The Stockmans ~ News & Newsletters
PERSONAL NOTES From Jack & Kathy Stockman, Illustrator & Author of The Advent Book
March 2010
It’s been a while since we have added an entry to this blog! We do communicate in our monthly newsletters (and on Facebook), but it is definitely time for an update here too. We’d like to use this message to acknowledge some of the blessings of the last year. We are especially thankful for:
Teaching jobs for our son and daughter-in-law in Palm Beach County, Florida: Shea in sixth grade Science and Becky in third grade
A small group from our church gathering at our home weekly, blessing us with new friends, good fellowship, and encouragement
Kathy’s October reunion in Arizona with dear friends from college
The privilege of another Advent season serving in churches and moms’ groups
A recent visit to (mostly) sunny southern Florida to visit our son and daughter-in-law. Floridians have been experiencing record cold temperatures, but it was sure felt good to us Chicagoans near the end of our long winter! Our daughter was able to join us and it was great to have the entire family together. We especially enjoyed many lovely walks through gardens and along the beach.
JUNE 2009
Celebration!
A highlight this spring was the celebration of Kathy’s mom’s 80th birthday. She and her sisters planned a party tailored just for Jeanne. Kathy’s grandma, Jeanne’s mother, was a total lady~ She lived to be 94 and not once during her long life did she ever wear trousers. Dresses, hats, gloves, and pocketbooks with real handkerchiefs~ that was Grandma, even in very lean times during the depression when the dress was homemade and a handkerchief might be all that was in the pocketbook. Although Jeanne sometimes wears jeans, she inherited much of her mother’s love of elegance. Jeanne is fashionable, an amazing seamstress, an antiques dealer, lover of music, and an amateur author of poetry. We wanted her party to honor her, so we found a beautiful setting (a church), let our Martha-Stewart-like sister create a vision, and went to work. We made floral topiaries & garlands, party favors, souvenir booklets of mom’s poetry, a power point slide show of her life, and found musicians to play and lead a sing-a-long of songs from mom’s youth. It was a great party with our husbands, children, father, and brother pitching in to help us set & clean up, as well as cook for & serve over sixty guests. Here are some pictures of the special event:
1. Jeanne blowing out candles surrounded by her husband Frank & children Betty, Mary, Tom, Kathy, & Julie 2. The party place
3. Dessert table 4. Sing-a-long musicians & screen
5. The Guest of Honor, Jeanne Gurkowski 6. Shea, Kaidrea, Kathy & Jack Stockman
SUMMER PLANS
We are enjoying our favorite summertime activities outdoors~ picnics and barbequing, concerts in the parks, and walks & bike rides, We also look forward to our annual four day extended family time in Michigan, as well as a wedding and visits from out-of-town friends. At our church, Willow Creek Chicago, we’re leading a book discussion group on the book “The Hole in the Gospel” and teaching a class for parents on our favorite subject~ Celebrations & Traditions. Workwise, Jack is painting a mural in a store and Kathy is busy writing newsletters, articles, and mailings. This is also our catchup time for tasks around the house before we start “Advent season” ~ during which we just occasionally visit home. ☺
FEBRUARY 2009
We want to thank those of you who have recently written to us to tell us about how you have been blessed by The Advent Book~ It was very encouraging to hear from you! Right now we have a limited supply of imperfect copies of Advent books that we want to use to bless churches. If you’d like a free copy for your church library, pastor’s family, or school, just have someone from the church e-mail or call us with a request. There are no stings attached; the church won’t be asked to buy or pay anything.
Highlights in our life this year have been time to spend with friends & family after a busy season of travel, reconnecting with long-lost college buddies (more about that in our upcoming Technology newsletter!), and using some very cold winter weather as an excuse to curl up with a few good books. We’re really looking forward to spring~ especially today when the sun disappeared and our furnace broke down! (Fortunately, we’re leaving soon for a presentation in Wisconsin and assume it will be fixed by the time we get home.) In the meantime, Jack has cooked up a huge stock of spaghetti sauce, chili, and beef stew, so we will eat heartily~ and anticipate working it off with long walks and bike rides when spring finally arrives.
For those of you who missed our February’s Celebrations & Traditions newsletter, here’s a copy (minus graphics & pictures):
Lent & Easter 2009
Does it seem too early to start thinking about Easter? We have always associated Easter with spring, although having lived in the Chicago area for decades, it is mostly a case of wishful thinking~ The weather is often quite cold and bleak, especially if the date falls early on the calendar. (Last Easter we had about six inches of snow!) However, February is when Lent starts, and as Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas, Lent is a time to prepare for Easter… So, here we are on a cold dark winter day~ contemplating new life in the most meaningful and wondrous way imaginable!
Lent
Many of you may have been observing Lent your entire lives. For those of you who are not familiar with it, here is a brief synopsis: Lent is the forty-day period before Easter, starting on the seventh Wednesday before the holiday. (The forty days do not include Sundays, which commemorate the Resurrection.) Lent is a time for practices such as extensive prayer, self-examination, repentance, reflection, special giving or service, fasting, and preparation for Easter. There are many good devotional books available for use during the season. This year Lent begins on February 25th. We encourage you to choose one special activity to incorporate during the season of Lent.
Holy Week
The last week in the life of Jesus is often referred to as Holy Week. We suggest that you spend time each night during the week before Easter focusing on the teachings and actions of Jesus during this time. Here are ideas for each day:
Palm Sunday ~ Praise
This is the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey colt. The people lined the way, waving palm branches and crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Read the story in Mark 11:1-11. Decorate the table for lunch or dinner using real or artificial palm branches. Children might enjoy making the palm branches out of green construction paper. Lead young children in marching through the house waving branches and calling “Hosannah!” Read stories focusing on the Kingship of Christ. One we recommend is Tales of the Kingdom, written by David & Karen Mains and illustrated by Jack. (It is available on our website at shop.celebrationsandtraditions.com)
Monday ~ Prayer
Read the story of The Cleansing of the Temple in John 2:13-16. Discuss how Jesus wanted God’s house to be a house of prayer, not a house of chaos. What behaviors and attitudes please God when we worship Him? What is prayer? Is there anything different about praying in church? Discuss the verses in I Corinthians 3:16, 6:18 & II Corinthians 6:16. Our bodies are also temples because Christ dwells within us. How does that knowledge affect you? For a special snack, you might serve soft pretzels. Pretzels are a traditional reminder of arms that are folded in prayer. You can e-mail us at Stockmans@CelebrationsandTraditions.com for a pretzel recipe.
Tuesday ~ Love for God
Every day that week Jesus went to teach at the temple. One of the teachers of the law there asked him, “Of all the commandments which one is the most important?” Jesus replied, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” How can you express your love to God today? Parents, help your children express their love in a creative way. Make a collage or mural; an A-Z list of things they love about God; an acronym list using a name for God such as Lord, Father, or King; help them write a simple Psalm, have them dictate a letter, then make a Valentine-type card to go with it; give them a blank book to write and illustrate.
Wednesday ~ Love for Others
A Sweet Smelling Sacrifice: Read the story in John 12:1-7 about a woman named Mary who gave the best she had. Light a fragrance candle or incense. Talk about how your lives can be a sweet fragrance and sacrifice for God. Pray, asking God to help your family to always give your best to Him. Consider buying a lily to give as a gift of encouragement to someone. You might include a note like this:
The Easter Lily is a symbol of purity and light.
On Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus,
a pure light in the darkness.
I/We wish you a joyous celebration of Easter
and a spring filled with life and love.
Thursday ~ Service
The word maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning command. John 13:34 says, “A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This day commemorates the night of the Last Supper which Jesus shared with his disciples and when he washed their feet. Consider participating in a service with your family or church to observe the day the disciples received the command to love, had their feet washed by a king, and the connection was made between the Passover sacrifice and Christ’s sacrifice. Take turns serving each other and/or washing each other’s feet. In lieu of washing feet, children could polish shoes—dad’s or mom’s, each other’s. Another possibility is to host a Passover Meal. You can get more information and a guide for conducting a Seder (Order of Service) at: christianseder.com. For a simple version, just serve grape juice and Matzo (”Matzah”) crackers.
Good Friday ~ The Cross
Good Friday is the day when Jesus’ death is commemorated. For Christians, good has come from his sacrifice. It is usually a very solemn day. You might want to close all of your shades & curtains on Good Friday to darken your house between noon & 3:00. Other ideas include: Watch a movie or read a story about the life of Christ. Attend a service or read the Biblical account of the betrayal and crucifixion and listen to hymns about the cross. If you have a cross, drape it with black or purple cloth and/or a circle of thorny vines. Another custom throughout church history has been to serve Hot Cross Buns. (You can e-mail us at Stockmans@CelebrationsandTraditions.com for a recipe.)
Holy Saturday ~ Light in the Darkness
Holy Saturday candlelight vigils are also a historic church tradition. Have a candlelight devotional time with your family or guests in the evening. You can go to our website page celebrationsandtraditions.com/holidays for a Light in the Darkness responsive reading. If you had an Advent wreath, you might use the Christ Candle for your main candle. Children would enjoy making Resurrection cookies, which teach the Easter story. The recipe is just below the responsive reading on our Celebration of Easter website page.
Easter
In the morning: One of our favorite traditions is to wake up the household with joyful music such as the Hallelujah Chorus or a hymn like Christ the Lord is Risen Today. Open all your curtains and shades. Greet your family with the words, “He is risen!” and have them respond, “He is risen indeed!” Make a “Christ is Risen” banner or ribbon sticks for children to twirl in celebration, saying “Christ is risen!” If you covered a cross on Friday, remove the cloth & thorn circlet and drape it with flowers. Rejoice!
At dinner: Put a plastic pull-apart egg on or near each person’s dinner plate. Inside the egg have a treat and a small paper with an appropriate scripture verse or note. Let everyone read their verses aloud. You can also put eggs containing discussion questions on or near each plate and let each person at the table read and answer their question. E-mail us at Stockmans@CelebrationsandTraditions.com for copies of readings and questions that we’ve used.
Use the well-loved Melody Carlson Easter book Benjamin’s Box with a set of The Resurrection Eggs to tell the Easter story. The twelve eggs each contain a meaningful object that symbolizes a part of story of the death and resurrection of Christ. Benjamin’s Box was illustrated by Jack and is available, with or without the eggs, on our website at shop.celebrationsandtraditions.com.
On a coffee table or buffet, have two baskets—one filled with pull-apart plastic eggs and one empty, along with pens and small pieces of paper. Invite your guests to write prayer requests on the papers and put them inside the plastic eggs, which should then be placed in the second basket. When your guests leave, invite them to take an egg (or eggs, as everyone may not want to participate) and pray for the person/request until Ascension Day, forty days after Easter.
To prepare for next Easter:
Save the trunk from your Christmas tree to use to make a centerpiece cross. (If you put up an artificial tree, get the tree from a family member, friend, or find one that has been discarded.) Explain to your children the symbolism of using a Christmas tree to make the cross—It demonstrates the connection of Christmas with Easter. Jesus was born in the stable in Bethlehem so that he could be one of us and die for us. To make the cross, cut two pieces out of the trunk and notch both of the pieces so they will fit together in the traditional cross shape. Drill holes for candles. (The amount of candles can vary; but we recommend using between three and seven.) Decorate the cross with ivy and/or flowers using hot glue or a staple gun using curved staples. As at Advent, the candles may be purple (to represent repentance) and pink (to represent hope) or white. Whatever color the candles are, the candlelight always represents the light that Jesus brought into the world. The centerpiece can be used on every Sunday during Lent, every night during Holy week, or just on Easter Day.
We hope these ideas are helpful to you and pray that you have a blessed season of Lent and a joyous celebration of Easter.
Blessings,
Kathy & Jack
We look forward to seeing some of you at our upcoming presentations. If you would like to talk with us or have information sent to your church or group, please contact us via e-mail at Stockmans@CelebrationsandTraditions.com or by phone at 708-386-4326.
We are currently scheduling presentations on:
Celebrations & Traditions
Using Technology to Build Family Ties
Celebration of Easter (February & March)
Celebration of Christmas (October, November, & December)
January 2009
We wish you a blessed New Year filled with peace, hope, love, & joy!
Instead of our usual update, we’ve decided to post our recent Celebrations & Traditions newsletters (minus pictures & graphics) on this blog site. Below are letters from January 2009 going back to October 2008. In addition to some personal news, you will find information and ideas on the topics of Using Books, Giving Thanks, Advent, Christmas Eve & Day, and The Twelve Days of Christmas/Epiphany. (Copyright: Kathryn Stockman 2008/2009) You can subscribe to receive our free e-mail newsletters by clicking the link at the bottom of this page: http://celebrationsandtraditions.com/ Enjoy!
Christmas 2008 ~ Part Three: The Twelve Days of Christmas & Epiphany
Advent was a time to prepare for Christmas. Christmas was the day we celebrated the birth of the Christ Child. The days between December 26th and January 6th, known as The Twelve Days of Christmas, Christmastide, and Yuletide, are a good time to savor Christ and his gifts. In this newsletter, we’ll provide some historical background information about this period, then some practical ideas for observance. It’s not too late!
January 6th is best known in the U.S. as Epiphany. In other cultures, it is also known as Three Kings Day or Little Christmas. The word Epiphany means to be made manifest. The day commemorates the visit of the Wise Men who revealed Jesus to the world as Lord & King when they brought their gifts to the Christ child. During some periods of church history and in different cultures, people have made January 6th the primary day for Christmas gift-giving and celebration. For example, historians have preserved Martha Washington’s recipe for a huge Twelfth Night (January 5th, Epiphany Eve) cake that included 40 eggs, four pounds of sugar, and five pounds of dried fruits. In Bulgaria, young men dive into icy lakes to be the first to reach a wooden cross thrown by a priest. (Tradition decrees that the winner will enjoy a year of good health.)
We have some much simpler and warmer suggestions to offer, but before we do, for those of you who really want to extend your observance of Christmas (or put off taking down your decorations for as long as possible), we recommend that you follow the custom of some Christian cultures in Latin America and Europe by ending your observance on Candlemas (February 2nd). That day commemorates the time when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem, traditionally done forty days after a birth. It was then that Simeon and Anna recognized the Messiah and Simeon prophesied the redemption of the world. So… If friends are laughing because you still have your Christmas tree up in late January, just inform them that you observe Candlemas!
Whether you celebrate twelve days of Christmas or forty days, we believe that the time after Christmas is valuable for reflecting on the gift of Chris and spending time with the people God has put in your life. Often, no matter how hard you try to be organized and get all your holiday tasks done early, the weeks before Christmas are very full. We set aside lots of time after December 25th to spend with friends and family~ We have more company in the two weeks following Christmas than at any other time of the year. We love to share the beauty of the Christmas story, sights, sounds, and scents.
We also give gifts to be “redeemed” during this time. Our most traditional gift is a new game for our children that we will play with them. Craft or building kits, jigsaw puzzles, or read-aloud books would also be fun for families. You might give a gift of a special dinner and evening home alone for a spouse, an afternoon of closet-cleaning for a sister, or an invitation to tea for a mom.
Here are some other ideas:
Plan a family project such as building a bird feeder to last through Epiphany or Candlemas– Have a small celebration to mark completion of the project.
Make ornaments, gift tags, or decorations to pack away with the Christmas things for next year.
Give small gifts, one a day, throughout the twelve days of Christmas. They do not need to be material gifts. You could tell your children they can choose their favorite meal or dessert, pick a game to play or activity to do, have a holiday from a chore, go on an outing, or have a special privilege.
If you haven’t been reading a Christmas card every day at dinner, start now. Read the newsletters to the family, look at pictures, and talk to the children about the senders they may not know or remember. Pray for the person(s) and then call them or send them an e-mail to let them know you’re thinking of them.
Write Thank You notes for gifts received. Help the children write their own. Make it a fun project by supplying stickers, stamps, etc. to decorate the notes, as well as your family’s favorites snacks to keep you all “energized.”
Have a King’s party on Epiphany. Follow the example of the Three Kings by giving gifts— they might be ornaments like a star, crown, or wise men. Bake a traditional King’s cake with a foil wrapped coin dropped in the batter. Whoever gets the slice of cake with the coin is proclaimed King for the evening. Read an Epiphany-related book~ Two of our favorites are The Other Wise Man and Baboushka. (See our bibliography on the bottom of http://celebrationsandtraditions.com/holidays.html#2 for more information.)
Have a tree-untrimming party. Make it an annual tradition. Have a sharing time to reflect over the holiday experience, have a special devotional, etc.
After you take down your tree, cut off two lengths of the trunk, one longer than the other, and remove all the branches from them. Cut a notch in the underside of the short piece so that it will fit over the top of the other one to make the shape of a cross. Drill holes in the top to fit seven candles~ one for each week of Lent and Easter Sunday or one for each day of Holy Week. We suggest purple (which represents repentance) for Lent and pink or white (representing joy or light) for Easter. The cross can be decorated with small bits of ivy and lilies. If you don’t have a real tree, use one discarded by a friend. Using the Christmas tree to make the cross symbolizes the connection between the two holidays.
Have a time of evaluation— personal, as well as with your spouse, roommate, family, extended family, church… regarding your Christmas observance. Consider any activities you did or changes you made in your personal or family life during Advent which you would like to continue throughout the year. Write down ideas for next Christmas and put the list away with your decorations.
As we look back at our busy Advent and Christmas season this year, we have many good memories~ Meeting and staying with wonderful people all over the country, seeing the national Christmas tree in Washington D.C., hearing bell choir carols on a veranda in Fort Myers, Florida, celebrating our first Christmas as a family of five with our son and daughter-in-law, and watching a recording of a family Christmas play from 1992 are just a few. We are now relishing resting at home, snuggling under a down comforter with cups of hot cocoa, good books, and the glow of Christmas lights.
We hope you all enjoy a blessed Christmastide and a New Year filled with love, joy, peace, and hope.
Sincerely,
Jack & Kathy
Christmas 2008 ~ Part Two: Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
CHRISTMAS WITH THE STOCKMANS
The highlight of Christmas Eve at our home is our evening dinner and Advent time. The smell of the herbs and spices in Jack’s slow cook roast waft through the house all day long while we prepare the rest of the meal and finish last minute gift-wrapping. Often it’s just dad, mom, and the kids for our quiet candlelight supper; sometimes we also have grandpa & grandma or a few close friends. We dress up the table and ourselves, and there’s a candle at each person’s place. We have the same menu every year and play the same Christmas music. Dessert is hot chocolate and cookies in the living room where we “do Advent.” We light all four Advent candles and the center Christ Child candle, then read BOTH of The Advent Books~ our original homemade copy and the published version. We often read another story, then sing a Christmas carol or two, pray, and put out our candles. The kids (now young adults and including a daughter-in-law) get to open their traditional Christmas Eve gifts of pajamas and a game that we will play together during the Twelve Days of Christmas.
On Christmas morning, we open presents and then have our Christmas breakfast of scrambled eggs, orange juice, cinnamon rolls, and hot chocolate. We make it special with our Christmas place settings and music. The afternoon and evening are spent with extended family at Kathy’s sister’s house where we enjoy many annual activities. Like most people, we have dinner and open gifts together. We focus on the meaning of Christmas and bond together when we watch one of the many Christmas plays the moms and kids produced and recorded over the years and do our Goodie Bag / Question time. After many years, the kids~ now all teenagers or young adults~ no longer provide us with a Christmas instrumental music recital (and they had actually gotten really good!), but they still pose for their annual Cousins Picture, complete with the prop of the year. Please see http://celebrationsandtraditions.com/holidays.html#2 for descriptions and pictures of these activities. This may all sound (as Jack would say) very Norman Rockwellian; however, life is messy and our time is not perfect. We often have stress from last minute chores not done, illness, etc. We don’t have a fantasy Christmas, but we are blessed with a good one. We hope that you are also!
OTHER IDEAS YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER FOR YOUR CELEBRATIONS:
When you exchange gifts, ask each person to include a written wish for an intangible gift as well. It could be for healing, encouragement, comfort, wisdom, peace, joy, strength, awareness of God’s love, etc.
Adapt a game such as Pictionary, Taboo, Scattergories, or Charades for Christmas and play it at your family gathering.
Ask each person to share their favorite Christmas memory during dinner or before they open their gift(s).
Have a short time of worship together. Read a short story, responsive reading, or devotional, sing carols, and have a time of praise~ naming blessings and offering prayers of thanksgiving.
Think about any people you know who might be lonely this Christmas. Give them a call or invite them to join you and your family for at least one of your day’s activities or meals. Is there anyone in a hospital or nursing home you might want to visit?
To acknowledge the purpose of your celebration, consider having an empty chair at your table to represent Christ’s presence and/or have a birthday cake for Jesus.
Plan ahead to have a quiet relaxing time in the evening when children (everyone!) may be overtired and let-down. Have an easy-to-heat-up soup or chili on hand or have an old fashioned tea with herbal tea or hot chocolate and mini sandwiches, scones, hors d’oeuvres, etc. Watch a movie such as The Nativity Story, A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, or read a good story. (See our bibliography on the bottom of http://celebrationsandtraditions.com/holidays.html#2 for ideas.)
Please share your favorite traditions on our blog at http://celebrations-and-traditions.com/blog/?page_id=11
Next week we’ll talk about the Twelve Days of Christmas in our Part III Christmas newsletter. In the meantime, we pray that you have a joyful celebration of Christmas.
Blessings,
Jack & Kathy
Christmas 2008 ~ Part One: Advent
Warm Greetings!
And we ARE truly warm because we’re in southern Florida where we’re doing presentations for MOPS groups, and in between, celebrating our 31st anniversary in the state where we spent our honeymoon.
Instead of one long newsletter for Christmas, we are going to send three short ones. Part II will have ideas for Christmas Eve and Day and Part III will focus on the Twelve Days of Christmas. We hope that you have had a chance to read about activities for Advent on our Celebration of Christmas presentation page (http://celebrationsandtraditions.com/holidays.html#2). We believe very strongly that observing Advent is the best way to have a meaningful and joyful celebration of Christmas.
This has been an interesting Christmas season for us~ We do not yet have our tree up; we’ve been home only three days in December (and not too many more in November). As we’ve traveled around Illinois and to Texas, Washington, Minnesota, Virginia, Wisconsin, & Florida, we’ve seen and heard evidence of economic pressure and hardship. Many people may be approaching Christmas with feelings of sadness or loss because they cannot afford to do or give the things they have in the past.
We hope that those experiences and presents will be replaced by activities that will prove to be even more meaningful and fun for you and your families. If you have not been observing Advent so far, that’s a great place to start. Light candles between now and Christmas, read your favorite Christmas books, sing carols, and pray. Some hot chocolate or tea and cookies will make the time even more cozy.
If you’re not sending out the Christmas cards you normally do, make or buy just a few for people who might especially appreciate or need a greeting. Send one a day, along with a letter and prayer for that person or family.
Ask family members to start preparing gifts for Christmas Day~ A musical offering, reading, play or skit, family trivia game, or plans for some other activity to make the day more special.
Spend an evening looking at family pictures and videos of Christmases past. Make some popcorn~ You can not only eat it, but string it for outdoor decorations and/or to feed the birds.
Have dinner in front of the Christmas tree one evening. You can set up a card table, use TV trays, or just have finger food such as pizza. Play Christmas music or watch a Christmas movie.
Gather some friends and go caroling in your neighborhood. We used to do this with a group of friends for many years and it was a very special tradition for us. We’d meet for pizza, then set out with a big bell. We’d go to the homes of church members in the area, then knock on a few random doors just for fun. Two carols and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” then on to the next house. We ended it with hot chocolate and cookies back at the host home. If outdoor caroling is not possible (although we don’t cut slack for cold weather~ We’re from Chicago), have an indoor carol-singing. You could intersperse the songs with short readings or Questions. (Also see http://celebrationsandtraditions.com/holidays.html#2)
Listening to Christmas music throughout the day always lifts our spirits.
We pray that you will all be filled with joy over the incredible news that Jesus Christ is born!
Jack & Kathy
November 2008 ~ Giving Thanks
Happy Thanksgiving!
We hope that this has been a day of good food, special time with family & friends, and enjoyment of all of the blessings God has given you.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 107:1 ESV
Giving thanks is obviously not meant to be limited to one day and we’d like to share some ideas for being intentional about making gratitude a part of your family celebration & tradition all year round.
One of our favorite traditions is to use Memory (or Ebenezer) Stones, a very effective and Biblical way to celebrate family history and build faith. It is described in detail on our website: celebrations-and-traditions.com/holidays. The stones commemorate times when God has helped us in significant ways. Because God doesn’t always answer our prayers or work in our lives in an immediate and obvious manner, having physical reminders of the times he has done so is an encouragement to us and to our children. Use Memory Stones to frequently retell the stories of God’s love for and intervention on behalf of you and your family and friends.
Have a card-making night. Craft stores now have many fun supplies for this purpose. Each card could say, “I am (or We are) thankful for name of a person.” Inscribe a list of things you appreciate about the person inside the card. Be specific.
“I really appreciated the care package you sent to me at college when I was homesick.”
“I love your sense of humor. No matter what a bad day I might have had, you can make me laugh.”
Create an on-going Giving Thanks poster. Hang it on your refrigerator, in a child’s room, even inside a closet door that is frequently opened. Add comments and pictures as appropriate. When it is filled, start a new one. You might cover a whole basement or garage wall with Thanksgiving posters!
Resolve to try to write something in a family Thankfulness or Gratitude journal every day for the next year. Next Thanksgiving, you can enjoy looking back on your list.
Together with your family, write a prayer of thanksgiving. Print it in an attractive font on good paper, then mat and frame it.
Author Debbie Macomber hosts an annual Gratitude Tea. (Men might want to do a more “manly” coffee or barbeque.) Debbie invites women who have been a blessing in her life and honors them by describing what she admires and is thankful for about each one.
Oprah Winfrey suggests giving a Gratitude Box as a Christmas gift this year. It is meant to offer thanks and show someone how important they have been in your life. Creating a Gratitude Box has no set design or format. Purchase a box of any style or make your own wrapped box using a shoebox or similar container. It can be decorated with wrapping paper, fabric, or small craft items. Inside you can include heartfelt sentiments or mementos.
Make appreciation a part of the personal celebrations in your home. At every dinner for a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or other milestone, have everyone at the table answer a question. Some possibilities are:
“What do you most appreciate about ________?”
“Which of _________’s accomplishments are you most excited about?”
“Tell us about one of your favorite memories with _______ this year.”
We hope these ideas are helpful to your family. We’d be delighted to have you share some of your traditions on our Celebrations & Traditions website at http://celebrations-and-traditions.com/blog/.
The first day of Advent is just around the corner. We’ll have ideas for the Christmas season in our upcoming December newsletter, as well as on our website page celebrationsandtraditions.com/holidays. We pray that this will be a season of great joy as you celebrate the birth of our Savior, Christ the King!
Blessings,
Kathy & Jack Stockman
October 2008 ~ BOOKS!
Greetings!
As I thought and prayed about the topic for our first newsletter, one of the questions I asked myself was, “What am I passionate about?” The first thing that came to my mind was, “Books!” As a former teacher, librarian, and life-long zealous reader, I believe that books should have an important place in our celebrations and our traditions, as well as in everyday life.
Here are some of my favorite ideas for books:
For Everyone
• Plan a gathering centered around reading. Invite each guest to bring a poem, short story, chapter, article, Scripture passage, journal entry, children’s book, joke, or essay to share. You could have a potluck dinner and read at the table or gather in the living room, taking breaks for snacks and conversation.
• When you read something you particularly enjoy, give copies to two or three friends and/or family members with invitations for dinner, tea, or to a coffee shop for a date to talk about the book or passage a few weeks later.
• Start a journal with annotations about the best books you’ve read. Some people might enjoy doing this in a leather diary; others might want to use their computer to create a database with fields for author, genre, year, etc.
• Start a collection of special books that will be read over and over~ for yourself, a friend, or family member. Illustrated or special edition versions are particularly valued.
• For couples or roommates: Take turns reading a book or Scriptures out loud to each other.
For Families with Children
• Choose a book for everyone in the family to read. Younger children may read an abridged version or have someone read to them. After everyone finishes the book, discuss it over a special meal with the family’s favorite carry-out food, pizza, or dessert.
• Make some of your trips to the library family outings. Encourage everyone to suggest books to share. Occasionally have each family member choose a book for someone else, perhaps by drawing names. As a special treat, you might replace the library outing with a trip to a bookstore, especially on a night when there is entertainment.
• Replace some family game nights with family reading nights. Don’t forget the popcorn!
• On the first Sunday (or M, T, W…) of each month, listen to a recorded story during dinner.
• Before taking children to a movie based on a book, read the book together. People often assume that older children will only read independently, but no one is too old to enjoy listening to a great story!
• As your children outgrow books, save their favorites in a special place so that someday they will be able to share them with their own children.
• For developing readers, keep a list of each book read. After every tenth, twenty-fifth, fiftieth, or hundredth book (depending on what seems appropriate), celebrate! Have the child’s favorite dinner & dessert, take them to a favorite place, or let them buy a new book.
My definition of a good children’s book is a book that ANYONE would enjoy.
Some of my favorite children’s books are:
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
The Bronze Bow & The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
The Secret Garden & The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
The American Girl series
Frog & Toad series by Arnold Lobel
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Yellow and Pink & Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Martha books by Susan Meddaugh (Martha Speaks, Martha Blah Blah…)
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey & Don Wood
No Jumping on the Bed! by Tedd Arnold
The Magic Fish by Freya Littledale
Phil the Ventriloquist by Robert Kraus
Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks & Richard Egielski
Insectlopedia & Mammalabilia by Douglas Florian
Silver Seeds by Paul Paolilli
Books illustrated by Jack:
Tales of the Kingdom & Tales of the Resistance / Written by David & Karen Mains
In, Out, and About Catfish Pond & Up, Down, and Around the Rain Tree / Written by Charlotte Graeber
(Jack’s books are available on our website at http://shop.celebrationsandtraditions.com/main.sc.)
Some websites for additional reading & book ideas & activities for children:
teachersfirst.com/100books.cfm
nationalgeographic.com/kids/bookmarkfactory/
All of these can be found on my “Delicious” bookmarks site, delicious.com/KathrynS/ .
We hope you’re enjoying fun and faith-filled fall.
Kathy & Jack
November 26, 2008 ~ Happy Thanksgiving!
This holiday week is sort of a half time period for us in our Advent season~ And like a team in the middle of a game, we aren’t lounging around, but are busy preparing for the second half. After this time off from presentations & travel, we’ll go back with a bang~ seven events in the first week of December, three in the greater Chicago area and four near Washington D.C. We will be going to Florida later in the month, where, in addition to doing presentations, we’re looking forward to a short break for some R&R and time with our son Shea & daughter-in-law Becky, as well as celebration of our 31st anniversary in the same state where we spent our honeymoon.
We had a special event this week that some of you may have caught~ We were guests on the “This is the Day!” radio show with Nancy Turner on WMBI on Monday morning, the 24th. A portion of the interview will be rebroadcast tomorrow (Thanksgiving), so you may hear it while you’re peeling potatoes or basting your turkey.
We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend filled with delicious food, good company, fun, rest, and enjoyment of all of God’s blessings in your lives.
November 6, 2008
We have books! They finally arrived on October 27th~ my (Kathy’s) birthday. What a gift! We drove three hours from Champaign, IL, where we had done a presentation in the morning, picked up almost 600 copies, then went straight to a “Birthday Party” with wonderful friends and family members who gathered to help us process & pack Advent book orders. We finished at about midnight and left the next morning for Seattle where we did presentations and enjoyed a great visit with old friends. It is a beautiful area and there was more colorful foliage than we what we’d been seeing here in Chicago where we’re experiencing another warm fall~ 77° in November! Jack especially enjoyed the ocean and mountains, of which we have none. Upon our return home, we’ve plunged into our season full blast~ three presentations and a conference this week. It will be an intensely busy time for us from now until Christmas, but we’re excited about the opportunity to meet and share with lots of people in different parts of the country.
September 2008
The countdown has begun… Less than two weeks until we leave for our first major event of “The Season” ~ A MOPS convention in Dallas, Texas. After almost six months of preparation for the season and introduction of the new edition of The Advent Book, it’s just around the corner! We recently got to see two copies of the new book and are eagerly anticipating delivery of quite a few more in October. They are literally coming on a slow boat from China~ At least it seems slow when you’re waiting for it! We’ll let you know when it arrives…
July 2008
WOW! We’ve used that word many times over the past six months as we have watched God work on behalf of The Advent Book. A year ago we knew we’d be getting the publishing rights back from Crossway, but we did not know its future course~ or our future course, which has been inextricably connected with that of the book since we started working on it in the late 90’s.
Doesn’t it seem like God often chooses to light our paths only enough for us to take a few steps at a time? That’s one way he teaches us to wait on him and to walk by faith. We knew that if there was to be a book for the 2008 season, it would need to be in production by May—so of course it was May when God provided the way! Since then, we’ve been very busy with tasks related to modifications to the book (just the cover and outer pages), the establishment of Open Doors, the new publishing company, marketing, and setting up Celebrations & Traditions presentations. We’re very excited about the churches and groups where we are going to be ministering in several states~ Hopefully, we may see some of you this fall or winter! Please check our calendar if you would like us to come to your group.
On the home front, we’ve enjoyed great family time, including a recent visit from our son Shea and daughter-in-law Becky and a long weekend at “Beechtree” in Michigan with Kathy’s extended family. We’ve been going to the same place for over twenty years, so it was an opportunity to introduce Becky to some of our favorite Beechtree traditions. For one of them we make homemade boats, then “race” them on the lake while playing the theme music from The Natural. Our newlywed children outdid themselves with a magnificent polka dot creation that won the prize for distance. We’ve also had lots of good fellowship with old friends at weddings, birthdays, and graduation parties recently. We love the celebration of milestones and pray that you are also enjoying many joyful events this summer.
February 29, 2008
According to our favorite weatherman, Tom Skillings, today is the last day of “Meteorological Winter.” HAH! To celebrate it, we have new snow. This has been a very long, cold, snowy, flu/cold-ridden, DARK winter. Some highLIGHTS of it have been:
Celebrating our 30th anniversary with a get-away at a cottage in Michigan-Loved the fireplace!
Christmas-We missed having our newly married son and daughter-in-law who spent the holidays with her family, but were blessed to have our very dear friends, the Buck family, with us.
And of course we enjoyed celebrating with our extended families.
Chocolate– hot chocolate, dark chocolate, mint chocolate…
Circle Church reunion party
Cross-Country skiing
We could think of other things, but they wouldn’t start with a C, so we’ll stop here.
We hope that you have all survived (are surviving) winter and are blessed during this season of Lent. While you are waiting for spring and the celebration of the Resurrection, you might enjoy having a service of Light in the Darkness with scriptural readings about The Light. It’s to be used with in conjunction with candles. If you had a Christ Candle in an Advent wreath, we suggest using that for your center candle. Please e-mail us at Stockmans@CelebrationsandTraditions.com for a copy of an interactive Light in the Darkness reading for your family.
The pictures above are of our extended family on Christmas Day and our Advent wreath and Christmas tree. BTW, If you are interested in more frequent updates, you can now find us on Facebook. We have found it a fun way to keep up with our friends— Especially those under the age of 30!
September 2007
It’s been another busy and full year—especially this summer, which held three significant milestones. In June our son Shea married Becky Weikert in a lovely ceremony in their college chapel in West Palm Beach, FL. (He graduated last year; she just started her senior year.) In July we had a whirlwind weekend of celebrating here at home with two really special parties– one for my (Kathy’s) dad’s 80th birthday and a gathering for our friends and family from Chicago who were not able to travel to Shea & Becky’s wedding. Lastly, Jack’s father died and we went to his hometown in Michigan for the funeral. Because he had been quite ill for a very long time, it was in some ways also a celebration—We know that his dad is finally healed and is in Heaven. It was good to be with the Stockman family—it was the first time in a decade that all six siblings and their spouses have been together.
It was also a full year at the Circle Rock Preparatory School, where I served as the Library Media Specialist for the 06/07 school year. It was my job to develop both the facility and the program. It was a time of great challenges, growth, and blessing. I know it was what God wanted and enabled me to do, so it was somewhat sad and difficult when the school closed in June. I have no regrets– The students had been waiting for their new media center for years, so it was important for them to see the fulfillment of a promise and a gift for us to see how much they benefited from using it this year. I miss them and my colleagues, but know that God has good plans for us all. I’m not yet sure exactly what they are for me, but I’m anticipating being surprised again! In the meantime, Jack and I are scheduling presentations and working on some freelance projects. One thing we NEVER have to worry about is boredom!
As summer draws to a close (I would say it’s closed, but we’re still “enjoying” 90º days), we look forward to bike rides to savor the fall foliage (and cooler weather); replacing at least a few salads with Jack’s hearty chili, beef stew, & spaghetti; and preparing for a new season of doing Celebration of Christmas presentations. We hope that you also have many blessings to enjoy—and that perhaps The Advent Book is one of them!
Grandpa Frank, Grandma Jeanne, Becky, Shea, Kathy, Jack, Kaidrea
November 4, 2006
It’s obviously been a long time since I have written an entry here. Part of the reason is that my old computer crashed and I was not able to install the program I use for updating our website on my new computer. I am finally doing it now after unearthing an old dinosaur biege Mac which still runs an early version. The keyboard has collected so much dust during years of unuse that I have to pound on the keys to type!
But more than the computer issue, I haven’t kept up with our site because it’s been a very full year for our family. Last fall and early winter were extremely busy, especially for me with doing my full time job at McGraw Hill while also doing our family tradition presentations and handling Advent book orders. It became much more stressful and busy after the overwhelming growth of brain cancer in my very dear friend Katy. (We were roommates before our marriages, in each other’s weddings, present for the birth of our second children, raised our kids together, husbands are friends, etc.) Katy died on February 1st, 2006. Her family and all of us who loved her are glad that she is in Heaven, free of pain and illness, but her passing has left a big hole our lives. Prayers for her husband Charlie and three children, Regan, Ashlyn, & Chad, are very much appreciated.
There were some joyful events last spring— mainly centering on or around our son, Shea. He went to Japan, graduated from college, and got engaged! We look forward to welcoming his fiancé Becky Weikert into our family next summer. In the meantime, she is continuing her work toward a degree in education at Palm Beach Atlantic University and Shea is living with two roommates in a cool condo nearby while he is training to become a firefighter. Our daughter Kaidrea has taken over his old room and we are enjoying using her old room as an office/workroom. Now we can make Advent wreathes and pack up books there instead of in our dining room!
After my editorial project at McGraw Hill was completed, I had surgery on both of my feet. (Bad bunions— should have had it done 20 years ago) I spent much of the summer recuperating, but it was worth it— I’m especially glad since I am on my feet a lot these days. In August I accepted a position at Circle Rock Preparatory School, a Pre-K — 8th Gr. Christian school which is part of Circle Urban Ministries. It’s in Austin, which is the largest and poorest community in Chicago and is exactly one mile from our home in Oak Park. I am the Library Media Specialist, helping to establish and run a new computer lab / library. My job has included helping paint and set up the facility, planning curriculum and teaching technology classes, providing resources for the teachers and students, and reading stories. It’s been a very fulfilling experience, but like this time last year, I’m now balancing a full-time job with doing our Advent/Family Tradition activities. (I have to take off a lot of days in November and December, but I am blessed to work with a very able colleague who can take over.) Jack has continued his illustration, doing mostly murals in recent months, but he will not take on any new major projects until after “Advent Season.” I’m glad, because if it were not for his cooking (which is quite good!), we’d be living on TV dinners.
So far this fall, Jack and I have done two of the presentations and look forward to being with more groups and churches very soon. We pray to be an encouragement to individuals and families in developing meaningful celebrations and traditions and hope that you will all enjoy this month as you prepare for Thanksgiving and Advent. We’ll try very hard to update again in early 2007!
September 2005
You know the expression “long hot summer”— well, it feels to us like we had a short hot summer—it won’t officially be over for another week, but once it’s past Labor Day and schools have started up, no matter what the temperature, that feeling of summer freedom is gone. Our vacation (We went to Michigan with extended family members) is over and our son has already been back at college in West Palm Beach, Florida for a month. We hope to see him in November when we’ll be in the state to speak at a MOPS group and church. For now we’re still tying to fit in as many summery activities here while we can—picnics, outdoor concerts, and bike rides, including one along the beautiful lakeshore path in Chicago—Not only to enjoy the warm weather (when it’s not over 90 anyway), but because by mid-October, life will get crazy for us with balancing our Celebration of Christmas activities and my new job. In July, I (Kathy) accepted a one-year project position as an editor at the McGraw Hill Publishing Company. I am working on reading/literature books for middle-school students. It is a great fit for my background in teaching and more recent free-lance editing experience and I am enjoying the work. I love being at the Prudential Building (which when I was in high school was the tallest building in Chicago), a really great location. I was concerned about not having time to take walks and appreciate nature once I started working full time, but that has not been the case. Beautiful (and huge) Millennium Park is right across the street and Lake Michigan just three blocks away. I’m walking now, but come winter I plan to bring my ice skates for skating in the park rink.
Jack continues to free lance at home, and although he undoubtedly(!) misses me, I think it’s been nice for him to enjoy the peace and quiet of being alone sometimes. Our daughter Kaidrea, who moved back home after college, now has a job at a small business in a town nearby and occasionally lunches with Jack. Kaidrea frequently involves us in her projects; her latest interests are sewing and silk-screening. We felt like we had a sweat shop going last year after she agreed to print t-shirts for all the guys on Shea’s dorm floor! He’s designing new ones for the entire dorm this year—but this time they are going to be sent out to be done. It’s been a blessing to watch our kids as they’ve grown up, developed their own gifts, faith, relationships… We are thankful that as we go through the fun times, the frustrating times, days when we are overwhelmed with thankfulness and days when we are almost overwhelmed with fear or sadness, that God is with us. We chose the words “His Name shall be called Immanuel—which means ‘God with us’” for the beginning of The Advent Book because it is such an incredible promise. He IS with each of us at every moment. YES!
March 2005 ~ Almost Spring
Jack and I took a long walk today. We talked, prayed – and hopefully burned some calories! We particularly noticed how nature is hovering between winter and spring. (Hard not to since I had to take off and put back on my coat three times due to the not-quite-cold, but not-quite-warm temperature!) There was a lot of mud and almost universally bare trees, but every so often we would spot a patch of green grass, a small bud, or a plant popping out of the ground. We are going to be getting some snow tonight, but there is still a definite feeling that spring is just around the corner. Sunday is Easter and the state of nature made us think about the time of waiting for the Resurrection. We are excited about celebrating it soon.
If you follow our updates, you may start wondering about my obsession with weather. Being a SADS sufferer, I find cold and gloom challenging. But although I long for bright sunny days, I do appreciate the seasons—the beauty of sparkling snow in the winter, trees and blossoms budding on seemingly dead trees in the spring, listening to the sound of waves crashing in on a beach in the summer, and the absolutely gorgeous foliage in the fall. I recently read a well-known excerpt from Ecclesiastes at my Uncle Bill’s funeral. Some of the verses are, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted… a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance… a time to seek, and a time to lose, a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak…”
As we walked this afternoon, we talked about how tired we were of the cold and darkness (It has been a long winter) and some of hard things that we struggle with. But we also enjoyed the signs of spring and were reminded that whatever we may be facing today, no matter how overwhelmed we may feel, we are never without hope. Because Christ died for us and rose again. And because he is with us and is working on our behalf. That is amazing!
This has been a busy year for us so far, with several highlights— fun times like opportunities to cross-country ski, times of testing—one of which involved a trip to the emergency room and short stay in intensive care for Jack. (He is fine now.) There have also been times of encouragement as we have seen answers to long-term prayers. I have loved the challenge of editorial work I’ve been doing and, after a year of painting large murals, Jack has been enjoying doing small illustrations for a book on prayer. Also, it has been exciting to see growth and exciting developments in the lives of our young adult children as they deal with a new college (Shea), jobs (both), activities, and relationships.
Sometimes it may feel like the season of winter will never end, but we know it always will and we thank God for the light, life, and growth we have in his son, Jesus.
October 2004
Fall…. Our favorite season. We just got back from a bike ride around Oak Park with our daughter. At this time of year we are happy to be living in the north where we enjoy the beautiful fall folliage. Our son, however, is currently a Floridian. He transferred to Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach where he has been enjoying the sun, the ocean, and college– when not being evacuated because of hurricanes Frances, Ivan, & Jeanne. (We thank God for two wonderful families who took him in for the 17 days during which he needed refuge.) We hope we can go visit him sometime when our leaves are gone and the temperature has dropped about 80º. In the meantime, our Advent season has started again and we look forward to a very busy November and December. This is the fifth year that the The Advent Book has been out and it has been such an encouragement for us to to out and meet people who have made it their own tradition and who tell us how it has been a blessing to their family. We never get tired of hearing how God is using the book and thank him for using us to share it. Please e-mail us about your experience and tell us about traditions that have been special to your family. We love to continue to learn about new ideas which we can pass on to others. Your prayers for us to be effective in our ministry are appreciated. Thank you!
June 2004
It’s summer! If you haven’t already visited our Sensational (or at least pretty good) Summer Ideas page, we invite you to go there. We usually enjoy summer as a time where the family gets to spend more time together, although so far this year that hasn’t happened as much as we would like. Our son has been home from college for over a month (In OUR day, students did not get out of school at the end of April!), but he is busy with his summer job at RadioShack and seeing friends. Jack is also gone a lot trying to finish a mural. He’s done several murals this year and it’s been different having him working “off site” after 25 years of working at home. Shea and Jack seem to always be working different hours, but there has been time for watching a bit of baseball on TV together (both root for the Cubs and the Sox, but are Cubs fans at heart) and playing some catch themselves. Kaidrea and mom are into some projects using Kaidrea’s fancy sewing machine and mom’s computer (Different projects.) Jack & Kathy are also doing trips to Michigan right now– We were able to have a little mini retreat there last week, will go to a wedding there this week, and an advanced SpeakUp seminar there next week. Later this summer we will enjoy our annual four day extended family vacation in Michigan. We are looking forward to finding out what else God has for us this summer. Recently we have been impressed with the importance of seeking him first and having his guidance revealed through our intimate fellowship with him. He is an awesome Father and we are very happy to be his children!
March 2004
The first day of spring finally came this weekend with some spring-like weather to go with it! We are convinced that only those of us who live through long cold dark barren (I could go on, but I think you get the picture) winters can truly appreciate the wonder of a warm sunny day and feel excitement over seeing tiny crocus blooms in the midst of muddy brown grass. We know that we are probably in for some more cold weather and even snow (On the second day of spring, it was 31º), but we know that unlike Narnia during the reign of the White Witch, it will not always be winter…
Easter is very much on our minds with the release of The Passion of the Christ movie and because we have been speaking to MOPS groups this week about ideas for meaningful observance and celebration of the Easter season. One of the things we did in preparation is to follow through with an idea we’d been planning for some time. We had saved a large section of the trunk of our Christmas tree and we used it to make a cross centerpiece. Jack cut it into two pieces, then notched one so they would fit together to form the cross. He drilled seven holes for candles and then decorated it with ivy and pink, purple, and white artificial flowers. We are using six purple candles and one pink candle in it, the colors representing repentance and hope as in Advent candles. We will light them during the week preceding Easter (although they could also be lit for seven Sundays during Lent). We used the trunk of our tree because we like the way it emphasizes the connection of Christmas with Easter— Jesus was born in the stable in Bethlehem so that he could be one of us and die for us. I’ve also been practicing making “Resurrection Cookies,” also known as “Easter Story Cookies.” (See the recipe on our Celebration of Easter page), bringing the results to the guinea pigs, I mean moms, who have attended our presentations. Making the cookies, along with reading the scriptures and script, is a good way to teach the story to children– and the cookies do actually taste pretty good! Of course, one of our favorite Easter traditions is the reading of Benjamin’s Box, a book that Jack illustrated a few years ago and which can be used with the tool Resurrection Eggs.
March has been a milestone month for our family. When speaking at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) groups, I occasionally used to joke that Jack was a FOCS (pronounced fox)—Father of College Students. However, not only has our daughter graduated from college, but our son Shea is now 20—we no longer have a teenager! (God IS gracious.) Does that make me a MOYA? (Mother of Young Adults) Whatever… Our family is aging, especially the parents, but we all still claim the same official home address and reside in the same area. However, another event in March was the decision (complete with monetary deposit) for Shea to transfer next fall to Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) University. PBA is a good Christian school about twice the size of Shea’s current college, Judson, but its main attraction is the location—West Palm Beach, Florida. I told Shea that it was my maternal duty to check out the school for him during a bad cold spell last month—He didn’t buy that one for a second, but I did in fact take a tour while I was in the area with several wonderful women friends celebrating a 50th birthday. It was a great time of rest and restoration with warm weather and fellowship and my only regret is that Jack did not get to share it! However, he WILL get there as we know that it will be our parental duty to visit Shea next year when he’s homesick because it’s February and he doesn’t see any snow. (Unfortunately, the reality is that the most likely time we’ll be there is to help him move down in mid-August!) Oh well, we can dream…
We hope that all of you are experiencing a warm spring (even those of you who live in nice warm climates where you cannot fully appreciate it)—and even more that you are warmed by the great love of Jesus, being reminded in meaningful ways of his sacrifice for us and rejoicing at his resurrection. He is Risen Indeed!
Fall Update ~ September 5, 2003
We apologize for not writing since January, but figured that not too many people visit an Advent/Christmas web site in late winter, spring, or summer. If you do stop by during the off-season, please send us a note and we’ll write a personal update for you!
This has been a full year for us. We enjoyed a belated, but very special celebration for our 25th anniversary in early 2003 (Our wedding date was Dec. 18th, but a week before Christmas is a very busy time for us, our family, and friends.) We had a dinner and celebration at the church where we were married. Kathy’s sisters and special friends decorated and cooked — everything was very beautiful. Other friends sang and played for us all and we also enjoyed seeing slides depicting the last 25 years. We obviously used to be a lot younger, skinnier, and curly-haired! We had another celebration in June when our daughter Kaidrea graduated from Judson College. She is now living at home again (as are 61% of all recent college grads according to an article we just read)— and still looking for a full time job There have also been celebrations for other graduations, birthdays, and weddings. (These days most of the weddings we attend are those of our friends’ children.) There have been times of sadness too, such as when Kathy lost a dear friend from college who died of cancer this spring. We are very grateful for God’s presence in our lives and the hope we have in him which sustains and comforts us.
We spent much time away from home during February, March, and April when Jack painted a huge mural in Rockton, Illinois (about 125 miles from our home). Kathy spent a lot of time with him, but was also home alone some weeks. Jack started two new mural projects this summer which he hopes to complete very soon— before we start our Advent presentations. He’s working closer to home on these and we’re all glad he can commute daily. The summer was a good time with our children; we enjoyed some fun family outings including an annual get together at a summer place in Michigan with thirteen extended family members. We also enjoyed some great fellowship with our small group from our church— one of the things we did this summer was a series of “work nights” at each other’s homes. (The women were especially excited about them.) We painted, weeded, hammered, organized, cleaned— and we DID do windows! Now we are facing the fact that summer is over (Our son Shea went back to Judson two weeks ago to begin his sophomore year) and are busy preparing for our Advent season. It is exciting to anticipate how God will use and teach us this year. We hope to see some of you soon— Please check out our schedule which is on the Presentations page of this site.
January 2003 Update
The last time we wrote an update, our children had just returned to college after their Thanksgiving break. Now they have just returned to school again— after their Christmas break. It was great to have them home and we had a good Christmas celebration with extended family. Due to our Advent presentations, we had been pretty busy with some of our preparations until just before Christmas, so we decided to extend our family celebration through the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” starting on Dec. 26th and ending on Epiphany, Jan. 6th. We enjoyed playing Christmas music, giving small gifts, having friends over, game nights, movie nights, and other activities.
Now we’re back to being Empty Nesters and looking forward to what God has for us in the New Year. At this point we know only part of the future. Jack’s next illustration project is going to be a large mural. Kathy’s immediate plans are to do some projects at home and with friends. We have not scheduled any more presentations this winter, but will be doing a workshop on Family Traditions at the Give Thanks Conference for women in St. Cloud, Minnesota in early April . We are also praying about doing another book similar to The Advent Book. It would also have doors, behind which would be pictures and short readings about the life of Jesus, particularly focusing on the events of Holy Week. We thank God that he is Emmanuel and will be with us, no matter what we do in the coming months. We wish you all a blessed New Year!
December 1, 2002 ~ The First Day of Advent
We really enjoyed having our Advent time tonight with our Home-for-Thanksgiving-Break college kids, Kaidrea & Shea, before they left to go back to school. This is one of the rare years that Advent candles and The Advent Book start on the same day, so we appreciated being able to do both, along with singing O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, praying, and reading The Other Wiseman.
We’ll be on our own now until Kaidrea & Shea return for Christmas break December 13th. This will be our first Advent time with no children living at home, so it will take some getting used to. We’re thinking that this is our chance to use the published version of our book; the kids rarely let us do that as they always want to use the homemade one that they remember using all their lives. Before the kids left, we put them to work bringing up all our Christmas decorations from the basement. This is a busy week for us with presentations, so we may not get to use all of it, but we figured that we’d do it while we could take advantage of the extra muscle.
The last month was an exhausting but fulfilling time for us as we traveled around and met many wonderful people. We’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work together and have been impressed with seeing God at work in many lives. We did have a low point about two weeks ago when we got robbed AGAIN. Jack was loading books into another borrowed van behind our garage in preparation for a trip with two presentations. It was late at night and raining. While he was in the basement getting another box, someone(s) opened the van doors and took our replacement dolly and a suitcase with all our table display materials— handmade skirts & cloths, antique lace cloths, an angel, and signs in gold frames. I don’t think the thief had any idea what was in the case— (We assume that the people who have been taking our stuff have been very disappointed when they have realized what they got!) The loss has meant many hours of shopping for and sewing replacement materials at a busy time for us, but we remember the verse in II Cor. 4— “We get knocked down (again), but we get up again and keep going.” And thank God that he helps us keep going! As it says in one of our favorite passages in The Advent Book, “His name shall be called Immanuel— which means ‘God with us.’”
We hope that your first day of Advent was very special and that it is just the beginning of a wonderful time this month. We’d love to hear from you about your family’s experience and traditions. Our e-mail address is JackandKathy@AdventBook.com.
We have just posted a bibliography of books we recommend as resources for ideas and readings for Advent and Christmas. It is at the end of the Celebration of Christmas page. We hope it is helpful. God bless you!
November 2002
This is a busy time for us, but also an exciting one. We love to get out and meet with people and talk about two of our favorite things— family traditions & Christmas— and we’re doing a lot of that this month. If you are in an area where we will be doing a Celebration of Christmas presentation and would like to attend, please contact the church or organization or e-mail us for more information. We appreciate your prayers that our talks and the Advent books will be a blessing! Thank you.
October 21, 2002 Update to September 29th Message (Below)
We have some great news! The van was recovered two weeks after the theft and most of our stuff was still in it! The books (evidently the thieves were NOT interested in Advent books), our hand painted banner, antique easel, and several other items were intact. Most of our business equipment and materials were taken, but nothing that was irreplaceable. We believe that God protected the books and Celebration of Christmas banner. The van itself was damaged and stripped, but drivable. We will still pursue a claim with the hotel, but whatever happens, we are very thankful for the recovery of the stolen property and even more for the concern and prayers from many people and new evidence of God’s constant faithfulness. We were very blessed by that even if we had never gotten the van and books back. (But we’re happy to have both!)
Sunday, September 29, 2002 Note
Two weeks ago we participated in a workshop where we each presented a short talk on a Bible passage with life application.
Jack’s was from James 1:2-4. “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” We should consider ourselves fortunate in trials because they give us the opportunity to test our faith in a real situation with our real God and develop our endurance– we have the opportunity to taste of God and see that he is good even when our circumstances are not.
Kathy’s talk was on II Corinthians 4:7-10. “But this precious treasure— this light and power that now shine within us— is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” We can keep going because God is with us and renews our spirits through the life of Jesus. The difficult situation we may be facing is an opportunity to see the power of God at work.
This week we were given the opportunity to put these principles into practice! During the months of September through December we do presentations on Advent observance and Christmas traditions and are exhibitors/vendors at conferences where we sell The Advent Book. Our first and largest event of the year was a MOPS conference in St. Louis. We arrived there last Wednesday night in a (borrowed) van full of books and most of our equipment for doing business— signs & other display materials, credit card processors, forms, flyers, cards, brochures, several boxes of misc. supplies. Some of it, such as a large hand painted banner which Jack had worked on over a period of a year and an antique easel, was irreplaceable. You probably know where this is headed… When we checked into our hotel in downtown St. Louis, we were told that we must let the hotel valet park the van because of its size. During the night it was stolen. (It turned out that the “special” lot where it was supposedly parked was a street.)
We have no idea how God is going to show his power through this situation (and are aware that we might not see the evidence on this side of heaven), but appreciate your prayers that we will succeed in our faith and that he will be glorified. We also wouldn’t object to prayers that the van and its contents will be recovered! We’ll update you on any developments.