7 Quick Takes (Volume 61)

1) I recently found out I am related to Francis Scott Key. Let me see if I can explain this correctly. He was the nephew of my great great great great great great grandfather James Key Sr. which makes him some kind of cousin. Ah, my musical genius is explained. . .HA!

2) Last Sunday a crew of people hung out after the conclusion of our church musical and helped take down the set. A dozen people, both men and women, wielded screw guns to dismantle the puppy. I promise I am not making up the observation I am about to tell you. Truly. When the women unscrewed things, they either picked the screw up immediately or right after they finished with a board, but the men did their work leaving the screws lay on the floor for someone else to pick up.

When I pointed out to the women what was happening their response was, "Mmmm hmmm, of course."

I guess if they aren't tidy with their underwear, we shouldn't expect them to be neat with power tools, huh?

3) Ladies Man snapped a picture of me in the orchestra pit after the final performance of the musical. Can you tell it was a long week?



4) Bless my husband's ever loving heart. He decorated the house for Christmas on Tuesday while I balanced the checkbook, paid some bills, did general bookkeeping kind of stuff. Just thinking about getting all the Christmas junk out makes me hyperventilate. You have to make such a mess before you get to the finished product. OY! So he handles it for me. Sometimes I wonder if we have some sort of fruity role reversal thing going on, but then I remember. He never touches the laundry.

5) Apparently Drama Queen is NOT happy about her name.

"Everybody else's name is nice. Mine makes me sound bad."

I reminded her I say lots of nice things about her and that her drama is quite entertaining, but she isn't buying it. So let me set the record straight. Drama Queen is an awesome teenager. Despite her tough exterior, she possesses a tender heart. She is discerning and insightful beyond her years. She is responsible and funny, a faithful friend, smart and a kick to be around. There's way more to this girl than drama.

Rest assured, Drama Queen, you aren't the victim here. You are my treasured, lovely daughter.

6) After two days of LOUD, Thursday was a gloriously quiet day. I got caught up on laundry, ran some errands, had prayer with a friend and didn't even mind cleaning or getting groceries at stinky Walmart! Aah. I hope my intolerance for noise does not mean I'm destined to be a grouchy grandma.

I remember visiting my own grandmother (who was FAR from grouchy) when my kids were very small. Always thrilled to see us, she loved holding the babies. I'll never forget her big, bony hands reaching out for the newest addition, holding it gently saying, "What a dolly." But I knew when she'd had enough. "It's so nice you could come," she'd say, "Come back again, okay?"

Maybe as you lose your tolerance for noise you grow more grace. I certainly hope so.

7) Need some motivation to celebrate this Christmas season? How about this quote from Matthew Woodley I found in my Mosaic Bible (Thank you, Loni!)?

Throughout Advent we catch glimpses of a better world.
And as we catch glimpses of this Messiah-healed world, we long for its coming now. All of the best Advent hymns capture this spirit of groaning and longing for Messiah's better world. When we sing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," with its dark unresolved melody, it cracks our hearts open with longing's wound. And yet, we know Messiah has come, even as we wait for him to come again. Advent is a deliciously painful mix of joy and anguish.
This Advent-like longing is at the heart of Christian spirituality. . .C.S. Lewis claimed that in this life the Advent-like stab of longing serves as a spiritual homing device, placed deep in our heart by God to lead us back to him.
Advent trains us to ache again. Of all the seasons of the church year, Advent is the time to acknowledge, feel, and even embrace the joyful anguish of longing for Messiah's birth and the world's rebirth. So we sing our aching songs while we light candles and festoon the church with greenery. That is Advent longing. . .

Finally, an explanation for the sadness Christmas brings me, for the stirring within that says there's more to Christmas than what we celebrate. I do long for a Messiah-healed world. I long to know God without my human imperfections and limitations. For now I sit in silence, gazing into the candlelight or lit tree and imagine myself in His presence. And I long. . .

I pray you let yourself ache for God this Advent season too. Let Him meet you in your longing.


If you're curious about others and their Quick Takes, wander over to Conversion Diary.