Oh what a wonderful day!

The Smith family had a MAGNIFICENT day together at Glenda's house on Christmas Day!!! Blessings were abundant!!! Ollie and I are leaving tomorrow on vacation until Friday night. I will post Christmas pictures and have more to say when I am not in the midst of packing!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!!! God's blessings!

A BLESSED AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

A Christmas Prayer

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving Father,
Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift
and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing
which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning
make us happy to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us to our beds
with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven,
for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Saying good-bye to cousin Hershel

Sadly, yesterday was spent with Mom and Dad the funeral of Dad's special cousin Hershel Doyle. Hershel was 90 and had been ill for a very long time. His precious wife, Lillie, like my Mom, untiringly cared for Hershel throughout the duration of his illness. Hershel died in his own bed, holding Lillie's hand. Until his death on December 18th, he and Lillie had been married 71 years! They married in 1939 in the Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Giddings TX and remained life-long members there. It was in that same church where the funeral was held Saturday.

Hershel's mother, Mamie, died when Hershel was only 15 months old. My Grandmother, Mabel, took over the care of baby Hershel, even though she was a very young girl. I have not yet been able to find out what year Ira and Ida married to determine how old Grandma was at the time, but I do know that Grandma cared for Hershel a good while and called him "her baby". That was until Uncle Ira remarried Ida Wuneburger. Grandma married Grandpa Sewell Smith when she was only 16 and my Dad was born on her 17th birthday!

Dad and Hershel were 4 years apart. In celebration of Hershel's 90th birthday in May 25, 2010, a collection of friends' and family's comments was made. I was talking to Gary, Hershel and Lillie's son, yesterday. He told me that the last lines of what Dad wrote for Hershel's birthday, for him, summed up his Dad's life. I want share Dad's full comment with you. I am typing it exactly as Dad did..."DEAR HERSHEL;AS YOU ALREADY KNOW, YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY HERO..SOME OF THE MOST FONDEST MEMORIES OF MY GROWING UP IN ELGIN WERE WHEN UNCLE IRA AND ALL OF YOU WOULD COME TO VISIT US IN THE WAGON...NOW THAT'S A LONG TIME AGO, BUT I STILL REMEMBER IT. I ALWAYS WANTED TO GO HOME WITH YOUALL AND DRIVE THE MULES. I WOULD STILL LIKE TO HAVE SOME MULES BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO WITH THEM..YOU ARE GOING TO BE NINETY YEARS OLD...MY WHAT A MILESTONE..I HOPE I CAN MAKE IT..I WILL BE EIGHTY FIVE IN JULY...YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT IN YOUR LIFE...YOU SERVED OUR COUNTRY IN WORLD WAR TWO---YOU AND LILLIE HAVE HAD A LONG AND HAPPY MARRIAGE---YOU ARE AN HONEST AND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN---YOU RAISED A GOOD FAMILY---WHAT ELSE CAN A MAN ASK FOR IN LIFE? I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT YOU ARE MY FRIEND. MILDRED AND I THINK OF YOU OFTEN AND HOPE TO VISIT SOON. WE LOVE YOU...HARVEY AND MILDRED SMITH" And Dad signed it "Harvey"

Dad was especially sad at the funeral. I believe it was because of his love and admiration for Hershel and that Dad was thinking about his deceased brother Roy. As I said good-bye to Mom and Dad yesterday after the funeral, I hugged Dad and told him that I'd bet Hershel and Uncle Roy were already fishing together in heaven! Dad laughed and shook his head yes.

I then said, "And don't get it in your head to join them any time soon!" Dad pursed his lips, grinned and nodded, "Okay!" At least, that is what I am interpreting it to mean!!! God bless the soul of Hershel Doyle and give Lillie, daughter Barbara, son Gary and all their family strength and peace.

The Smith family will gather at Glenda's house on Saturday to celebrate the birth of Christ and and the joy of Christmas. I am printing out a child's version of the story of the Nativity for the younger kids to read aloud to our family. I firmly believe it is our job to teach them about Christ in Christmas! At this link, there is a colorful printable "book" for children ages 6-11, although I hope to have my great-nephews Randy-15 and Bradley-13, and great-niece Kelly-9 (Jean's grandkids) take turns reading it to all of us. A lot of family members will groan, but we traditionally sing a few Christmas carols while Danny's wife Lisa accompanies us on the piano! I am big on tradition!!!

From all of us to all of you, have a safe, blessed and merry Christmas and a joyous, healthy and prosperous New Year! "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on Earth." Amen!

HI! It's Sandi Claus time!!!

Hello all! This week flew by! One highlight was that, on Thursday, Glenda, Whitney, Austin and I went to see Mom and Dad! Glenda picked up brisket, ribs, chicken and all the fixin's from Opie's barbecue on her way, so we feasted! Dad had just gotten up, so he had barbecue for brunch!

We found them in great spirits! Mom and Dad were so happy to have a house-full of energy! Dad is so contented just having us in the house! He spends a good bit of our visits napping in his chair, but he enjoys listening to our conversations with Mom and he gets a kick out of the antics of the great-grandkids when they come! It was a windy day, so Dad didn't go outside, but I entertained Austin by taking him on a long golf cart ride! What is it about kids and golf carts?!!! We always spend a little time checking Mom and Dad's emails, even though she had already read some of them earlier in the week! Mom is so proud of herself that she can do that now! A computer is still pretty intimidating to her, but she 's a trooper! There's not much Mom can't do if she sets her mind to it!!! Sometimes that's a problem!!! We have to gently and lovingly remind her from time to time that she's not a spring chicken any more! She laughs and totally ignores us! If any of us are stubborn, we certainly came by it honestly!!!!!

Even in his silence, Dad is still such an icon to all of us. "Everyone has their own special gift. In some, silence. The world has need of small perfection as well as great achievements." Certainly we miss his speaking, but his presence is respected and revered. When we all gather, the excitement level goes to max when Mom and Dad arrive...all the kids and grandkids hardly let them in the door before they are overwhelmed with kisses and hugs! Someone said, "Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old." Well, you'll never see Mom and Dad's faces brighter than when they are getting lovin' from their grandkids or great-grandkids! However, someone also said, " An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly." I thought that was pretty funny and so TRUE!!!

Mom had her Christmas tree up! She has a beautiful artificial tree that she has moved to one of the buildings between seasons. She keeps the lights and garland on it and wraps it in plastic until the next year! Then, all she has to do is have someone move it to the house, hang the ornaments and plug it in! To me, a Christmas tree is a great spirit booster! The lights and the decorations just do something to warm up a room! Our family loves Christmas! We will all gather at Glenda's house outside Oak Hill on Christmas Day. There's always a lot of commotion, but it wouldn't be the same without it! ~ O come let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him ~ We'll have a big lunch and then spend most of the afternoon watching the kids open gifts and play with them! After all, Christmas is about Christ and children!

Christmas is my very favorite time of year! I love focusing on the birth of Christ as well as the Christmas parties and the hustle and bustle at the malls and stores. The season seems to give everyone an excuse to speak to a stranger, smile at the kids in their Christmas outfits waiting in line to see Santa and share God's love with everyone! I feel so privileged because I have a Christmassy name and I take full advantage of it! The day after Thanksgiving I become Sandi Claus!!! Sandi Crinkelmeyer already sounds pretty Christmassy to me, but it's so fun to be Sandi Claus!!! My favorite thing in the whole world is buying people gifts, or as I call them, "prises". Not prizes - 'prises! That all started with my oldest niece, Jennifer. When Jennifer was a toddler I didn't work on Fridays and I spent almost every Friday with her and Jean. Each time I came I brought Jennifer a surprise! However, she couldn't say that word, she said 'prise! She'd say, "Aunt Sandi, did you bring me a 'prise?!" To this day, Aunt Sandi loves to bring all the nieces and nephews and the great nieces and nephews 'prises!!! It's what makes me happy!!! Daddy used to tell Ollie that he felt sorry for him because I was going to give all our money away!!! Well, I can think of worse things to be known for!!!

"Christmas gift suggestions...

to your enemy, forgiveness,

To an opponent, tolerance,

To a friend, your heart,

To a customer, service,

To all , charity,

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect."

I'd like to add...To God, praise.

I pray that each of you has a very merry Christmas and a safe and blessed New Years! "Come freely, go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring."

Twice is nice!!!

Ollie and I went to Mom and Dad's today to visit and get our dining room furniture that we were storing in one of their buildings. Since Robert and Austin have recently gotten their own place, I can move my office back upstairs and use the formal dining room actually as a dining room! I loved being downstairs with Ollie while he worked at his desk and I at mine, but I sure didn't like everyone seeing my messy desk! Life is about transition, right?!!! Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit." Hmmm...after loading and unloading the truck, I sure don't feel very energized!!!!

The four of us went to the new Chinese/Sushi restaurant, Koy, just north of the bridge in Marble Falls for lunch. Yes, they have a full Chinese menu as well as Japanese sushi! It was really good and, for the four of us, our tab only came to $34.00 and that was soup, appetizer and an entrée for each of us !!! We all enjoyed our menu choices and I found out that they both like hot and sour soup and egg rolls! Now I can pick those things up for them and Mom can serve them for a quick lunch or a light dinner. She loves us to come bearing gifts of food!!!

Mom and Dad hadn't seen the picture of me hugging Dad at Thanksgiving. I loved that picture so much and had a 4 x 6 print made and took it to Dad! His reaction made me feel like a million bucks! I love my Mom and Dad immeasurably!!!

So, Mom and Dad were excited to have another visit this week! How I'd love to always see them at least every-other day! This evening I called to let Mom know we made it home safe and sound with our load and teased her saying they'd get tired of us if we continued to come so often and she exclaimed, "No, we love having you here!" And I know she means it...I know they do love having their kids and family members there, as well as friends and relatives! Mom and Dad...they are blessings from God in our lives!!! Thank you God! Amen!

Good Day!

Good morning! It's a glorious morning in Austin, despite the cold wind! The sun is blazing through the windows, reflecting on the golden and red leaves in the trees and showing off God's creation!

Jean and I had a great visit with Mom and Dad yesterday! Mom said that oooo friend chicken for lunch sure sounded good, so we stopped at a place in Marble Falls and picked up a feast of chicken, fried okra, coleslaw and rolls! Not the healthiest foods, but, my theory is that at their age they can eat anything they wish for!!!

Marge, the speech therapist, arrived a little early, so she and Dad started working together about 12:30. Sadly, this was the last time she will be able to come in a professional capacity. It is so obvious that she cares so strongly for Daddy and it showed in the respectful but humorous manner she worked with him. Mom, Jean and I provided the audience while Marge and Dad worked on his communicating machine. I am going to find something better to call it...I'll work on that! After about an hour Dad was obviously tired and pushed away from the table! We presented Marge with a thank you card that Mom and Dad signed as well as a Christmas ornament that said, "Angels come into our lives..." Sorry, I can't remember exactly what it said, but you get the gist of it! Dad was visibly sorry to hear that it was their last therapy session. She made tremendous strides in Dad's willingness to communicate with us. His improvement since she began working with him in May is outstanding. God bless her!

After Marge left Dad headed to his chair for a nap! However, Mom had other ideas!!! She insisted that he stay awake and visit with Jean and me! He had slept until 11:00 that morning, so she didn't think he needed a nap! We all went to the computer and got them caught up on their emails. They got a good chuckle at the picture of our twin granddaughters and their Mommy Neely and Daddy Carl in their Halloween costumes of the 3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf!!! They were also amazed at the email Betty Means sent them of the two women who make statues of horses out of driftwood! They're amazingly life-like!

The four of us then congregated in the living room and Dad finally got to relax in his chair! He did stay awake and listened to the conversation between Mom, Jean and me. She and I headed home about 3:30. We always feel so good about spending time with Mom and Dad. The days get long, especially for Dad, when there's nothing but quiet in the house. While many of us long for quiet days with not much to do, it can get old very quickly!

It's so hard to believe that today is December 1st and the Holiday Season is upon us! It's my favorite time of the year! In fact, on the day after Thanksgiving each year I become Sandi Claus!!! <:-) The spirit of happiness seems to fill the air and I see more smiles on people's faces! It seems like people put their prejudices and frustrations aside and relish in the joy of the birth of the Jesus!

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

God bless us one and all! Amen!