Faith, Folklore, and Friends

I was privileged to review the book Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio by Diamond Rio with Tom Roland. The book gives the reader a very detailed background of each member of the group, how they struggled to become part of a successful group, and how they all managed to be in the right place at the right time to come together as Diamond Rio. There is a chapter dedicated to each band member: Marty Roe, Dan Truman, Jimmy Olander, Brian Prout, Gene Johnson, and Dana Williams. The book is filled with black and white photos of individual members when they were children, and of the group as they became a solid and award-winning group, lasting more than twenty years together. The book chronicles the struggles, the small steps, and the joy of the first hit songs. It takes us through the group’s personal and health problems, of slumps and revivals. Several pages are devoted to the charitable work of the group. I am not a diehard county music fan, but I have always loved Diamon...

Our gift to you: http://www.holytrinitynewrochelle.org/tolstoychristmas.html May the Spirit of Christmas put down roots and grow in all of us!

Did Mary know? Surely her back was aching as she rode the donkey; maybe caused by travel weariness, maybe the first contractions, faint at the beginning. For months she had known she was the chosen one. She had felt and watched the baby grow inside her. Surely her young skin was riddled with stretch marks, her feet swollen. As she continued mile after mile, did she wonder if there would be a resting place for her tonight, if there would be a place of welcome? Did she know that this was the last day; the last day the Savior, our blessed Jesus, would reside in her womb? Did she know that by tomorrow, she would be different, the world would be different, all time and eternity would be different? Could her heart and mind comprehend spiritual things so glorious? For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

We never forget where we came from. There is within every living thing an instinct to go home, the place where they began, the place where they belong. We hear stories of lost dogs returning home, worse for wear, after traveling for miles and miles, across rivers and busy interstates, after weeks of being lost. Banding hummingbirds has proven that some return to the same feeders in the spring, after they have wintered in South America, hundreds of miles from the plastic red feeder that feels like home to them. Each year, the swallows return to Capistrano. Pacific salmon return to the stream where their life began. The circle of life sometimes ends where it began, and somehow, we find comfort in that. Some terminal patients, knowing that their days on this earth are few, beg to leave their hospital beds and go home, to their place, to spend their final hours. Wounded soldiers on blood-drenched battlefields write of their desire to just make it home, to be surrounded by family, to be bur...

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Luke 1:46-47 Who do we praise? The Mighty King, the Great I AM, the Lord God Almighty, our Savior! What do we praise? His love, his salvation, his mercy, his goodness; all his beautiful gifts! Where can we praise? Anywhere we breathe. When is the proper time to worship our Savior? Anytime we breathe. How do we praise and worship? Genuinely, from the heart, spontaneously, knowing what He has done for us, from a child's heart. In his book Experiencing God Day by Day , Dr. Henry Blackaby writes: 'You should never have difficulty thinking of reasons why God deserves your praise... As you contemplate the boundless love and mercy God has shown you, you will want to sing His praises as Mary did. Spontaneous praise is authentic praise. It does not have to be manipulated or orchestrated. It is a real and personal expression of a grateful heart and wonder-filled life that has encountered Holy God....

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? ~G.K. Chesterton 226. New friends 227. A car with everything working 228. Grandchildren wondering about gifts under the tree 229. The way the smell of oranges triggers Christmas memories 230. Rest for the weary 231. Hub bringing me coffee in bed 232. Apple cider 233. Laughing 234. Making new Christmas traditions 235. Remembering old Christmas traditions 236. Mountain music 237. Glasses 238. Handmade baskets 239. Pipes that never freeze 240. Goals met 241. New goals set 242. The beauty of silence 243. Caramel apples 244. Christmas mugs 245. Wrinkles with wisdom 246. Warm shelter 247. Flannel pajamas 248. Kitchen makeovers 249. Christmas cookies 250. Promises set in stone When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace tha...

I am an avid book lover. From the time I learned to read, there has been one close to me. My bedside table is piled high with the ones I just have to read next. Here are some of my favorites: In 2000, Sam Venable of Knoxville published this beautiful book. I was privileged to meet the author at the fall festival held each year at the Museum of Appalachia. Since then, I have read the rest of his books, but this one is still my favorite. Our country is blessed with an abundance of wildflowers. I have enjoyed and appreciated the ones in Alabama with the help of this book and some good teachers! Sharyn McCrumb is another author from Appalachia that I adore. Her stories transport you to the mountain peaks and hollows and the life contained there. Her Rosewood Casket book is good enough to read over and over. What can I say? I'm a Southern girl. This book should be read at least every decade. James Michener is one of the great American authors. I have devoured his books, Alaska, Chesape...