The Red Balloon

January 11, 2015April 16, 2015 ~ ~M ~ Leave a comment

Photo credit:davesmoviesite.blogspot.com — Photo credit: davesmoviesite.blogspot.com

I was soon thinking back to my childhood days when I rediscovered the movie, “The Red Balloon” on Hulu. I started to wonder why they showed this movie so often in the 70’s at elementary schools across the nation. Were we all part of some government experiment? Was there a hidden meaning that I had not yet discovered? Do kids nowadays still watch this movie in school? I became so intrigued, that I watched the movie once again to see if I could figure out some of the answers to my questions. Unfortunately, I ended up having more questions than before. So, I decided to search the internet for answers. Lo and behold, I came across an article that is very well written and has a unique perspective on the movie. If you remember this movie as I do, I think you will find this article very insightful.

The Red Balloon: Written on the Wind

The Perfect Day

January 10, 2015January 22, 2015 ~ ~M ~ Leave a comment

Photo credit: www.adventist.org — Photo credit: http://www.adventist.org

My perfect day will be the day Jesus returns. I can think of no better place in time than that one glorious day. I can imagine myself simply doing my normal daily routine and then suddenly in the midst of it all, I hear this faint trumpet sound slowly getting louder and louder. I run outside and to my unbelieving eyes, I see Jesus! He’s coming down on a cloud filled with light and unrecognizable colors, displaying His awesomeness for all to see! The angels are flying from all four corners of the earth, filling the sky with shouts of, “Glory to God in the Highest! May the Son of God Reign Forever!” My face will be radiant because of the sight of His glorious face. Some people will be horrified, some simply bowing, and still others jumping for joy like me. Tears are running down my face, I am beyond words, I am finally seeing for myself the miracle of Jesus and marveling at His return. He is so far away, yet for some reason I see Him as if He is only inches away from my face. He has kind compassionate eyes and wisdom seeps from His innermost being. He is completely illuminated by the brightest light I have ever seen and He radiates love like no person I have ever known. He is astounding to me and I revel in His beauty. He is the purest most beautiful being that I have ever laid eyes upon and I feel as if I know Him intimately. I am finally seeing Him for the first time, yet it feels as if I somehow, we have met face to face long ago. I know Him and He knows me. He calls me home and calls me his.

This is my idea of a perfect day. What’s yours?

Oh Christmas Tree (Homeschool style)

December 25, 2014December 22, 2015 ~ ~M ~ 12 Comments

Making candy trains! — Autumn and her candy train

My daughter Amy and I wrote this song together as part of a homeschooling project years ago. Every year, I find myself singing this tune along with the silly words we wrote and remembering our first year of homeschooling. We had such a fun year and had a really awesome Christmas party where we strung popcorn alternating with wooden beads and hung them on the Christmas tree. We also made Christmas trains which is a tradition in our house each year. I love creating new traditions with my children. Last year instead of giving stockings filled with gifts, we decided to give decorative boxes filled with gifts instead, to signify more closely what the Magi brought to Jesus. We also put messages to each other in the boxes during the year when we want to say something special to someone. Then on Christmas day, we read through the notes and see how we were each thought of throughout the year. This year our church provided an advent book for us and we have been having fun reading through the family devotions each day. How does your family celebrate Christmas? Are there any traditions that you would like to share? We would love to hear from you! Merry Christmas! ~The Cooks

Sing this as you read it, so much more fun that way!