"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light."-Lyrics We had a very merry Christmas this year. My parents came and spent several days with us leading up to Christmas Eve. We celebrated Christ's birth with "bed church" thanks to streaming. I got all my wishes--including these adorable boots! And best of all, I saw the joy in each of my family members eyes as they realized they were loved. What more could a girl ask for? I am blessed!
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"Christmas is the season of joy, of holiday greetings exchanged, of gift-giving, and of families united."-Norman Vincent Peele A pretty gingerbread house--this has been one of my Christmas wishes for years. However, as a boy mom, instead I often am left with a pile of frosting a big as the house covered with a mishmash of candy coating. However, this year, something changed. The boys slowed down, the time was savored, and this cute little Christmas creation came to be. It didn't long, it wasn't a fuss, instead it was a moment to savor and smile and love.
Link to Video "Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."-Norman Vincent Peale I love Christmas--the lights, the music, the foods, the time with family and friends. Thus, we spent our weekend getting our house decked out in its Christmas Best. My favorite part is seeing the boys decorate their tree filled with memories of their lives. It is amazing to think about how fast they have grown from tiny babies into bright, kind young men. It is the best gift in the world.
"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light from a single candle." -St. Francis of Assisi I am a quitter. These are words that no one really wants to speak out loud, but unfortunately in my case they are true. I am filled with big ideas and aspirations but often lack the fortitude to finish them. Scrapbooks remain half done, advent calendars of chocolate are thrown out still half full of uneaten candy and many half read books lay scattered around the house on any flat surface they can find. So for this advent season, I decided I wanted to finish SOMETHING. But what? A new type of calendar? A book? A bible study? My to-do list? (OK, that one is way too hard). After careful pondering, I finally decided that I would order a Danish advent candle that I would burn from start to finish. A quick trip to Amazon and this beauty was on the way. (Click on the image if you want to order your own!) ![]() When it arrived, I placed it in the beautiful crystal candle holder that I received for my wedding 16 years ago but had never been used. Each nigh as I cooked dinner or as the kids trudged through their homework or as Luke and I sat down to work on our jigsaw puzzle, we would light the candle and let it burn down to the date. It's light presided over our Christmas party with Luke's family as well. As it burned, this candle provided a warm light to battle the dark winter night as solstice came upon us. As the wax melted, it created quirky and chaotic wax sculptures that reminded me of Elsa's Frozen Ice Castle. As the month went on, it continued to burn lower and lower each and every night. Was I perfect about burning my candle each day? Definitly not. Some nights we had dinner plans or hockey games of take out in front of the TV as we tried to finish the hustle and bustle on the holiday todo list. But on each of the evenings that we spent in the kitchen, I lit the candle and let it catch up on its imprecate journey to finished. There was something beautiful about knowing that the journey was imprecate but the destination was still there waiting at the end. Tonight as I threw out the last remnants of the advent candle, the lesson I take with me is that although our journey through life is filled with imperfection, the final destination of heaven is lighting our way to the end. There are beautiful moments in dark times where warmth and love are what pull us through. Merry Christmas! Remember that God's love burns bright each day! |
AuthorAlmost 40 and tired of the treadmill, I am going to LIVE each day as a new adventure while finishing todo items on my life list. Mom, wife, teacher, geek! Archives
May 2020
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