Do You Have a Hole in Your Shoe?

Walk a mile in your brother’s shoes

before you begin to judge him.

Anonymous

2009 is ending, and, needless to say, I am happy to see it go.  Hardships were fought, lessons were learned, and many tears were shed.  Because we have a merciful and loving God, I  declare that 2010 will be a good year. 

We don't know what a person feels and experiences unless we have walked in their shoes.  God made me experience these life stresses to teach me, and to help others.  I understand.  I can relate to someone who has had the woes I have experienced, and I can imagine those that have had other problems.  I have walked in the same, or similar, shoes.

My husband has a hole in the bottom of his shoe, and he has been complaining about it everytime it rains and snows.  Come to think about it, he has been avoiding going anywhere in this snow because he doesn't want to have cold and wet feet.  A Christmas gift will buy him new shoes.

So many of us are going through life trials and tribulations.  For me, I wish there weren't so many.  My trials may be different than yours, may seem trivial to yours, and you may think that there are better ways to handle my problems.  Sometimes, like my husband, I avoid going certain places or to different areas in my life to avoid further pain and discomfort.  Like many, I handle what God and I can handle today, avoiding letting my feet get cold and wet.

If you have holes in your shoes, know that God will take care of them.  He will provide a way to get new shoes, or get the worn ones fixed.  Yes, He may say "Buy new shoes instead of paying that bill", but He is the one that provides, and He will take care of that bill.  He may give you a friend if the hole you have is in your heart.  He may give you peace if your life has been filled with turmoil.  I do pray that He will send someone who has walked in my shoes to show me the path that is dry and warm, and comfortable enough for my feet.

2010 will be a good year - for you and I!  We end the year throwing out the battered and worn shoes of yesterday.  We start the year believing that God will take care of us, and provide the means and knowledge of the achieving His goals.  I pray for wisdom for you and me in 2010!

Money Savings

Everyone laughs at me, but I collect the bows on presents for later use.  You need to put them in a box loosely, so they don't get flattened.  For bigger bows, I will put used tissue paper in the loops to keep them fluffy.  It's a small way that I save money for the following year.

And don't forget to save your Christmas cards to make gift tags next year.  You can find it at my Christmas Magic post.

Also, now is the time to buy Christmas wrapping paper, bags, and bows.  After-Christmas sales are great!

Recipe

This potato casserole goes so well with ham.  Everyone seems to love it!

Cracker Barrel's Hash Browns Casserole - Copycat

2 lbs frozen hash browns
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 (10 1/4 ounce) can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

 Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 11 x 14 baking dish with cooking spray.  Mix the above ingredients together, place in prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top.  Serves 10-12.

Aunt Janet's Famous Sayings

There are experiences and trials in my life that I believe God let me experience to help my family.  My niece and nephew have often heard me say "I believe that God put this in my life so I can help you.  If I never experienced it, I wouldn't know how to help you."
Aunt Janet