Sleigh Bells Ring...

OK, so no sleigh bells were ringing at the Morse Residence yesterday, but the snow was definitely in attendance! For the first time in my life, I had a white Christmas at home...What a blessing! I spent a Christmas in Connecticut when I was about 8 and it snowed, but never here at home. I felt just like a kid. We woke both of our children up with the news....even the unaffected college student was a little excited! Anna Lauren was on top of the world. I know for all my Northern friends who are reading this, y'all are thinking..."Big deal"...well, for a deep South gal it was!

For some reason, this Christmas was so calm...I was happy with all of my purchases! I was happy with the food! I was happy with the noise! I was just plain happy! I usually get all worked up over stuff, but for whatever reason, I didn't this year...and it was nice!

For many years our tradition has been to get together at our house Christmas Eve...eat finger foods...then the grandmothers spend the night and we wake up Christmas morning...open gifts...then Brent cooks breakfast for the whole family! This year we had several new guests including Brent's Aunt Ann and her husband, Carl...My Uncle Johnny...Brent's Aunt Carolyn from Dallas! All total we had 15 people!

We cooked 32 eggs...2 dozen biscuits...6lbs of bacon...24 sausage patties...5 pots of coffee...2 jugs of OJ...2 pitchers of sweet tea!!! Our little house on the hill was full of laughter, reminiscing, love and togetherness...we were bursting at the seams, and loving every minute of it!

Brent and I are so blessed to have our immediate families so close...we are also blessed that his divorced parents can be together on holidays with no injuries! lol We are small, but we definitely pack a punch!

I don't have any pictures of the festivities, but the images are burned in my mind and by far, Christmas 2010 was the best Christmas ever! I pray you and yours had the Merriest Christmas and will experience the best New Year!

All my love,

Monica

Christmas Time

The past few weeks have been so involved with Yuletide activities...finishing up school activities for the Christmas Break...preparing for the Christmas musical at Church...shopping and more shopping...

Which brings me to...what is the real meaning of Christmas? As a Christian this is a stupid question...of course it is the celebration of the birth of My Savior, Jesus Christ! Born in a stable, among the cows, sheep, hay and manure....placed in a manger full of left over grain and dried animal slobber. Well, that is the truth!

He came to free and to save...He came to love and to teach...to fulfil prophecy and to show us the way...the truth and the light! So, if this is is the true meaning of the "Reason for the Season", why do we put ourselves through so much drama? Why do we worry over the "perfect gift"...why do we misplace the Reason?

I completely understand the exchanging of gifts... to symbolize the Wise Men's gifts to our Savior. They were heartfelt, symbolic gifts of the years to come...wise men indeed! But, can I possibly give every person I love the "perfect" gift, wrapped under our tree? I believe my "perfect" gift would be better given by my actions and my deeds.

Can my husband take that gift with him around forever? No....but, how I treat him as my mate for life is what he can take with him on his daily walk. How he can rest assured I am praying for him and that I love him, with all my heart, for better or worse.

Can Cole take with him that cash forever? No...but he can take with him the knowledge of the love of a mother who only wants him to know how much he is loved. How God has given him a wonderful gift of intelligence and talent, and a heart the size of Texas. How he will forever be covered in prayer as long as his mother takes a breath.

Can Anna Lauren take those clothes with her forever? No...but she can take with her the knowledge that her mother loves her and prays for her and wants her to grow in love and grace...that I will continue to try to show her the example of how she is to behave as a woman, wife and mother. That her mother wants more for her than the stars in the sky.

I am thankful Brent and I are financially able to buy our earthly gifts. However, I am more thankful for the Savior that was born in the lowliest of manners...the King of Kings...to walk among us, to know first-hand being human...to suffer and die for me...and you...That my friends is nothing money can buy...it has already been purchased, on a tree, hung between thieves!

God wants the best for us, but that takes a little sacrifice on our parts, we must die to our earthly desires...I have to remember, as a Christian, I have an awesome responsibility to those around me...I am the face of Christ to so many...I screw up more than I care to admit, but each time I beg for forgiveness, dust myself off and continue.

I pray that you and yours have a most perfect Christmas...that all your wishes come true and that you are truly blessed by the true Reason for the Season!

All my love,

Monica

Happy Birthday Daddy

As many of you may know, my father died when I was 12, just 5 months shy of my 13th birthday. 13 years isn't very long, especially as I have become older. I will admit my memories of my father are sketchy. Unfortunatley many of the memories are the more recent ones...watching cancer devour him...he was the same age I am now when he died and believe me it is too young!

In the few short years I had with him he left an indellable impression on my life and heart that time can not erase. I remember a very soft spoken man with a really big smile. He had an insatiable love for The Lord and I was literally at the church or some church function every time the doors were open. He loved music, football, baseball and boxing...which I never understood the boxing part, but I definitely caught the love of the others!

He was not a big man, probably 5'9", but he had a big personality. People just loved him. And, Lord have mercy, he was sooo handsome! His eyes were so blue...like Paul Newman's! He fell in love with my mother at first sight and loved her until the moment he took his last breath. I always said I had "delusions of grandeure" where marriage was concerned, because I never heard them argue...ever. I really thought all relationships were like theirs. If only they could be....

His birthday is today, he would have been 69. It is hard to believe he has been gone for 28 years, but he has. He would have LOVED Brent Morse...and oh what he would have thought of Cole and Anna Lauren! I hope that he would like how I turned out, however bumpy the road was to get where I am now. Not one day goes by that I don't think of him.

As the years increase and the memories fade, I am so thankful that I was conceived and he and my mother were the people chosen to adopt me and raise me. Life was not easy growing up without him and there are days, even today, I wonder what it would be like to go to him for advise. But, I have been given my subtle little reminders of him...I think he left me a great legacy and taught me a lot about life in a very short period of time...

Don't take your life for granted

Don't take your spouse for granted

Love your babies

Say "I love you" everyday, multiple times

Love God

Praise God

Sing to God

Be punctual

Be neat

Be kind

Pray

Fight to the end...

Happy Birthday, Donald Joseph Grenier, you were a fantastic, husband, father, son, brother, son-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle, friend, co-worker and above all Christian. I wish you could have walked me down the aisle and held your beautiful grandchildren. Fished and hunted with Cole and Brent and hung out with Anna Lauren. I wish you could have been there to kick the mean boyfriends in the butt and been there when I needed someone to cry to...but you were...in spirit. And as cliche' as it sounds I know you are watching over us and you were there for every moment cheering from heaven..

All my love,

Monica

Thankfulness

Thankfulness...sometimes I wonder if the term means to others what it means to me? I know we all have many things to be thankful for, but do we really sit down and give it the thought it deserves?

I am thankful for...

• Jesus Christ, first and foremost, my Savior and Friend
• My precious family
• My home
• My crazy, mixed-up bag of nuts friends
• My Church Family
• My co-workers
• My jobs
• My dog
• Baseball
• SEC Football
• Mexican Food
• Old movies
• Music
• Decorating Magazines
• Spring time
• Easter
• Christmas

 I know it's a quirky list and is actually incomplete! There are a million other things I am thankful for, many of which I forget about. But, every day, before my feet hit the floor, I thank God for another day. Do I always love that day? No...there are days I wish I never have, but I know these are the days I am being changed and molded and reminded of just how good my life really is. How blessed I am to have healthy children and a faithful husband. Days when I am reminded I have a roof over my head that doesn't leak and a vehicle that is in good condition.

I am reminded I have food in my fridge and pantry and actually have to throw it out because it goes bad before we can eat it. I have clothes in my closet...and if I don't want to wear some of them, it's ok, because I have plenty. I can go through the drive-thru and by a meal. I can go to the salon...I can get a pedicure if I so choose. I can go to church free from persecution. I can do a lot of things and never think twice about them...

I know that my life can change in the blink of an eye...I might not even be here tomorrow...but, if that does happen, hopefully, the impression I have left on my husband, my children, my family, my friends and maybe even strangers was that:

• I loved my Savior
• I loved family
• I loved my friends
• I loved children
• I loved my life and appreciated it!

I once had a little girl at school, whom I did not even know ask me...

"Why are you always smiling?" I gave her an off-handed response like, "Well, would you like to see me all scowled up like this everyday?" But, it touched me so deeply. Because, I believe everyone deserves a smile...I also believe you can take whatever life throws your way and make the most of it. I can not imagine living my life without gratitude, even when the bad times come....

Love to all,

Monica