I’m so excited to announce a new series on MississippiMom.com: Notes from Nana is a column written by a woman who has encouraged me time and again in both my walk with Christ and my role as mom. Mrs. Ginger is a writer and a friend…and she’s a lot of fun! I know her words will encourage and uplift you. They’ll probably challenge you, too. She loves writing, teaching, singing…but most of all she loves the Lord. Enjoy!
Sharon made delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes for a family Christmas Eve gathering in Louisiana. We brought all our grandchildren to Mississippi for the week after Christmas. When we returned Sharon was again making the cupcakes. “I’m making them again because I have all the ingredients.” She’s an intelligent, busy working Mom with her priorities straight.
This week on the Monday after New Year’s Day we left our Louisiana family and headed back home to Mississippi. The garbage truck was going up the street as we pulled out of their drive-way. A single sticky wrapper with red icing stuck to their emptied garbage can and was waving in the morning breeze. It struck me as amusing. Bill and I laughed out loud. “How symbolic, I declared! That sticky red cupcake wrapper is like a flag signaling the end of the busy season from November to January. Back to reality.”
I thought of the many busy Mom’s all over Mississippi (and elsewhere) and grandmothers too. What to do about houses filled with left-over food, candy, and sweets, piles of opened presents, gift wrap and ribbon? There are dishes and clothes to be washed. When to put away decorations and ornaments and take down Christmas trees? It’s time to spend energy getting children to straighten their rooms and get them ready for school. The New Year has begun. Time to go to work. What’s a mother to do?
Pause and remember that after that first Christmas night, the wise men traveled and followed an unusual star. They knew what it meant and were prepared with gifts for the Messiah-King who became the Light of the world. In our organizing after the busy seasons of Advent, Christmas and New Year’s Day, let us all remember our Lord and Savior who will light our way in all we have to do today and as we travel on into 2011.
Our January was named for Janus in Roman mythology, a two-faced god looking both backward and forward. As a Mississippi Mom you are doing both: finishing up the old and starting the new. If you’ve already put up all your decorations, come help me! No, in time it’ll be done.
Many Christians mark EPIPHANY on January 6th, when the coming of the Wise Men is celebrated. I like to wind down the season, have some Hot Fruit Punch, listen to Handel’s Messiah one more time and put things away a bit at the time and wait until after Epiphany to get all the decorations put away.
I hope to encourage you this year as we travel together and press on as Paul challenged us all (Philippians 3) toward the high calling of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!
With love from your sister-in-Christ, Nana-Ginger
