Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. ~Peg Bracken

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RAOK:   Ask  your spouse about their day and listen to their reply.  Don’t look at a phone, TV, or computer.

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1 John 4:7 - Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

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Today is my husband’s birthday.  As always, today’s blog reflects my love for him.  One of Dean’s great loves is his children.  He really gets a kick out of this video.  He watches it and says “Some people’s kids.”  We read that the little boy keeping rhythm with him in this song, is Tennessee’s son.

Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas
Clip from his TV show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drYeE1VGR6I

Children, Go Where I Send Thee"

Children, go where I send thee
Where you gonna send me?
I'm gonna send you four by four
Because four is the four that stood at the door
Three for the Hebrew children
Two for Paul and Silas
One was a little bitty - baby
Born in Bethlehem.

Children, go where I send thee
How you gonna send me?
I’m going send you six by six
Because Six for the six that couldn’t get  fixed
And five for the five that came back alive
Four is the four that stood at the door
Three for the Hebrew children
Two for Paul and  Silas
One was a little bitty - baby
Born in Bethlehem

Children, go where I send thee
How you gonna send me?
I’m gonna send you
Eight for eight because eight for the eight that stood at the gate...
Seven for the seven that couldn’t get to heaven...
Six for the six that couldn’t get  fixed
Five for the five that came back alive
Four is the four that stood at the door
Three for the Hebrew children
Two for Paul and  Silas
One was a little bitty - baby
Born in Bethlehem

Children, go where I send thee
How you gonna send me?
I’m gonna send you ten by ten
ten by ten that couldn’t get in
nine by nine that come in behind
Eight for eight because eight for the eight that stood at the gate...
Seven for the seven that couldn’t get to heaven...
Six for the six that couldn’t get  fixed
Five for the five that came back alive
Four is the four that stood at the door
Three for the Hebrew children
Two for Paul and  Silas
One was a little bitty - baby
Born in Bethlehem

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Reeces Peanut Butter Torte

1 box (1 lb 5 oz) Betty Crocker™ Supreme triple chunk brownie mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box for cakelike brownies
1 cup Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting (from 16 oz container)
9 Reese's™ peanut butter cups miniatures, unwrapped, coarsely chopped1.

1.  Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Line 9-inch square pan with foil so foil extends about 2 inches over sides of pan. Spray foil with cooking spray. Make brownies as directed on box for cakelike brownies, for 9-inch pan. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
2. Remove from pan by lifting foil; peel foil away. Cut brownie in half; place 1 half on serving plate.
3.  Spoon frosting into microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High 15 seconds. Stir frosting until smooth. Spread half of frosting over brownie half on plate. Place other half of brownie on top; pour remaining frosting over top. Sprinkle with candies. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set. Store loosely covered.

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DECORATING HINT:
Gather pine cones at your nearby park. Boil them in a big pot to kill anything living in them.. They will close up tight while wet. Let them sit on newspaper in a warm area for several days to dry. The pine cones will open up beautifully. If desired, brush a little cinnamon oil on them. Buy ribbon in your favorite Christmas colors. Tie ribbon into bows, and using florist wire, tie the bows to the pine cones. Use the same wire to tie the pine cones onto your tree. Beautiful, Fragrant and Natural!

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Christmas Version Of The Love Chapter: I Corinthians 13
author unknown

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
Strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,
But do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen,
Baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
Preparing gourmet meals
And arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime,
But do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, Carol in the nursing home
And give all that I have to charity,
But do not show love to my family,
It profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels,
And crocheted snowflakes,
Attend a myriad of holiday parties,
And sing in the choir's cantata,
But do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return,
but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust...
But giving the gift of love will endure.

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Today’s story is about a message of love delivered to a woman from her husband’s former partner.  It means so much to me to be able to tell Dean “I love you” and to know what a great gift God has given us, the ability to love.

In the Line of Duty
extracted from https://www.guideposts.org/inspiration/angels/in-the-line-of-duty
I shared my hopes and dreams with my partner, while we patrolled the streets of New York City.
by Jeannette Torres

From Guideposts- Posted on Oct 12, 2009

Florida was a long way from New York City, where I’d lived most of my life.

This was a big change. Getting out of my car I had to remind myself that despite the heat and the palm trees, Christmas was almost here.

With the stress of moving it was easy to forget. How could I feel that old reliable Christmas spirit when everything around me was 100 percent new?

I went inside the bank to set up a safe deposit box. Shaking hands with a bank employee, I glanced at her name tag: Ms. Soto. “My old partner in the NYPD was named Joseph Soto,” I said.

“What a coincidence!” the woman said. “Joe was my uncle.”

What were the odds that here in sunny Florida I’d run into the family of my old partner from New York City? Partners got to be family, almost. The longer you worked together, the closer you got.

Joe and I had patrolled the streets of Glendale, Queens, for 11 years. When you spend hours together in a patrol car you do a lot of talking. Joe and I shared our hopes and dreams, and protected one another.

“We lost touch after he retired to Kentucky with his wife,” I said. “How is he?”

Young Ms. Soto looked away. “Uncle Joe died,” she said. “Alzheimer’s. My aunt is having a hard time.”

“She was the apple of his eye,” I said.

I should write her a letter, I thought. Tell her what a great man her husband was.

I finished up my banking business and promised to see Ms. Soto soon.

As soon as I had a quiet moment to myself, I sat down to write. I was back in my patrol car, listening to Joseph talk about his unending love and devotion to his wife and family.

“My wife is a strong person,” he’d always say, “and that’s what makes me love her deeply.” I wrote down everything I could remember.

On my next visit to the bank, I sought out Joseph’s niece, a white envelope in my hand. “Would you see that this gets to Joseph’s wife?”

“Of course,” Ms. Soto said. “Have a merry Christmas.”

I walked out of the bank feeling like it was Christmas after all—no matter how hot it was.

Somehow that old reliable spirit found me and made me a bit more settled in my new surroundings. That weekend, the telephone rang. “Hello?”

A woman was crying. “It’s Mrs. Soto,” she managed. “All his life, my husband was an expressive man. Always kind and generous with his feelings to everyone. But toward the end of his life Alzheimer’s stole that from him. From us. For so long I’ve missed him telling me he loves me. Your letter was the best Christmas gift I could have ever received.”

I hung up the phone feeling like something special had happened. Miles from home, in a new town, I’d gotten the chance to play Santa for an old friend. That old reliable Christmas spirit had found me.

Palm trees or not.