In the past couple of days I have been able to stay mostly tucked away at home with my people. It has been a blissfully quiet couple of days around here, but for an afternoon trip to Kroger (on senior citizen discount day, 3 days before Christmas, shortly before 5 o'clock, with three excited 6 year olds...oh my!)
I have been reminded again how it really is the simple things in life that make it the sweetest. These are a few of my favorite things about the last two days:
- Unexpected visits from friends dropping off thoughtful Christmas gifts
- Coffee and conversation with a sweet friend who spoke much needed words of truth over my life when I needed it most
- Opening my mailbox each day to find a handful of Christmas cards bearing the faces of people from my life
- Giggling with my husband each night about the latest elfcapades our children wake up to find
- A brown paper package (not tied up with strings) in our mailbox with a postmark from Germany. Our former sitter, Storey, is on staff with Young Life there.
- Staying in our pajamas until lunchtime
- Play dates with friends who go to different schools that we rarely see anymore. How we miss them!
- My children's sheer delight at ordering Dominoes for lunch. They (and their friends we had over to play) waited for him on the front porch and greeted him with loud shouts. As he handed me the 2 liter of Diet Coke, I assured him it was not for the hyped up little people, it was to help me keep up with them. "I should have brought you Mountain Dew or Red Bull," he quipped.
- Letting my To Do list languish in favor of savoring these days
- Driving around town tonight (past the kiddos bed times) to find tacky Christmas light displays and being surprised by a GORGEOUS full, orange moon. It upstaged all the other colorful lights we were seeking. It served as a beautiful reminder that no man-made celebration of the glory of God can even come close to the splendor He has created himself.
I feel like my last few posts have been on the heavy side--I have been feeling it. Not in an unhealthy way, as much as realistic, about the fact that this season does seem to amplify emotions. When joy is being emphasized so heavily, the absence of such seems that much more dire in contrast.
Love, joy and peace are the frequent buzzwords of the season. They sound wonderful, but can feel like lofty aspirations in our 'real lives.' Today God was gracious to give me glimpses of the way love, joy and peace manifest themselves simply in our daily lives. We must continue to train ourselves to stop and pay attention. Otherwise, we, like the people bustling about Bethlehem on that starry night, might find ourselves totally unaware of the miracle in our midst.
Based on the e-mails I get from some of you, I know that there is plenty to keep you justifiably distracted--pain, loss, regret, longing, fear. Tonight I leave you with a promise from Scripture:
"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." God's Decree. "I'll turn things around for you... You can count on it." Jeremiah 29:12-14 The Message
Wise men (and women) still seek Him.
4 comments:
Amen to that.
I'm so glad you are savouring the sweetness - I loved this post.
Cxx
I normally enjoy your blog. Not to sound rude, but lately you have came off as "snobby".
Tacky Christmas lights? Senior citizen day at Kroger? I could point out other things lately, but I think you get my point.
You just sound so judgemental. I felt like I had to say that, because I think we all need to step back and be thankful for what we have and not judge less fortunate.
Oh, Dazenga. I am so sorry. I really do apologize for offending you (or anyone else).
The Wednesday Kroger thing is so widely talked about in my town that I think I have taken for granted that people know my intent. It truly quadruples the population at the store because of the extra 10% discount. I did not intend it as an insult to seniors at all.
I also could have chosen a different adjective to describe the light displays.
I appreciate your input. I am all for accountability.
As a side note, I can be emailed privately though my profile about things that are bothering you...so as to handle them more privately and not in such an open forum.
Any statement that begins with, "not to sound rude," is meant to be rude. Most of us learn that at an early age.
Any Christmas display by man is tacky in comparison to one made by our creator. Most of us were able to make that inference. However, it must have been difficult for at least one to follow.
Authenticity as a writer comes from saying phrases to which we can all relate. Most of us have experienced grocery shopping with children on an unusually busy day. The phrase "senior citizen day" instantly brought to our minds a store full of customers. Similarly, a children's day at a pizza place would bring certain different implications to mind. For writing to be good, that type of detail is required. It's not an insult to anyone.. it's just a way to illustrate using words. Those of us who have followed this blog for years have appreciated the visual picture these types of decriptions bring and hope they continue.
Most of us also learned early that those calling others snobs tend to be jealous because another is smarter, prettier, and/or has worked hard to make a better life for herself. Without the jealousy, there would be no reason for the names.
I read this blog because I know JMom does many things better than I do and is a great example for parenthood and life. We don't all have mentors in real life, and I think blogs can be the next best thing. Instead of feeling jealous, I try to choose each day to learn from people who do things better in the hopes that I can be a better mother and person. I hope that JMom doesn't allow one person's rudeness to change a thing.
Not everyone will agree with any blogger. It's not hard to switch to another blog when one feels annoyed or disagrees. Most of us have done it. It's a much better choice than publicly attacking someone personally.
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