blogs, so that all of us can enjoy it.

8 comments:

Debbie said...

Good morning! Your Christmas celebration at your church looked just perfect! And decorating 5 tiny houses with 5 eager grandkids? Well I know FIRST HAND just how much patience and love that takes, lol. Times they will cherish though that's for sure. And then I listened to the video...Oh my goodness, what a voice he has and how I love that song. Perfect way to start my day. Thanks for posting it! Enjoy your day!

Kathleen said...

What a great quote! It could easily be the tagline for your blog.

When our grands were little we had great fun making gingerbread houses. I always added candy; and marveled at how much of it went missing into the little mouths of charmed children (and Grandpa).

Wishing you the loveliest ever Christmas season.

Kathleen

Judy said...

I like that quote! And yes...we are drawn to the things of beauty. A transformed church basement...decorated pieces of gingerbread cookie...a smile on a face...words of peace and hope sung by a beautiful voice...so many ways to make the world more beautiful. Have a wonderful day! And thanks for sharing the beauty around you.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Breath taking sky!how wonderful you were able to capture it. And the church basement looks so festive for a dinner.

Our daughter purchase the same gingerbread Village that she plans to use tomorrow for Cambrie's fifth birthday party. Some little friends will be joining her to make this sweet treat.

Lea @ CiCis Corner said...

Gorgeous skies for sure!

I did one Gingerbread House with one Grandchild and it took a lot of patience. I cannot even imagine FIVE!!

Oh, I'm with you on "The Old Rugged Cross." I had tears streaming down my face when he finished. It was gorgeous and brought back so many memories of my childhood.

Always a joy to stop by!

Liz said...

I need to show your church basement to my mom! She gets so frustrated trying to decorate the basement of our church. Yours looks very festive! Love the gingerbread houses! Hard to keep those boys interested I bet! lol..

corners of my life said...

There are some wonderful new memories behind those smiles . . .

Anneliese said...

I'm listening as I type. Love that hymn! Why have we not sung that for so long? Your thoughts on beauty reveal how we are made in the image of God.
Your new header with the truck is beautiful too!

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