Our first Christmas in KY.  I have had a little bit of a time adjusting, especially after being robbed of many of my "sentimental objects" shortly after moving here.  I have always used my mom's reminder to hold everything I possess in an open hand to the Lord, but there is a grieving process to go through when you have had losses. 
For about five to six years the Lord has taken us down a path of losses.  Beginning with the ash spill that devastated the Swan Pond community and ended in our leaving that pastorate, we have lost parents, we lost a dear pastor's wife while she was in our home, we have moved from a church and pastor we loved dearly, we have both had loss of health, Gary's accident resulted in a loss of income and there's more that are too close to the heart to talk about. 
I honestly have felt rather "displaced" for these six years.  I have had to live my own teaching that if the Lord allows everything to be taken from you---home, family, possessions that even if you die you cannot have the most precious possession taken from you--Christ.
So, we have dug through the piles of dumped boxes in our storage unit and we have decorated our home for
Christmas.  Even Christmas has had its losses this year.  For the first time, I haven't hung a pocket calendar this year. (by husband's orders)  Each morning our children would find a treat in a numbered pocket calendar I made and hung on the wall.  Instead, he decided to give the boys each $25 for Christmas money.  I have mourned the loss of my beloved pocket calendar.
For the first time the inside of my cabinet isn't decorated.  I remember one year that I decided I wasn't going to decorate the cabinet and Alicia, who was married and gone, told me I couldn't stop doing that.  So I decorated the cabinet and have every since...till this year.  It is full of canned goods and I haven't got the room to put them any where else!  But I miss it.
I have made my huge batches of cookies and candies and they are sitting in the freezer--I don't have neighbors all around me to give them to.

But God has been good and we have had gains.  God has given us a church that reminds me of being in Parker City years ago.  Constant activity, soulwinning, new friends and a new ministry. 
Gary has joined the Wings Ministry and we are working with Brother Allen and Sister Dema.  When we left Swan Pond we lost having them in our church and it is so good to be serving together in the same church again.
It is so good to be in a church where there is something to do for the Lord every day of the week if that is your heart's desire.  It is so good to be in a church where John has constant activity with the teens and other ministries.

God has given us a home to live in for now.  Otis and Martha Blankenship graciously have allowed us to rent their home while they are in Michigan and it is such a blessing in our lives at this point.
We have once again seen the Lord pour out His blessings on us and meet our needs just when they are needed.  I could list prayer after prayer that the Lord answered at the precise time that we had the need.
It has been fun decorating the house for Christmas.  I started out slow, but the lights always win me over to filling the house with Christmas. 
So, here we are at our first Christmas in Kentucky.  Walking through the house today and seeing all the lovely lights--I decided to put pictures of it up and to remind myself that it is a lovely place to be at Christmas!