It Has Been A Good Week - Bonus: Day #11 Twelve Days of Christmas

Bonus: Day #11 Twelve Days of Christmas I Could Not Come To You

It Has Been A Good Week

This was our last week before we begin revivals again, so we tried to make the best of it. We went to our home church Tuesday and Thursday, visited with family, worked a little on the barn and enjoyed a FEW meals.

Early in the week, during a break in the cold and rain, we removed the red metal from the old sliding doors that hung on the barn for nearly 40 years. I will tell you more about that next week.

Steve and Karen brought a box from Wichita for us. Sis. Esther Richards sent a box for Christmas. Among her thoughtful gifts were many scarves for KJo. I am not sure they were intended to be worn all at the same time!

Such a fashionista!

Wednesday was our last day without church or family obligations so KJo and I drove down to Springdale to eat at Pappadeaux's. We had a gift card that had been given to us way back and we wanted to use it. 

We have found that the restaurants around here are very crowded in the evening, so we avoid them like the plague, literally. Pappadeaux's was near empty in the middle of the day and we were thrilled with that!

We are trying to keep living as normally as possible while being as careful as possible. We noticed on our recent trip that people still love to bunch up into groups breathing one another's air, but we have determined that we do not have to join them.

We will stay as distant as possible and it does not hurt us to mask up at all when necessary.

Here are a few pictures of food Kelly Jo prepared at home!

Thursday my parents invited us to take a ride to Dayton and visit the Dayton National Cemetary. There are over 55,000 military personnel buried there and over 7400 of them are decorated with wreaths for Christmas this year. It was solemn and beautiful.

Odie snapped a few pictures throughout the week.

That pretty much wraps up our week. May God bless and your family this weekend as you celebrate Christmas. Thank you for stopping by.

Davy

Longer Days- The Cycle of Life

Bonus: Day #10 Twelve Days of Christmas - Until He Came

Two days ago was the shortest day of the year, in terms of the amount of daylight. For the next six months, the days get longer and the nights get shorter. It will be a slow process to move from sunset at 5:15 to sunset at 9:15, but I am ready to go.

There is such a thing as Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. SAD is a form of depression that occurs primarily in the winter when the daylight hours are decreased from summer and fall levels. The full cause is not known, but the shorter days and longer nights definitely play a role in SAD.

The severity can vary widely, but seasonal depression can be terribly debilitating in its worse form. Experts recommend exercise, a good diet and as much natural sunlight as you can work into your day.

I do not understand half of what I have read about SAD and I can not identify with most of the symptoms, but I do dread the shorter days as they come along and I always rejoice as the daylight hours begin to grow.

In fact, most of my happiest summertime memories involve being outside in a mid-summer evening at 9:00 or 10:00 in the daylight. The sun was still shining so I thought it was two or three hours earlier.

KJo and I were in Montana in July 2010. We went to watch the 4th of July fireworks between 10:30 and 11:00 PM, but the beginning of the show was postponed in order to let it get a little darker. I loved that!

In 2015 we were near Denali National Park in Alaska during July 4th week with my parents, KJo's parents and Steve and Karen. At 2:00 AM in the morning, there was enough light to read the newspaper. I could get used to that, but 20 hours of darkness in the winter would be a no go for me.

Even though I dread the shorter days, I know the downward cycle will eventually be completed and the days will be longer soon. It is the cycle of life. 

As the days get longer, the sun will be shining, the ground will begin to get warm and the row crops will push their way toward the light. The trees will become green with leaves, the birds will sing and the flowers will bloom in living color.

By the end of June, the days will begin to shorten and by this time next year the ground will be frozen here in Ohio and every plant will be dead or dormant.

It is the cycle of life. Deadness, dryness, cold and dark. But the light will come again and life will renew and blossom.

Here is something I learned from a preacher many years ago. It is either night in your life or the night has just ended or the night is coming. It is a cycle of day and night, summer and winter, life and death and joy and sorrow. But do not forget the sun will shine again in EVERY life and in every situation!

Thank you for reading today, friends.

Davy

A Word For Wednesday - Not Every Christmas Is A Merry Christmas

Bonus: Day #9 Twelve Days of Christmas Joy To The World

A Word For Wednesday

It is time for A Word For Wednesday. A Few minutes ago, I posted A Word for Wednesday on our YouTube Channel. Please give it a listen and leave us a comment here or on YouTube.

It is Christmas time! Not Every Christmas Is A Merry Christmas

The Christmas season is difficult to navigate for some of us. Sickness, sadness, sorrow, despair, divorce, deployment, death, depression and a million other things can cause our Christmas to be more blue than white, more melancholy than merry.

That is OK! God loves us and will comfort us right where we are. God help us to realize that not everyone around us is having a Merry Christmas and may we have grace to reach out and embrace everyone in this Christmas season.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Davy

Home With Family - Bonus: Day #8 Twelve Days of Christmas

Bonus: Day #8 Twelve Days of Christmas

The Most Inconvenient Christmas is a wonderful and whimsical combination of fun to sing and amazing truth. I hope you enjoy it.

Home With Family

Christmas week usually means more family time for us. We have always looked forward to spending some time with my brother Steve and his wife Karen. Steve would stop by on his way home from work several days and we would visit or he would join in working on whatever I was doing. 

We would also eat together a few times and drink salsa together too. We both love to eat and our taste in food is similar. We have enjoyed many wonderful meals together.

Now that they are living and working in ministry in Wichita, Kansas, we do not get to see them as soon as we arrive in Ohio. That has taken some getting used to. I can not tell you how many times this year that I have looked at the clock in the afternoon and thought to myself that Steve would be dropping in any minute. Ugh!

The months that we spent at home were already strange, but with Steve and Karen in Kansas, those months were even stranger still. I do not think I ever got used to them being gone.

It was nice to see them walk through the door Monday evening! KJo had Acapulco waiting on them and she had a little bit for me too.😍😍

They will get to spend time with their kids, granddaughter and the rest of our family over the next few days, but we sure enjoyed a little time with them.

Odie and Cousin Lisa were out and about Monday evening, but they came back in time to visit a little too. I had not seen Lisa in months so seeing her was great too!

Dad stopped by for a short visit Monday morning and we were so glad that he did. I neglected to snap a picture so was he really here?

It looks like Odie is ready for Christmas!

Are you spending time with family this week?

Thank you for droppping in.

Davy

Our Weekend Report 12/20/22 - Bonus: Day #7 Twelve Days of Christmas

Bonus: Day #7 Twelve Days of Christmas

Our Weekend Report

Hello, friends! I hope you had a great weekend. We sure did! We are about to settle into a "normal" routine, whatever that is.😍 Next Sunday night we begin revival at Dryden Rd. and then we hit the road from there. That is more like our regular normal.

We are hoping that once we begin revival next week, we can keep rolling for many months to come. COVID is raging in many places and does not seem to be slowing down. It is tempting to crawl in a hole and wait it out, but there is work to be done.

Our plan is to be as careful as we can, travel all we can, preach all that we can and adjust as necessary. Please pray for us. I sure do not want COVID again, that much I know for sure.

Friday and Saturday we great days. We worked on the bus and the barn, but you can see where my heart really was. I failed to take pictures of anything but food.

Sunday we were blessed to attend both services at Dryden Rd, our home church. We enjoyed the services and the fellowship tremendously.

That wraps up a pretty great weekend. This week we will see family, go to church, eat and maybe even get a little work done. May God bless you for joining us for a few minutes today.

Davy

Sunday Morning Sanity - Bonus: Day #6 Twelve Days of Christmas

Bonus: Day #6 Twelve Days of Christmas, He Came To Me.

Sunday Morning Sanity

When a man stops believing in God he doesn’t then believe in nothing, he believes anything. G.K. Chesterson

I hope you have a super great Sunday.

Davy

Fun With Gran and Papaw - Bonus: Day #5 Twelve Days of Christmas

Hey Friends,

Bonus: Day #5 Twelve Days of Christmas "It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year"

Welcome to another Saturday post with Odie. I hope you are doing well.  I am doing great. We have made it to the final week before Christmas! I am looking forward to a splendid week of celebrating Christmas with family and friends!

Earlier this week, I spent a couple days with my grandparents in Hillsboro. We had a fantastic time together! I love the times when I get to relax and enjoy quality time with my grandparents! 

My time in Hillsboro was so laid back.  I only took a handful of photos. I will include those pictures below.

After they picked me up, lunch at Chili's was our first order of business.

We all love Chilis! The food was so good that day!

Next, we did a little browsing in stores. Gran found the perfect small recliner at TJ Max. In our family, we call small things " Gran Size." Gran had me take a picture to send to the family group text.

Ice cream is a must when I am with Papaw Danny.

Papaw likes to roll around the house in my chair. 😀

There is a brand new restaurant in Hillsboro. It is called The Porch. Gran and I ate lunch there on their second day being opened. The food, atmosphere and service were all excellent. I hope The Porch does well in Hillsboro, Ohio.

I had a smoked bologna sandwich! It deserves two thumbs up! 👍👍

That is a wrap on my fun with Gran and Papaw. Thanks for visiting with me today. I will see you on Christmas day!

Odie

A Few Pictures From The Week - Bonus: Day #4 Twelve Days of Christmas

Bonus: Day #4 Twelve Days of Christmas "Long Time Comin"

We have been eating good! You knew that, right?

The weather has been unseasonably warm most days, so we have been working on the Lazy OD Ranch some. We will not get everything completed before we leave, but it is nice to have weather that is not freezing cold. We are headed for a few cold days though.

I am not ready for cold weather. I am ready to migrate south for the winter!😍 God gave a goose that much brainpower!

I had a wonderful experience for a few minutes the other day. I stopped to check on a friend that is sick. I only stayed a few moments but suggested we pray together before I left. As we prayed, the Holy Ghost touched us! Hallelujah! That made my day. Thank you, Jesus!

We also went to church at Dryden Rd. Thursday and Odie snapped a few pictures.

Thank you for spending a few minutes with us today.

Davy