When is it appropriate to decorate for Christmas? It seems that before we got all the candy wrappers cleaned up from Halloween, that the Christmas decorations started going out and up. And so begins one of the greatest debates of all time. For most folks, there used to be a tradition that only after a good Thanksgiving meal was enjoyed by family and friends that we would gather together at some point and ”deck the halls”.

Some make the argument that now a days, we just totally ignore Thanksgiving and that we should make sure we are taking time to enjoy this special holiday of thanks before we get into the hustle and bustle of the Chrsitmas season. I love the holidays and enjoy celebrating with my family and friends. Any excuse to get together, have fellowship and enjoy some delicious food always sounds good to me.

I personally want to get the most out of everyday I am blessed with another day to live this amazing life, so I’m going to do my best to enjoy it all. When I was a little boy, we would go to my Grandparents for Sunday lunch and one of my favorite things was getting the Sears and J.C. Penny catalogs, flipping to their back pages and looking at the toys, so I could start making my list.

The magic of Christmas for me has always been in the anticipation, the looking forward to, the ”I can’t wait, but I’m going to have too!”, so I’m going to enjoy Thanksgiving as Thanksgiving – a time to reflect on all I have to be grateful for, an opportunity to say thank you to my Creator and a moment to savor with family and friends as we enjoy a delicious meal together.

As Thanksgiving comes to an end, I will allow my anticipation to begin by allowing my senses to take in and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells that take me back as I continue to move forward to that most wonderful time of the year.

As for you? Do what you want to do. Do what makes you happy and what allows you to share happiness with others. As I see it, the holidays are not about rules, but about opportunities. And every opportunity I get to celebrate this amazing life and enjoy the fellowship of my sweet family and friends, I’m going to take and enjoy to it’s fullest, especially if something delicious is being served! 😉

When I read the histories of people who have really made a difference in the world, one of the consistent disciplines most of them practice is the discipline of taking the time to journal everyday.

As a teenager I began to learn a little about journaling and started the practice of daily taking time to begin my day recording some thoughts about the things I was learning in my Spirit during time spent in the Word. Through the years, this has developed into a big part of who I am and what I do everyday through a process of inspection, reflection, learning, growing and personal development.

One of the most meaningful things I take time to do everyday is JOURNAL. I have a notebook with real paper and a good pen, I enjoy writing with. I begin my day in my journal by writing down a verse of scripture promise to focus on for the day. I then list out at least three things I am grateful for. Next up is my task list for the day and the rest is for anything I feel is important to record.

Here are a few reasons why I journal:

1. It Helps Me Begin My Day On The Right Track! So many times we rush into our day and before we know it, our day is over and we think: “What in the world have I accomplished?” and we end up beating up on ourselves, because we feel like we’ve accomplised nothing, even though we’ve been busy and running all day long.

2. It Helps Me Align With What Really Matters! Taking the time to actually slow down and write words on a page helps me to think through what really matters and allows me to prioritize by clearing my mind, so I am free to tap into the creativity I was created for.

3. It Helps Me Tap Into My Source! I cannot do life alone and I wasn’t meant to. God created me on purpose and for a purpose. The greatest thing I can do with this human experience is receive His gift of love and share it with others. When I get this right, everything else falls into place.

I encourage you to get a notebook, pen and take some time to practice this discipline in your life – it will make a difference and you will be glad you took the time…

Today started off as another ordinary Saturday. I got up, had my quiet time, brushed my teeth, and got ready to get dressed to head out into the world to see what I could get into. I decided this morning that I would wear my overalls, since I was planning on going to a local farm day event. I put on my overalls and then looked for a t shirt, slipped it on, buckled up my straps and just before I headed out the door, I rolled up my short sleeve shirt – two rolls. I then headed out the door for a normal Saturday of visits, fellowship, a little work and whatever else I might find along the way…

I began with a visit to one of our town hangouts – McDonalds to see my senior friends and we enjoyed some good conversation, talked about local events, football, hunting, politics and a little business. I love these guys because they always teach me something new and keep me very entertained.

I then headed over to our neighbor town – West Pelzer for their Farm Fest. Tractors, farm animals, all kinds of vendors and free ice cream. What’s not to love about that? I walked around, snapped some pics, visited with a few folks and decided I probably needed to get a little work done on the farm myself.

So I loaded up the chicken pen at one farm and moved it to the other. Got it cleaned up, set up and transferred the chicks. Did some more odds and ends, did a little studying, reading and note taking. And then took a little hammock break, because it is Saturday, right?

While I was laying there in the hammock thinking about my day, I was thinking back to my choice of outfits for the day. My overalls remind my of my Grandfather “Pa” Albert Harvell – one of my most favorite people in the whole wide world. He and I used to walk his property line every Sunday and as we did, he would tell me stories about growing up and growing old, teach me about farming, planting and growing and he would actually take the time to listen to whatever it was I had to say.

His daily uniform was a pair of “Pointer Overalls and a white t-shirt”. What I had never thought about or remembered until today was the way he wore that t-shirt. A lot of times when I put on a shirt, I will roll the sleeves up. I just assumed it was because I didn’t like the sleeve touching my arm or because I just think it looks better. I never really thought about where I even got the idea from until today. And laying there thinking and seeing my Pa in my minds eye, it hit me – I got that from my “Pa”.

He left this earthly expereince for his Heavenly home many years ago, but he still impacts my thoughts and actions everyday. Some times in complicated ways by helping me to explain things to my daughters about life and living. Sometimes in fun ways like enjoying outdoors, gardening, animals and watching things grow. And some times in very simple ways, like rolling up my sleeves, just because I can.

It felt so good to have that moment of realization, to see my Pa again and just enjoy sweet memories. And you know what? I think I might roll my sleeves up a little more often now!