She was right, of course. My memory told me she was right. In the poverty of my rural childhood, my sister, my brothers, and I were treated to fanciful and full-winged stories by our father, and our mother joined us in stringing popcorn and wild berries, making chains of colored paper, and cutting out paper bells. A welcomed snow meant lots of snow cream, and sorghum became, in one afternoon, delicious taffy. Add gingerbread and milk and it was Christmas. “I wonder how the poor are doing” said our father.

The church speaks often and appropriately of good and evil, of right and wrong, of true and false. But the church could, and no less appropriately, speak often, and certainly at Christmas, of the beautiful and the ugly. If the church has trouble finding a Scripture text to justify it, then quote Mrs. Glover. She knows.—FBC
 

CHRISTMAS LIST

Isn’t it difficult to buy gifts for adults? I have no problem selecting something for my 16-month old daughter – ideas galore! But when it comes time to choosing something for my brother-in-law, my mind can only produce droning white noise from its low-level static. Oh, I can come up with wonderful things to buy people, if only I had the money. But I don’t, so I’m back to the static, until thoughts of “what am I going to cook for dinner?” take over. And although I’m convinced I’m the easiest person in the world to buy for (I like everything, I’m sure my family would prefer I provide more concrete answers to “what would you like for Christmas?”, than my typical “oh, you don’t need to get me anything…”

Am I alone? I daresay not. The things we really want and need as adults are difficult to come by… hardly items to scratch off a Christmas list. But, we truly enjoy celebrating the season by bringing joy to the ones we love. What to do?

One thought that comes to mind is the White Envelope Project. Based on a very moving story published in Woman’s Day in 1982, this new organization facilitates the giving of donations to nonprofit organizations in lieu of (or in addition to) material gifts. If you’re near a computer, I encourage you to visit their site (www.whiteenvelopeproject.org) and read the original story. It might provide you with inspiration for gifts from a grown-up’s Christmas list.-TRS
 

HERE’S A LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEA

Or perhaps a treat for yourself!

Rev. Dean Phelps is a friend of the Center. He is currently the Director of Church Multiplication for the Christian Church in Indiana. With a warm, mellow voice and an incredible ability to pick the guitar, he is also an amazing musician. I personally witnessed him figure out the chords of a song, capo included, prior to its completion, the very first time he heard it! He certainly has an ear for music.

Oh yes, the gift… Dean has recorded a new CD, This Old House. If you visit our website (www.craddockcenter.org), you will see a link to Dean’s website, where you may purchase Dean’s CDs. Dean will donate $3 to The Craddock Center for each CD that is purchased by linking to his site from our website. Confusing? Think of it this way – you must first visit our website so that Dean will know to make a gift to the Center. The computers talk to each other in their techno-babble, and – voilà! – a check appears in our mailbox.

You will certainly enjoy this lovely music. We are very grateful to Dean and his continual support of the Center. E-Milk and Honey readers may click here to go directly to Dean’s site—http://www.goingoverhome.com/store.htm?s=cc.
 

“THERE WAS THIS WIDOW WOMAN WITH TWO TWINS”

Listening to ourselves talk and wondering why we talk that way are but two things we do in the program Winged for the Heart, songs and stories by Dr. Steven Darsey and Dr. Fred Craddock.

Dr. Darsey is choir master at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta. He is a native Georgian, educated in the School of Sacred Music at Yale University, and a specialist in Sacred Harp and Southern Harmony music. He collects songs of this area, plays the guitar, sings, and often leads us in singing these old, old songs.

Dr. Craddock, retired from the theology faculty of Emory, has lived near Cherry Log for 12 years. He was founding pastor of Cherry Log Christian Church and founder and former director of the Craddock Center. He gathers stories, experiences stories, creates stories, and tells stories. He is also a student of the ways people speak and the origins of our words and phrases.

For the sixth year, this program will be offered, free of charge. Formerly held at Brasstown Valley Resort, this year we meet at the Performing Arts Center on the campus of Fannin County High School in Blue Ridge, GA. The time is 8:00 p.m. No tickets are required. Dr. Darsey and Dr. Craddock receive no fee, but there are expenses, so an offering will be taken. If any money remains after expenses, it is divided between the Craddock Center in Cherry Log and Meridian Herald, Dr. Darsey’s program of musical and dramatic events in Atlanta.

The offering is taken before Steve and Fred perform; otherwise we would receive nothing.—FBC


TIPPING THE SCALES

Friday evening, December 15, we will host our first annual Coins for Craddock Celebration. Really, though, the celebration has already begun. We have received checks accompanied with notes expressing regrets for missing the celebration, or commenting that it cost less to mail a check than the coins themselves! And we have received jars, most recently from the architectural firm of Gardner Spencer Smith Trench & Jarbeau. They collected coins at the office, in one of those gigantic five-gallon water bottles. We will need a small army to help us carry it to the bank! We are tickled pink. Thank you!

We are touched by the thoughtfulness and enthusiasm shown by our coin-collecting friends. Thank you for making Christmas at the Center even brighter. We have been smiling from ear to ear. –TRS


STAYING WARM WITH WOC

We receive many calls for help with gas or electric bills, especially during winter months. We all know how exorbitant winter heating bills can be!

We are grateful to Week of Compassion for their generous grant of $5,000 to assist with providing winter utility assistance. Folks in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are familiar with Week of Compassion: this ministry receives donations from Disciples churches and uses the funds to serve humanitarian needs locally and globally. To read more about their work, please visit www.weekofcompassion.org. You will find project lists and amazing stories, among other things.

I want you to get a sense for how much they do: Week of Compassion responds to a disaster need approximately every two days! They support projects in nearly 100 countries. And now, they are assisting folks in north Georgia. Thank you, Week of Compassion! -TRS

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Not just for the end of January, but also for the beginning of March. March 2, at 7:00 pm, to be exact. This will be the date of the third annual Helen Lewis Lecture. You will be pleased to know that Dr. Bill Leonard, Dean of The Divinity School at Wake Forest University, will be our speaker. I am arranging a special musical guest… as soon as I can confirm, I will share the group’s name with you. Trust me, this will be an evening not to miss! The event will be held at the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Building, 420 West Main Street in Blue Ridge. This is the same place where the lecture has been held in prior years, but is different from where the Songs and Stories event will take place. The room will hold about 200; we won’t be issuing tickets, so you’ll want to arrive early to ensure you get to sit on the front row. (Hey, this isn’t church!) – TRS

LOCAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

I’m feeling very grateful this month, which also makes me generous. So, here I am, promoting a volunteer opportunity for a nonprofit organization other than our own. It’s important, though, as there are other groups that perform great work and need a little help. And I know you like to help.

Goodwill Industries in Gilmer County is considering becoming a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site. The deciding factor? Whether or not they can get enough volunteers. You know how complicated tax laws are. VITA provides free tax assistance to low-to-moderate income taxpayers through trained volunteers.

If you are interested in volunteering, please call or email the Center. -TRS


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at The Craddock Center! Our office will be closed December 22, 25, and 26, and January 1 and 2 in observance of the holidays.