Staying Home from Church

My husband, Mike, asked me to stay home from church today.
But today is the Christmas program, and they're counting on me to sing in the choir!
"You're coughing, sneezing, and can barely speak, much less sing," says he.
Humbug!
It's a sacrifice to keep my pride and these germs -- a "multitude of unheavenly hosts" -- home.
But wait. Today I can do something more important at home.
Today is for appreciating the desire and opportunities to sing as a true and recurring tender mercy that will once again come in my life.

Grandma Thomas's Cookies

Today, Clay and I baked my mother's Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies during my visit to Boulder.
I measured the ingredients, and Clay mixed the batter, a process that required vigor without a mixer. As we worked, we talked about "Grandma Thomas" and qualities that represent her character.
The cookies turned out tasty in spite of being a little long on flour and a little short on setting the timer. We ate a few and tucked the rest into Ziploc bags to share with Randee, Dan and his landlord, Geoff.
I like to think of joy as more of an experience than a product because the memory of it is timeless and stays fresh without Ziploc bags.