Story of the Rose - and Christmas Lights!

Before we embarked on our trip home my MIL made a pot of her fabulous chicken noodle soup so we wouldn't have to hit a drive-thru for dinner. The five of us sat and ate dinner and talked for a bit and it was so serene. Eating and talking - really...can it get any better than that? Then MIL wanted us to come outside to see her garden and this rose is what we saw. The little bush was covered in buds and one blossom was just blooming its little heart out. There really was no explanation for a rose blooming in 35 degree weather. MIL said she thinks it's a sign from her sister and it brought her much comfort. We never really know on this sort of thing, but I did love to see her smile. And I also know that a flower bush that my parents had for a few years and never bloomed did bloom shortly after my father passed away - in fact it was covered in blooms. Maybe this really is something that God sends to comfort us. I for one am going to ask Him about it when I see Him. :)

--<>--

Our trip home was actually quite a bit of fun. Lynne' and I had heard about a website called Free Rice and the three of us played it for hours. It's a vocabulary game and each word you get correct ten grains of rice are donated to the United Nations. I will warn you though that if you like word games it becomes addicting quite fast!

Before we knew it we were in Ardmore and saw the drive thru lights. We see this every year as we zoom down I-35 and this year we actually had the time to stop and do it. It is a one and a half mile drive through a city park with very large Christmas light displays, each one sponsored by an area business. We tuned the radio to a Christmas music station and we sang as we drove through the park. Great fun and I highly recommend it if you are in the Ardmore area. It's free, though they do take a free will offering at the end.