Serve by Design

The mythical side of Christmas sees Santa working from the North Pole with a team of elves who are assistants to the Big Red Guy. Santa’s helpers are tasked with making the toys for all the girls and boys. They maintain the reindeer barn making sure the team is adequately fed and healthy. Santa’s elf friends also keep the sleigh in top running condition for the Christmas eve delivery deadline. All this preparation is a daunting task! It is a bigger job than what Old Saint Nick can accomplish on his own! Eloise and Charlotte Having Fun! Santa’s helpers are a common moniker for each of these partners! There are many “Santa Partners” scattered throughout malls, department stores and community events this season. They are engaging eager recipients of Christmas giving. While these children excitedly whisper their list of Christmas wishes, the Department of Christmas Affairs conducts its Global Behavior Tracking Network to determine who has been “naughty or nice!” Naughty and Nice List Chr...

We recently celebrated what would have been the ninth birthday of our beloved granddaughter, Kayley Janelle. She was only given to her family for a fleeting time of about sixty days before a severe heart defect and catastrophic stroke prematurely shut down her precious little life. Every time we visit the cemetery we are painfully reminded of how we would have loved on and delighted in her! Kayley's Ninth Birthday! On this occasion, we brought a special dessert drink with whipped topping from the local coffee shop. It was our way of commemorating in a tangible way just how much we miss those everyday opportunities to spoil Kayley! There would have been special “date times” to eat at her favorite soup and sandwich shops and chat about her school and social activities. At this season, we would have loved to hear her screams of delight when she opened her gifts, large and small, along with the entire family! Life has a way of changing things! Our hopes and longings can be dashed to pi...

I just received one of my favorite gifts of the season! And yes, I have already opened it! For two decades now, two of our closest friends in Texas have been making our Christmases extra special! They have been gifting us with a yearly Texas State Capitol Ornament. This exclusive and beautiful ornament annually features a new aspect of the vast history surrounding the beauty, tradition, and folk lore behind Texas’s beloved State Capitol in Austin. This series ornament is in its 29 th year! The monies generated by ornament sales support the ongoing preservation and interpretation of the Capitol for the next generation of Texans and for over one million visitors who come to the Capitol each year. "Jingle Bells" Why all the hoopla about this ornament? You must not be a Texan or have lived in the Lone Star State! Our family is inextricably tied to Texas! Three of our four children were born in Texas during the fifteen years we lived in the Great State while I attended seminary a...

I recently had a meltdown! No, not exactly the kind you are imagining. This one was a literal melting down of a part on the engine of my new riding lawn mower. In late fall, the mower had unexpectedly been delivered about a month before promised. I was so excited to get on it and take it on a trial spin around the yard. I had only intended to mow and mulch leaves around the grass area adjacent to the circle driveway. I knew that our teenage grandson would enjoy using the new machine during the next official mow. Oops! I Forgot!! The backstory to this “meltdown” is that on the day the mower was delivered by the implement dealer, I thought I would compare the air filter on this new engine with the one that I used on my previous mower. These engines were similar, and I had a couple of expensive filters left over that I hoped I could use on the new rider’s engine. The issue occurred when I failed to secure the filter’s plastic cover. On the next day’s trial run, I had only been mowing fo...

Since 1782, the Bald Eagle has been the national bird of the United States of America. Many believe that the Founders made an appropriate choice because of the eagle’s majestic beauty, powerful strength, and fierce independence. It is likely that our forefathers borrowed the treasured emblem from the Native Americans who revered the Bald Eagle and its feathers in their traditions, culture, and religion. To them and patriotic Americans as well, this beloved symbol represents courage, honesty, truth, wisdom, and freedom. Lincoln In Lincoln, Illinois! Lincoln, Illinois, has distinguished itself for being the only city in the United States to be named after Abraham Lincoln before he would become the Sixteenth President in 1861. Lincoln helped to found the city in 1853 and christened it with watermelon juice. To this day, the downtown Train Depot marks the christening with a historical plaque and a small “watermelon monument.” Lincoln, Illinois was the setting for numerous visits by Abraha...

It’s apples, not “sugar plums that are dancing in my head” these days! Growing up, it was a ritual for my family to visit the apple orchards at this time of the year! So, in this fall season leading up to Halloween, I’m thinking about all things involving apples: apple pie, apple turnovers, fried or baked apples, apple salad, apple snack slices, apple cider, and most of all, caramel apples! A tempting selection!!🍏🍎 I have been fantasizing for weeks now about the delectable and monstrous St. Louis Merb’s Bionic Apple covered in pecans! I like to get them at the Edwardsville Dierbergs Markets because it saves some time and the drive into the city! I won’t carry out anything less than four to six! This allows us to give away our favorite annual treat to family and friends! As stated, I was already thinking about Merb’s when Marc popped in and texted several pictures while they were in metro Salt Lake City, Utah this weekend celebrating their 20 th wedding anniversary. One photo was f...