Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Merry Christmas

I just want to wish all my blog readers a very merry Christmas. I hope it brings rest and peace and celebration. Toward that end, I encourage you to click on my friend Brandy's blog (over there to the left) and read her post called "God is for you." It draws into clarity what this whole Christmas thing is all about, and I want to share it with you. God bless each one of you and thanks for reading.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Will

I was talking to my brother on the phone tonight, and he put my six-year-old nephew Will on the phone to say hi. I hit the jackpot; he was very chatty. We talked about Christmas, what Santa might bring him, that we would see him next week, etc. Then the following conversation occurred:

Will: All our presents are wrapped and under the tree already.
Me: They are? That's great, but don't open them or anything. You have to wait till its time.
Will: I know. I'm not really thinking much about those presents. I've been thinking about something else that's way more important than that.
Me: (surprised) You are? What have you been thinking about?
Will: (with wonder) Jesus! I just can't stop thinking about him. We are doing a Christmas program and I just can't stop thinking about Jesus and all the songs we are singing...
Me: Like what kind of songs?
Will: Songs about the baby Jesus!
Me: That is so great, Will. I'm sad we can't see you in your Christmas program.
Will: Well. You can come if you want!

We are going to Will's house five days too late to see the program. But I will be considering the thrill in his voice when he was talking about Jesus, and how much more he's thinking about that baby king than he is the presents under his Christmas tree. Today I'm taking a lesson from a six-year-old, and trying not to be distracted by material/earthly things. I want to be like Will, not able to stop thinking about Jesus. Wanna join me?

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Today Katy started calling me Mommy instead of Mama. Very upsetting development. I tried coaching her back to the other way, but she was having none of it. (She can be a bit pig-headed, not sure where she gets this.) This is way worse than the Elmo fiasco though. Mommy is big girl talk. I dread the day I become just plain old MOM. This is the day I will officially be old.

Brynn did something really cute today that I just have to share. This morning before preschool, I overheard her giving Katy a "who's who" lesson on the nativity. "This is the baby Jesus, and this is a shepherd--he takes care of the sheep." That kind of thing. Then she said, "And this is the pretty angel--her name is Chorus." I tilted my head and gave it some thought. And I couldn't help but giggle when I connected the dots. Figured it out yet? She has almost certainly heard a version of the account that reads, "and there appeared in the sky an angel chorus..." That's good stuff, people.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Tidbits

As of this morning, Katy is saying Elmo correctly. Please observe with me a moment of silence as we lose more and more of the sweet babytalking. Sigh. It happens too quickly. Never again will I see her walking around the house calling, "MO-mo! Where are you?"


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I am stressed out. I hate that because I am usually way into all the Christmas hoopla--baking and decorating and shopping and the whole nine yards. But I am just worn out this year. I don't know if its all the traveling, or just how crazy things are going to get with our schedule starting in about two weeks, or the financial strain so many are facing... but I am really feeling overwhelmed. And I hate that, because Christmas is my favorite. I need to read Luke 2 before I sleep tonight and try to get some perspective in the chaos. I may also make some lists. Things are manageable when I pace myself. Theoretically.


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I went into a store the other day with both of the girls, and a woman held the door open for our little parade to pass. I thanked her and she said, "I know what its like. You're doing manual labor right now, honey. This is the hardest time physically, but the real hard stuff is yet to come." Now, I appreciate her helping me get inside and I like that she validated the fatigue I experience all the time. But why not leave it at that instead of tacking on the gloom-and-doom pronouncement of future difficulty? Why do moms do this? Think about it and you will realize how often people offer you empathy in a situation and follow it up with a grim-reaperish, "Just wait." I'm not going to do this anymore. I'm going to offer encouragement and then shut my mouth instead of bumming people out. Every day is hard enough as it is, without adding the burden of tomorrow.

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I miss Christy. I was putting up decorations and came across a gift she gave me a couple of years ago. It's this cool, old-fashioned sign made out of painted boards that says "Sleigh Bells Ring," complete with jingle bells. We had seen it while flipping through a magazine and both loved it. The next thing I know, she & Josh gave it to me for Christmas. If I remember right, Julie and Chris gave her the exact same one that year. Anyway. It was weird hanging it up in its usual spot this year, but not as weird as it would have been to put it back in the box. If that makes sense. So since I have Christy on my mind, I decided to share something I wrote on her facebook wall (now a memorial) a couple of weeks ago...

I've been thinking about you so much, Christy. Maybe its the holidays coming and all the memories I have of special times with you at this time of year. I was thinking about the time we (stubbornly!) went shopping on Black Friday when no one else wanted to brave the early hours or the crowds... it poured all day! We were cold and wet! I remember you were shopping for your new family, the inlaws to be. You so wanted to get them gifts they would love, but you didn't know them very well yet. We ate lunch at Fridays and had mexican-type appetizers. I was craving it because I was newly pregnant with Brynn. My doctor had grounded us from travel that year for Thanksgiving because of some complications I was having. I was so bummed about that at the time, but now I am so thankful because we never would have had that day together otherwise. What a sweet gift from God that is to me now. Yay for complications--seriously. Love you, Sweet. Miss you.