30

Thirty years ago I spent today in the hospital...waiting..and working as I labored before the birth of our son John. He was born on St. John's day the 27th. He was a great Christmas present. We have a picture of me lying down on the floor on Christmas day with a bow on my quite full belly before he was born. I went into labor Christmas night. We thought he'd be born on the 26th when John's brother Carl celebrated his birthday. But apparently God wanted him to wait for his own day. I had a wonderful Doctor who on a day off after Christmas spent a good deal of it with me. Dr Howell will be remembered by me and John whenever we think of Johnny's birth. We especially remember that he went home to clean up after having checked on me all night. He came in all dressed up in his three piece suit, probably ready for office hours. The Doctor who was on hospital call came in when Dr. Howell was in the room. He had a shirt on, a cigarette in his mouth and he hadn't shaved. To turn over that very special time to someone else just didn't seem right. Dr. Howell said, I've been with her this long I'll take her thru the delivery. He did. Johnny Maurice McGarey was delivered by a c-section. It was time.
I remember the cold of the delivery room. I remembered worrying they would tie my hands down but in the end was shaking all over with nervousness that I asked them to do that because I felt like I would fall off the table. I remember the spinal not pain but turning over and hearing a flop and realizing that was my legs numb hitting on the table. I remember being all stretched out and the Peds Doc coming in and Dr. Howell said, I want you to meet Rev. McGarey... Hey Guys that's not fair... I remember the feeling of pushing and listening to the odd sounds and then feeling the delivery not pain but the pulling and Johnny being drawn out
and an immediate cry. The best sound ever. He was find, crying loudly, I had worried because
I'd been drugged the night before. But apparently he hadn't gotten any of it and was fine.
I remember once they took Johnny out of the room asking them to knock me out I didn't want to remember any of this part. They did. I woke in the recovery room. There was a nurse whose job it was to massage my abdomen, now not numb, and I grabbed her arm and when she said I have to do this--I said and I have to try and stop you... I remember the man in the bed next to me being hooked up to all the tubes and switches and the staff really worrying over him. I asked when can I leave. The nurse said, when you can wiggle your toes. I began to focus on doing that.. She came back often and then said. Oh Good you can wiggle your toes. I couldn't feel a thing...but that was great news. I went upstairs... John walked into the room holding him...and said Bobbie here is your son. What a wonderful presentation.
For me, for us the best gift.
The next greatest joy came a couple of years later...but I'll talk about that in August...
Again I love this day..
God abides
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2008

Foggy Day

It is that time of year here in Oklahoma. There is a lot of moisture in the air and there is a meeting of warm and cold fronts so we have fog. Humidity is 93%.
It is very dense in some places. Less than 1/4 mile. You can see a little way ahead but not too far.
Fog, as I've written about before, has always been interesting to me. Sort of a metaphor for our life journey. Some times we can see at a distance ahead the path fairly clear. Some times we can only see ONE step ahead only going slowly so that one can watch for stones in the road. Some times it is so thick that you can't even see the next step. And when the way ahead is so thick what we are called to do is to take the step in faith that ahead there is solid ground.
Can we live faithful lives? I think we can. We can trust that the way ahead even though the ground be bumpy--we can take the step ahead.
'On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand....all other ground is sinking sand."

God abides these short Advent Days.
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2008

Are you ready for a miracle?

I think it's time for us all to be ready.
to be ready for the Advent of hope and light
for the peace of the season
for the new day and new time.

Be alert
look there is the hand of God
receive
give
and the fullest measure of love and peace and consolation is yours.

Watch Leann Rimes on Youtube sing a great version of this song.

Leann Rimes - Are You Ready for a Miracle?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kt20JwRBw4

See it's coming
Believe
and breathe

God abides
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2008

The Days are coming and yet to be

Our daughter called the other night and said...It's Snowing! I was jealous. You know the soft snow that drifts down and that covers everything. It didn't have the ice lining we often get here if we get snow.
She and I would take walks together when she was in school. If it had just snowed in Utah and it was that perfect white quiet out I would waken her and we'd get on our coats and boots and walk. There was such silence. Only the sound of our boots hitting the snow. We would talk some, but mostly I think we just listened and we shared that wonderful bond.
Somehow there was that wonderful light even in the middle of the night. We didn't take flashlights. There was a brightness about the nighttime. I can see it even now.
On the TV show Gilmore Girls the daughter called the mom and said.. It snowed. I want to walk in the snow with you..

There are few places in this world that are really quiet. Walking in the snow is even more quiet that walking in the desert.
Our kids went to a school that took great trips. We all rented snow shoes and went for a hike in the high mountains outside Logan, Utah. I loved the snow shoes...really loved it! There was such quiet and such a feeling of floating. In a sense you were. I had to take mine off to help someone with their fastening and when I put my knee down, not on the snowshoe I went deeply into the snow. It was funny not dangerous. I fixed the lace and then got back up with the help of someone's hand.

Find someplace really really quiet. And listen.

God abides this Advent
Bobbie Giltz McGarey

"The Wonders"

I was interested this morning listening to a well known pastor talk about the meaning of Christmas and the simpleness of the original and the extravagance we've begun to accept and almost had to laugh. Not because he is not right on with his idea--it is just that because 'he' is saying it somehow it is great big news...Oh and he has a book to help us of course.

Ok Ok I hear you say that I wish I had written that book. Well, in a way all of us have. We have all contemplated how to simplify Christmas. This year it will be just me and John here in Oklahoma for Christmas. We have promised each other that we won't buy gifts for each other. We will instead take what money we would have used and send it to the Children's Home in India.

Two Christmas' ago we were in India on Christmas with the kids. They got a bag. In the bag, (small lunch sac) was a pencil, candy, and a few other small items. Each one had their name called. That was about 70 at the time. And they came up to the oddly thin Santa and got their bag and ran back to their seat with their eyes smiling.

We who had come from the USA marked Christmas with them, first the service, then the special meal and then later the Christmas play. The youngest in our group who was about 11 I think said at the end of the day. I didn't open One gift...this was the BEST Christmas ever!

So, friends, it doesn't take much to find a way to give Christmas it's meaning... Make a list of the wonders in your life. Keep them before you. Add to them. Rejoice in them.

Because we know the story. Good luck..
It is all about 'the wonders of God".

God abides
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2008