Miss Molly - Our Santa Dog

Some of my favorite Molly pictures from 2010

I love this time of year! So does Molly...Ha! We only ask her to do this once a year - no Easter egg hunt, no 4th of July parade, no trick or treating on Halloween. Just a Santa picture. She's a good girl to indulge our whimsical endeavor!


waiting patiently for Santa...

still on watch...

dreaming of a "White Christmas"...

best buddies...

"Good Girl", you have given us joy all year round!

Elizabeth's Cookies

Yesterday Elizabeth and I made Christmas sugar cookies using a recipe handed down from my maternal great-grandmother. This is the second year in a row that my granddaughter and I have had a delightful time in the kitchen.

Sharing a family tradition is very special. We roll the dough to perfection and choose cookie cutters that my grandmother and mother used. We laugh at the mess we make - flour and sprinkles everywhere. We are not the neatest cookie makers. For generations, this has probably been true!

Elizabeth does what she loves best. It's all about the decorating before the cookies go in the oven...

after baking, the cookies cool...

and then it's time to enjoy!

Typically, children in our family have put Christmas tree cookies out for Santa. Guess they figured he'd leave more presents under the tree!

Merry Christmas to all!

May you know hope, peace, joy

and love in 2011.

Miracles and Memories

'Tis the season to celebrate

Grateful for miracles and memories

Miracles First

My brother-in-law had thyroid surgery yesterday and preliminary biopsy indicates benign tumor. He is doing great and will go home today. We give thanks for God's healing power.

Our daughter-in-law's mother had surgery at MD Anderson yesterday. Doctors found less cancer than anticipated and were able to remove most of it. They feel confident they can kill the remaining cancer cells with chemo over the next several months.

Our family is relieved and thankful for all the prayers being said.

Family Traditions

We always look forward to decorating our tree because so many of the ornaments carry special memories of Christmases past - life events, special friendships, family traditions, and small photos. What a delight to recall all the stories!

Granddaughter Elizabeth helped us decorate our tree this year. She was fascinated by a wooden sled ornament that I had personalized with my mom's name years ago (American Cancer Society tree at mall). The name on the sled is "Helen", Elizabeth's middle name. She held it for the longest time before hanging it on the tree.

In a few days we will make sugar cookies, a family recipe dating back to my great-grandmother. Elizabeth keeps reminding me these are her favorite cookies. The kitchen will be a mess, with flour and sprinkles everywhere...a sweet picture of Christmas past and present.

Mindful of the miracle of Christ's birth
Realizing joy and hope

Merry Christmas from the Shapards!

Giving Thanks

...for family and friends on Thanksgiving Day 2010

Last Sunday night Charlie and I celebrated Thanksgiving with friends at Broadway Baptist Church. The annual meal, followed by a time of worship and the Lord's Supper around the tables, is a tradition we long remember from our first Thanksgiving in Fort Worth thirty years ago. Our church families at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas and at Broadway are blessings beyond words. For this, we give bountiful thanks.

We give thanks for all the Shapards today too. Our family's practice of celebrating Thanksgiving has evolved as we have moved from place to place and added family members by marriage and birth. The addition of three beautiful daughters-in-law and five grandchildren adds to the joy of being together when we can be. Whether we're together or scattered, giving thanks is first and foremost on our minds.

This year we are going to Rob and  Rochelle's in north Dallas. They moved back to Texas in May after living in Pennsylvania for a decade. Jacob, a senior at Penn State, is home for the week. We haven't seen him since summer so we're all the more excited about going. Rob is running in the Dallas 10K Turkey Trot this morning - brrrrrr!!! Cold front came in around dawn, and we have had a 30 degree drop in temperature already. Probably won't bother the "northern" branch of our family!

Scott, Allison, Jack and Elizabeth are hosting Allison's family in Fort Worth. Her parents will be here from Tyler, along with her brother and sister and their families. This year's gathering is particularly precious because Allison's mom will be having surgery at MD Anderson soon. Our heartfelt prayers seem so inadequate but faith offers hope for complete healing. May their home be filled with laughter and love this day.

Tommy, Rachel, Drew and Kate are in Tallahassee at Rachel's mom's. The whole bunch will be up bright and early with four toddlers in the house. We can only imagine the great meal that will be prepared. Rachel and her mom are wonderful cooks - "from scratch" kind of cooks. No, I don't feel guilty...not one bit! We hear there's a significant football game on Saturday afternoon. Good luck, FSU!!

Thank you, friends and family, for being the precious presence in our lives that sustains us each and every day. Wherever this day finds you, give thanks and rejoice in love!

Baseball Frenzy

TEXAS RANGERS - CLAW!

Who would have guessed that Friday night high school football is taking a back seat to the sixth game of the American League Championship Series in Arlington, TX tonight. The Texas Rangers are leading the New York Yankees 5 to 1 after the top of the seventh inning. They're six outs away from going to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

The Rangers are at bat in the bottom of the 7th inning. One more run - 6 to 1 now! Starting pitcher Colby Lewis is doing an awesome job. Still in the game in the top of the 8th.

Nervous and excited...getting closer. Three outs away with the bottom of the 8th coming up. A few insurance runs would be nice, but I believe you can hang on to this win.

Top of the 9th - Yankees, don't spoil this one for us! New pitcher for the Rangers - Feliz, a first-rate closer. Struck out batter - two outs away! Grounder to second - throw to first - out! One out away...deep breath! Struck out the last batter. WIN! WORLD SERIES!!!!

Yankees, thank you for a good series, but it's the Rangers' year. And all of us sports fans in north Texas really need a winning team! Celebration time! What a difference a smart owner and a great manager make. You did it, Rangers!!

Did I mention I love baseball!

On this Sunday morning

I took a deep breath as I headed out the door this morning, anticipating the joy of a new day.  Darkness prevailed but there were hints of sunrise to the east.  Each day I trust darkness will become light as Molly and I wander our usual path before daybreak.  The fall air is fresh and crisp, much more to my liking than the heat of this past summer.

When Molly’s morning dawns, she paws the side of our bed to tell me it’s time to welcome the day.  Without opening my eyes I say, “Are you ready to go, girl?”  Her ears perk up as she anticipates our early morning walk.  In truth, it’s way too early to be that enthusiastic about the day.  I am barely moving but know I must get up.

Just thinking on this Sunday morning…

What difference would it make if I started each day as Molly does?

Not worrying about darkness

Believing in light

Full of anticipation and gratitude

Trusting someone who loves you

Being a loyal friend

Honoring good habits

Always being there

Just thinking on this Sunday morning…

It’s as if God is asking me, “Are you ready to go, girl?”

Blessings on this Sunday morning!

The Lord is my shepherd

PSALM 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths

for his name's sake.  NRSV

I know the words so well. I said them over and over while pondering the pastoral presence of Christ this week. On Monday night, Charlie was admitted to Harris SW Hospital with gall bladder disease. For both of us, the experience was both disturbing and calming.

How come, God? What's the deal?

You know my husband doesn't need anything else to deal with. 

Listen to me.

Remember what I have taught you.

Use the gifts I have given you.

I hear you, God. Just about missed you but you stayed with me!

Whether God sends me out to be his shepherd or I catch up with him in the midst of a crisis, he is so strongly present I can't deny what he wants of me. I believe his presence is all the assurance we need to handle whatever life gives us. When life's challenges occur, we need to know God is with us in a very profound way.

There is it, God. You settled the restlessness in me.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I fear no evil;

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff --

they comfort me. NRSV

God of comfort and healing, be present to all who have need. Amen

In the garden

When I was a very young girl, Grandpa Potter would take me around his backyard so I could see the flowers and vegetables he grew every summer. As he told me about his garden, he let me pick a bouquet to surprise Grandma.

As I got older, he taught me to plant seasonal flowers and bulbs and would let me help him. He instilled in me a love of gardening. I can still see him bending over at the waist, feet spread apart, maticulously tending to each plant as if it was the most beautiful one that ever existed. How loving and gentle he was, caring for every living thing!

Tonight I longed to be in the garden again. After dinner I walked over to my neighbor's patio. They have been in Colorado for a couple of months and won't be back till late October. I told Marcia that I would be glad to tend their patio garden once the weather got cooler. She knows how much I miss having a yard and flower beds. Some of the condos in the Villas on the Bluff have patios; others have an enclosed sunroom (our floor plan).

The shrubs and rose bushes are looking pretty sad. Everything needs pruning and trimming. Clippers in hand, I worked till it was too dark to see. Tomorrow I'll clean up. I came home with dirt on my hands and in my sandals, lots of pricks from rose bushes, and a few bug bits.

So happy to be back in the garden! 

New Blogging Site

No bluffing - I give up!

I am no match for "technical difficulties" - i.e., I have no clue why posts on my former blog suddenly became unrecognized on Blogger.com.  About a month ago, my postings stopped showing up on the "Reading List" of blogs that I follow. When I wrote something, I shared it on Facebook which then provided a link to my blog - "Wonders While We Wander". Otherwise, my postings were unaccessible. Hopefully my new blog will behave itself!!

I look forward to sharing posts from the Bluff.  The name comes from our condominium complex - The Villas on the Bluff.  I'll post pictures of the beautiful view from the bluff on the western edge of our complex.  The sunsets are magnificent this time of year.  When the leaves start to turn, we'll see the fall season in all its glory.

Watch for more as we wander on our new journey in Fort Worth and points beyond.