what's important in life...

I've continued to look for the simple joys in everyday life including the last few days of shock and grief over the tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary but it seems frivolous to post them. Looking at the faces of my grand babies, nieces and nephews and the beautiful and innocent children of our church at Sunday morning's Christmas program and thinking of the families that sent their beautiful and innocent children off to school Friday morning never knowing these poor babies wouldn't be coming home breaks my heart. I saw the following video of little Ana Grace (a victim) online this am singing her heart out while her brother plays the piano. The same brother that was also in Sandy Hook that fateful morning but was unharmed physically but I can only imagine his and his families emotional injury and pain.
 All one hears these days is "gun control, gun control, gun control"! America doesn't need gun control - gun control doesn't keep the guns away from the bad guys they'll find them anyway. What America needs is mental health awareness and help, and people coming back to God. Families that bring their kids to Sunday school and church and not just drop them off at the door and pick them up afterwards...Families that pray together and teach their kids right from wrong...Church pews filled back up like they were when we were kids and not the half empty ones we see now...TV and entertainment that doesn't glorify violence and has more moral themes...the list could go on and on!

In this nation where people fought to remove "one nation under God" from the pledge of allegiance but the courts upheld it, lets start acting like it!

Politics aside, I'm grateful our president quoted scripture at Sunday's memorial service in Conn. when he said: "Scripture tells us, 'Do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly, we are being renewed day by day. "For light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all, so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven not built by human hands." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 to 2 Corinthians 5:1

He ended his speech with: "For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on and make our country worthy of their memory. May God bless and keep those we've lost in His heavenly place. May He grace those we still have with His holy comfort, and may He bless and watch over this community and the United States of America." Come on America...you know what to do!

Christmas is a week away...we always hear "Jesus is the reason for the Season" at this time of year. Yes, he is...it is the celebration of his birth, but I like this quote better..."Jesus is the reason for ALL Seasons". Another favorite quote: "The Magic of Christmas is not in the presents but in His Presence".

I'm off my soapbox and will go back to photos this week...if I've lost you as a follower after this little post...I understand but just couldn't not share how I felt. This blog is about "Garden of Life and Life in the Garden" and I just couldn't let this one go without saying anything after seeing little Miss Ana Grace's beautiful smile and song.