joy of nine9

• I could write a stand up comedy skit about past fridges. One fridge was a Cana Colony reject.  In case you aren’t aware, Cana Colony, run by Madonna House in Eastern Ontario, operates on donations! Remember that line in the Sound of Music, when the Captain Von Trappe asks Maria about the ugly dress she is wearing? She answers,

“Oh, the poor didn’t want this one!”

Well that my friends describes most of our fridges, I repeat that line often at our house,

” Oh that sink..well, yes, the poor didn’t want that one.”

Then I laugh loudly because it really IS funny. At least the Cana Colony reject was Not frost-free. Former neighbours are still delighted 20 years later  with my summer tradition of filling a baby bathtub with ice and snow from my old-fashioned freezer. They played for more than an hour with spoons, cups, bowls and food colouring as I kept the tub filled with frosty snow.

• Shocked by my adult kids

I am literally rocked to my core by a surprise Christmas
gift from all my nine kids,  a new fridge, first ever. How they even came up with the idea I will never know. Actually slowly they are replacing my mismatched pots, silverware and dishes. But this was just so BIG. It stands like a pure white statue, a testament to science and technology, a beacon in my old-fashioned house built in 1886. It is stunningly energy-efficient,  a marvel.

• As I tear up, I hear the Lord remind me of His promises. You said yes to nine children and now I say,

“Rejoice and be glad. All that you have given and sacrificed will be restored a hundred fold”

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

• angels inspire

• As we prepare to receive the Christ Child in our hearts, I am rejoicing with the angels this year and newly discovered icons, paintings and statues. In earlier posts I showed off stained glass and modern artist but this post I can’t hide these icons because they trigger praise when I look at them.

• A favorite nativity scene by Marianne Stokes- Mary is exhausted and asleep!