Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from everyone at SLF, people, puppy, and cows!

1225 says Merry Christmas...

..along with this cute little guy!

"When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem!

Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 

After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to

them about this child.  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these

things in her heart and thought about them often.  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying

and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them."

Luke 2: 15-20

Cownt down- 12/24

This girl, 1224 is a little bit people-shy, but she kindly allowed me to snap a few photos of her.

"That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

Luke 2: 8-14

Cownt down- 12/23

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. 

Look! The virgin will conceive a child! 

She will give birth to a son 

and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

~Isaiah 7:14

Cownt down- 12/22

Today is 12/22.

This is 1222.  She is very friendly, which is nice but can be annoying when she wants to lick you and be petted while you are trying to get work done.  

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has visited and redeemed his people.

He has sent us a mighty Savior

from the royal line of his servant David,

just as he promised

through his holy prophets long ago.

Because of God’s tender mercy,

the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

and to guide us to the path of peace.”
Luke 1:68-70, 78-79

Fall on your knees

A beautiful thing:

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God,

he did not think of equality with God

as something to cling to.

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

he took the humble position of a slave

and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,

he humbled himself in obedience to God

and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor

and gave him the name above all other names,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Prince of Peace

"For a child is born to us,

a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.

And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His government and its peace

will never end.

He will rule with fairness and justice 

from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the 

Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

Isaiah 9: 6-7

This is the real meaning of Christmas.  A day to remember the birth of this child, who is called the Prince of Peace.  


One of my favorite Christmas carols is O Holy Night.  The tune and the words are just so powerful.  I especially like the verse that goes as follows:

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall His break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise us,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

So this Christmas, may God fill your heart with peace as you remember the real meaning of Christmas !

A quarter of a century

Today someone very special to me celebrates his 25th birthday!!  Happy birthday Josiah!!!  I love you so much!

Unseasonable

It was unseasonably warmish yesterday.  Who thought that I would be out pulling weeds and Josiah mowing the grass in the middle of December!?

Cold

You know it's cold when you can see your breath... inside the house.

Seeing how long we can survive without turning the heat on... fun.

Frosty

Thanksgiving day activities

I have some catching up to do.  I've had photos from Thanksgiving on my camera for a while.

So this is what we did for Thanksgiving.

In the morning I helped make applesauce, it was pink, that was strange.  I've never made pink applesauce before.

Then in the afternoon, before a feast of turkey and cranberry sauce:

Then the Easter bunny got mixed up and showed up for Thanksgiving.  Jack did not like the Easter bunny.

Then more activities:

My view

What a joy it is to look out my kitchen window in the morning and be able to see a new-born calf with it's mother.  The baby was trying to stand up, it took a few tumbles, but finally got on all four legs and took some steps.  Then it stood by the gate, where I could see it, wobbling the whole time.  And the mother, a first time mother, stood guard the whole time, licking the calf, and trying to help it to stay standing.  She was so proud of her new baby.

Some people pay loads of money for an ocean view, but I get a view of something just as wonderful for free.

Men and their tractors

A couple of Saturdays ago, on a beautiful fall afternoon, Josiah and my dad had some fun running a few old tractors around their farm.

Jack, my other puppy (my parent's dog), likes to bark at the tractors.

Thanksgiving

Holidays can be difficult on a farm.  The cows need fed and milked every day, so someone has to do the work.  I know that I don't really feel like doing the work on these days.  On a day that is supposed to be special, a day for families and reflection on what God has done in our lives, a day that most people have off work.  But it's not about what I want or don't want; we don't always get what we want, it just doesn't work that way.  Instead of focusing on what I think is negative, having to work on a holiday, I need to focus on what I am thankful for, because I have so much to be grateful for.

I am thankful for the cows, without them here I wouldn't be working and living on a farm.  I wouldn't be able to get to know their individual personalities or see the goofy things that they do sometimes.  I would miss out on how delicious their milk is to drink!

I'm thankful for the calves, I love to take pictures of them and pet them.  They are so peaceful one minute and the next they're jumping all over the place, it's just so cute!

I'm thankful for everyone who works here on the farm; for Grandpa, Dave, Dad, Ed, Josiah, Collin, Logan, Kristen, and the occasional Charise and Kendall (when they're home from college).  Every one has a valuable part in this team, and if just a few of these people were missing, the responsibilities would be almost impossible to accomplish.

I'm thankful for 2 wonderful families.  My parents, who raised me and put up with all of my stubbornness and selfishness, I think I'm turning out alright so you must have done a good job.  And Josiah's parents, who have accepted me as one of their own children, and for raising Josiah up to be such a great young man!  And for all of my siblings.  I may be the youngest in my family, but in Josiah's family I am now an oldest child, which is such a difficult transition to make, so thanks for putting up with me Charise and Kristen.  And my siblings, Melissa, Joe, and Michelle, thanks for being older than me, it was so much easier to learn how to drive and do other things because all of you went before me and I could learn from what you did or didn't do.

I'm thankful for Josiah.  He is such a wonderful encouragement to me.  He is positive when I think negative thoughts.  He is strong where I am not, and I am strong in areas where he is not.  We compliment each other very well, and I am thankful that God gave him so much patience with me while we were dating and even now.

All these things I should be thankful for each day.  But sometimes, do I take them for granted?  Probably, another lesson that I need to learn.

"Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.  For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.  And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.  Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.  Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."  Colossians 3: 14-17