The Hangover of 2012

As 2012 draws to a close, I gotta admit I am a little hung over.  

Ok, not in the drinking alcohol kind of way, but in the 

“I’m getting older and it is harder to focus" kind of way, 

 or

 “Say what?  Wasn't it just New Year’s Eve 2011 twenty minutes ago?”

  As I get older, time flys by, and I don’t get as much accomplished as I used to when I was more “spry”:) 

 By the time I shake my head to get the cobwebs out, and focus on what needs to be done, it's time to move to the next item on the agenda, like 2013.

What in the Cat Hair, Denise!  

Snap out of it!  

Shake off the hangover and get moving, it’s time for a whole new year fer cryin!

It is true, I am slowing down. 

It is time to start deciding what I really HAVE to do:

 and let the rest go....

 I have been writing this blog for a year now, and while I very much enjoy the creative process, its a lot of work. 

I promised my Jesus 12 months ago, I would write for a year, and that year is up.  

I have learned MUCH about being a amateur author:)

My Jesus has taught me many lessons .  

It has been a GREAT ride.

In 2013, I will slow down a little.    After all, I am getting OLDER all the time! 

I won’t write my blog as often,  (probably not weekly)  but whenever the Lord inspires me, 

you will hear from me again-

 that is how it should be anyhow!

One thing however, I WILL NOT NOW -OR EVER slow down on:

 is serving my Jesus with my whole heart and soul 

whatever HE asks me to do.  

THAT is one thing  I am committed to with passion.  

The number one New Years resolution... 

I am excited to see what He wants me to do in His name this next year.

And So,

Get over your 2012 hangover and get on to 

WHAT IN THE CAT HAIR

He has for YOU to do in 2013...

No Excuses.

*I dedicate the last blog of 2012 to my sweet husband, Dr. Timothy R Sieges.  We just celebrated 33 years together last night.  He has been an inspiration, and sometimes my only encourager.  I love him endlessly.

The Christmas Tragedy of '64

Christmas.

Oh yaaa, I’m a big fan. 

I am one of those obnoxious  people that start listening to Christmas music BEFORE  Thanksgiving.

And I am proud of it.

Christmases in the Yeggy household as I was growing up were joyous occasions. We were Iowa farmers, and money was NOT plentiful, but my mom scrimped and saved all year to do Christmas up in a big way. 

As most of you know, Iowa is close enough to the North Pole that Santa HAS to come early on Christmas Eve:)

 Every year like clockwork when my sisters and I scrubbed in the tub, we would hear the stomping and HO HO HO of that jolly elf. It made us scream and giggle with pleasure. It didn't even cross my mind that the Ho’s sounded a lot like my 2 teenage brothers.  By the time we were out of the tub and "jamied up" in our PJ’s,  Santa had come and gone.  My memories of those times are magical and fond.  Much like a sappy Hallmark Movie:)

Yeggy family Christmas a couple of years before the accident, AND  my baby sister was residing in my mom's tummy:)

One year though, almost a half century ago, in 1964, a Christmas time tragedy struck.  On the afternoon of December 18^th, all of us kids were hanging around my mom’s bedroom talking to her , as she was sick in bed with  walking phenomena.  My brothers were tossing the football to each other, as they discussed “teenage stuff”  with my mom.  We “little girls’ were just hanging around eavesdropping:)

My oldest brother Gerry, 16 at the time, left later for a date with his girlfriend. ..

 He made a mistake, as many 16 year old drivers do, and ended that night in the hospital with a severe skull fracture and in a coma.  For 10 days, through Christmas, he hung on the precipice of life and death, still in the coma. 

Christmas was different in our household that year.  It was not the magical and joyous occasion I was used to. 

The magic that year was that my brother eventually came out of the coma, recovered,  and came home, thank the Lord.

Tragedy happens even at Christmastime.  To be honest with you, even though I am old, I am still not exactly sure why.

I do know, however, that over 2000 years ago, the King of the world was born in a rough barn, no room for Him anywhere else. 

Thirtysomething years later he was murdered by his own people, a bloody and violent death.  God allowed it, because He had an idea to save the rest of us from our sins. 

I also know, God uses adversity to draw us closer to Him,

Even if it is painful

Even at Christmastime

If you are dealing with something hard this Christmas, draw close to your Jesus.  He has the power to sustain you, comfort you, and love you.

My brother still has no memory of anything that happened that tragic day long ago, mercifully so.  And the next year the magical Christmases resumed in the Yeggy household with fervor. 

As a little kid, I breathed a sigh of relief. 

As an older person, looking back over 50 years ago at those events, 

 I am thankful for that Christmas, where the beginnings of my learning to lean on my Jesus were being birthed, like a babe in a manger.

Passionate Grannies?

Breathe a sigh of relief kids:  this blog is NOT about old folk’s sex lives... 

 About that topic  I will say: "What in the cat hair"?

“Passionate grandparenting” is the topic of the day. 

Most of you who know me know that I am a passionate person.  What I am feeling and thinking, I don’t keep a secret. Believe me, you will know:)

I am passionate about my family

I am passionate about my friends

I am passionate about my Jesus

Anna my oldest is due with our first grandchild the end of January.  Emelia Margaret will make her debut in Waco, Texas,  on or about Jan 30.  It will be an AWESOME  late Christmas gift for all of us! 

It's a girl!

Tim and I are overjoyed and have been buying little Emmie “things”:  with Gamecock , John Deer,  Appie State,  Iowa Hawkeye and Baylor Bear logos on them since we found out. 

But what does passionate grandparenting mean?

How do you master that?

What do you do? More importantly what do you NOT do?

My hubbie will be an epic grandpa.  I already know he will own that job with humor, passion, wisdom, and grace. 

I am a little more nervous about my grandma-ing.  I worry that my passion will turn into bossing, as it many times does. 

How do you become a graceful grannie?

I know many who ARE NOT. 

I don’t want my passion to become overbearing.  Sometimes I scratch my head and hold my breath thinking about it.

Even though I am not Jewish, the stereotypical  “Jewish Mother”  can come pretty naturally to me. UGG!

Here are some things I have observed about 

“passionate grandparenting” 

from people who are doing it well:

1.Above all else: LOVE your grandchildren, with an unconditional LOVE.  Its pretty darn easy to LOVE them when they are little and cute, and say the darndest things.  Keep loving when they become obnoxious eye rolling teens.  (and they will)  Be that person they can come to for advice in hard teen times.

2.That being said, do not undermine Mom and Dad, EVER.  Know when to keep your mouth shut, and when to speak.  Enough said. 

3.Be a FUN grandparent.  Not the grumpy type, or the judgmental type, or the “I told you so” type, or the “I’m too busy for you” type.  If there is some junk in your house you don’t want them to touch put it away, fer cryin.  It’s only stuff. 

4..Be a spiritual mentor.  As ya’ll know from raising your own children- being a kid is not easy.  Not only let your grandkids know you love them, but let them know Jesus loves them., even more unconditionally than you do. Let them know that OFTEN.  Here is one area that it A-OK to repeat yourself- 

again and again.

I want to do the grandma thing with unparalleled  humor, passion, fervor, and grace.

I want to be an iconic rock star grandma.

But for now,  

I will just wait and learn, and try to keep my mouth closed about 

“what you should do when you are pregnant”:)