Holly

Holly is one of my favorite plants. The photo up top is from a mansion in England near Birmingham. There was a wall running close to the estate and it was covered with holly.

Did you know that birds find their shelter in holly when they are pursued by their enemies? Holly is an important food source for many bird species. It is relatively toxic for humans, though.

Some holly species are boiled to make maté, a caffeine rich drink. The wood of the holly plant is hard and white and is traditionally used to make the white chess pieces.

What I love the most about holly is that although it can be a prickly plant, the wood is hard and when sanded smooth, can be used in building a spinning rod for looms. The holly wood was so smooth, it wouldn't snag the threads.

People are a lot like holly. We start out a little toxic, but the more we allow God to work in us, the more productive we are. We can become refuges for people who are running from their enemies. We can feed and shelter people in need.

But only when we are cut and sanded smooth and we be useful in creating something totally new.

I have gone through a lot of sanding in 2010 and I am more than ready to move on. I would have been satisfied just to be cut up and boiled and be served as a drink. I kind of like maté, by the way. But no, I had to be cut, all the outer wood stripped off and sanded again and again. I certainly don't want to be made into just another chess piece on someone else's board.

I hope that I can be made into the rod that will spin something beautiful for all the pain I've gone through. My personal life has been turned upside down several times between the end of 2009 and 2010.

I have had to be stripped down to the basic minimum and make some priority choices which were tough to do. I have cut out all extra activities to focus on my family and my job and some aspects of ministry that were important to me and where I knew I was productive.

Some days have felt empty because I had gotten so used to living off of adrenaline and rushing from one thing to another.

In June, my jewelry business was officially closed. That was a mixed blessing and relief. H huge chink of my time was handed back to me on a silver platter. And the scary thing was I didn't know what in the world to do with this time.

Sometimes it's a good thing to have time to think.

I will try to reclaim my lost journaling this year. That has been a huge loss for me. I can deal with personal feelings so much better when I journal.

As I write this, I guess I realize the sanding isn't done. But I know I won't be just a chess piece in someone else's game.

Merry Christmas

It's a quiet day here and still snowing.

Dan and I got out and bought each other's gifts.

Made 2 pies and mini croissants.

And this is the look I get. Where's the beef?

I'm a bag a junkie

Not bad for 5 big euros!?!