Unfortunate events

No, these events didn't happened to me, but to the Baudelaire orphans in the Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events." I finally finished the thirteenth and last book in the series. It's been a hazardous journey which I thoroughly enjoyed down the last sentence, and I've told my younger brother (who is almost finished with the series) that my kids will know about these books and have the chance to read them before they turn 18. Besides the harrowing adventures which seem to sprout up one after another, Lemony Snicket (a.k.a. Daniel Handler) scatters vocabulary definitions and just-plain-interesting trivia throughout the story, furthering the educational advancement of his readers.

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..."

Yeah, right, not gonna happen! (But this is Colorado, and it's supposed to be snowing.)

Oh, well. Despite no stunning view of snow falling outside my window, it's been a great Christmas this year. The Christmas Eve service last evening at church was just beautiful; and then we drove home, ate our customary pizza, and opened gifts. And that reminds me, we should each be thoughtful of what gift-giving at Christmas is all about. Salvation through Christ's birth, death, and resurrection was God's gift to man . . . the greatest gift of all. I know, I'm basically reiterating what I mentioned at the end of my last post, but it does us good to constantly remember all that the Lord has done for us. I was blessed by my pastor's message this past Sunday on Mary's praise song:

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
(Luke 1:46-53, KJV)

God bless each of you and give you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I want to fly into the Colorado sunset

As my family was driving home from a church group fellowship, I saw the clouds lit up by the sun for the zillionth time in my life, but this time it really struck me as something to actually write about. This Colorado sunset was like none I have ever seen before. The sight was much too beautiful to refrain from sharing.

So, we were driving up a steep hill, and when we got to the top, I could see the far horizon all the way around us. To the west loomed the mountains, shining with multiple colors from the clouds' reflection. It seemed like we could see every shadow on the slopes. The underside of the cloud was golden and jagged against the deep blue of the sky. As the cloud billowed up in countless layers, it mingled into purple and then blue. To the north side of the cloud, the blue shifted quite suddenly into a dark gray that seemed very grim and foreboding in comparison to the brighter colors.

As I turned around, I could see wisps of wanna-be clouds glowing with a pinkish hue all the way around--north, south and east. The deep pink of the long, slender cloud above the eastern plains was almost as bright as the gold, purple and blue on the mountain side, even though this one could hardly be called a "cloud" in comparison to the vastness of the western cloud bank.

The mountains eventually turned into silhouettes against the sky as the sun shone from behind them. The "Sleeping Giant" (as we call it) dozed right ahead of us, and Pike's Peak loomed a little more to the south. In that moment I wanted to leap out of the Subaru onto my imaginary dragon and wing up into the billows. I could just feel the moisture of the clouds around my face and the adrenaline rush of the dragon's flight through a rainbow of color . . .

Okay, I might be getting a little carried away, but the scene in my mind was so inspirational that I meant at first to write a poem about it (and that's a pretty amazing feeling for me). When it came to actually sitting down with my fingers poised above the keyboard, I decided that prose is really the best for me. I have written some poetry which might actually make it onto my blog someday. Then I'll need feedback from someone who WRITES poetry for real.

Election Day Craze

The big day is here. And, as I am now legally an adult, this is my first year to vote. I actually voted early so I wouldn't have to wait in line for hours and hours. It was a very different experience . . . I can now have an influence in the future of my country! Of course, one person doesn't seem to be much when you consider the entire population, but one person could also change the outcome of the entire election.

I hope that each of you have carefully and prayerfully considered your choice of candidate. I intend to pray fervently for whoever becomes our next president. Whichever person wins, God will work out His course the way He sees fit. It may be that the choices of American citizens will usher in the rapture and the Tribulation. May the Lord return quickly, though there are so many others who need to hear the truth of God's Word before facing the judgment seat of Christ.

"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Proverbs 21:1, KJV).