Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Rest. We all need it, yearn for it, especially at this time of the year when busyness takes up unprecedented residence in our lives as we prepare to celebrate Christmas and the coming of a brand-new year.
So, my husband, Danny, and I will leave this coming Monday to spend the week at the same mountain cabin, Nantahala Gorgeous, where we took granddaughter, Virginia Rose, this past June.
No, the view won't be anything like the summer one, but there is something enticing about the barren limbs of endless trees marching up the mountainsides like stalwart soldiers parading proudly before their Maker. With their branches lifted toward the heavens as if in prayer, they remind us to seek out quiet time with God.
To rest in Him.
And that's exactly what we intend to do.
That being said, I will be absent from this blog until January of 2020. And if I don't show up to read and comment on your blogs during this interim, I know you'll more than understand. Be assured that I will be keeping each and every one of you in my prayers.
Danny and I wish you all a Blessed and Merry Christmas, and a Healthy and Happy New Year!
Amen!
Bon voyage, Martha, and au revoir in January. Have a wonderful restful time. Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas and a superb New Year filled with joy, hope, and good health. And thank you so much for your support and encouragement.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you and your family always.
Thank you, Victor, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours! I will try to keep up with your blog, but no promises next Monday through Friday. :)
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha,
ReplyDeleteI pray you and Danny have a wonderful time of refreshing.
Have a Merry Christmas and I look forward to reading more of your writing in the coming year.
Thank you, Ryan! We are hoping for just that.
DeleteLove and blessings, and Merry Christmas!
Enjoy your time away. I know one practice that needs to be front and center for me in 2020 is Sabbath. Rest and being with God are primary yet I let them slip away. Merry Christmas!!
ReplyDeleteOh, I certainly hear you there, Jean! Too often, we simply forget that we need Sabbath rest more than anything in our lives to just be quiet and be with God.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Have a wonderful time and wishing you and family a Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours, Valerie!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Good for you! The message I get from the cabin is often "rest." In fact, I'm headed there today. Enjoy your holidays and we will see you in the new year!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear you're getting away to your cabin, too, Galen! Yes, it's so important to rest from the rigors of daily life.
DeleteHope you have a wonderful holiday, too!
Love and blessings!
What a wonderful photo of the two of you! And I love your idea of getting away to that magical place. I've always been oddly attracted to the stark beauty of 'nekked' trees, and the way in which you've expressed their appearance? Wow; I won't soon forget that analogy.
ReplyDeleteTravel mercies lifted!
Glad you liked the photo, Myra! It was taken several years back at one of our other cabins we visited. And there is something about those "nekked" trees that has always spoken to my heart, and I'm thrilled that you liked the analogy.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Getting some rest in such a beautiful setting sounds like a great way to celebrate the holidays.
ReplyDeleteWe are so looking forward to this escape, Laurie, I can't begin to tell you! Hope you and yours have a marvelous Christmas and a blessed New Year!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Enjoy your time away with your hubby and your time away from blogland. Wishing you and yours a Blessed Christmas and New Year!
ReplyDeleteWe will certainly enjoy this time away, Terri, especially at this all-too-busy time of the year.
DeleteMay your Christmas be blessed, too!
Love and blessings!
Martha,
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and Danny and your family. I know you'll both enjoy "unplugging" and simply being able to fully relax and recharge.
I'm so happy that you'll be able to get away to the mountains!
Love and blessings!
We are so happy, too, Kim, and feeling monumentally blessed right now. Lots of photos are surely in the offing. :)
DeleteLove and blessings!
Merry Christmas to you and Danny! Praying for a safe, restful and joy-filled holiday.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Beckie! Wishing you a Merry Christmas, my friend.
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a wonderful Christmas retreat. Sounds divine. I may have to talk my hubby into doing this sometime. Praying your time away will be filled with peace and comfort and joy. Rest in the Lord and prepare your hearts for Christmas and the New Year!
ReplyDeleteWe will definitely rest in the Lord, Pamela, surrounded by His awesome creation. Yes, we need this trip badly! Hope you all can do the same sometime.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Have a most restful and restorative resting in the Arms of our Savior. Soak Him in, and each other as you enjoy Christmas with your family. God bless you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Diane! We will certainly rest in the Lord during this time and in this place.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Sounds like a lovely plan and place to get some rest! May you and yours have a Merry Christmas! 2020 will be here in the blink of an eye and we'll meet up again.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa! Yes, 2020 will be here before we know it, so I simply want to soak in and enjoy every day, every moment, until it is here. May your Christmas be blessed!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Have a great time away and a Christ-filled Christmas Martha. I look forward to sharing 2020 with you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bill! I, too, look forward to a new year of correspondence with you as well. Merry Christmas!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Have a wonderful time of peace and a deeper connection with our dear Lord, Martha! God bless you and Danny with a Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cheryl, that is my prayer. May you and yours enjoy a Merry and Blessed Christmas!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Merry Christmas, Martha! Enjoy you time together!
ReplyDeleteWe had a great time, Loralu! Thanks!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you, too!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Good for you! We do need rest. I too am in dire need of it! This time of year, especially this one, has been beyond crazy.
ReplyDeleteHappy you're getting time away to recharge. It's amazing how a change of scenery can rest the mind and body.
Safe travels. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours!!!
It was just the vacation we needed, Floyd. We are home now, so things will be back to normal now, whatever normal is five days out from Christmas! Hope you'll get a time to rest and refresh, too, my friend.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Christmas blessings to you and yours, Martha!
ReplyDeleteHope your Christmas is merry and bright, Linda!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Enjoy your time of peace and restoration at the cabin, that sounds lovely. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
ReplyDeleteWe had an amazing time, Terra! Hope your Christmas was merry and bright.
DeleteLove and blessings!