Merry Christmas!

Yes, it is a couple days past Christmas, but it’s not too late to say and I didn’t get to say it to you. So, I’ll say it again, “When I say: Merry Christmas! I really mean: I hope you had a very blessed and merry Christmas.” Remembering the reason we celebrate Christmas and the purpose of the season.

I really do hope this was a true realization for you. I know I had to do a lot of mental readjustment this year. With no cash flow for gifts, it made me realize something interesting about me: while I LOVE making gifts, when it’s a choice because I want to is a lot different than because I have to. Why do I/we have to be so fallen, sinful, human about doing something with the right heart? 😀

Just goes to show and proves: I NEED Jesus Christ. Every day. Every hour. Always.

I wasn’t able to wish you a Merry Christmas on Christmas because {yes, here are my excuses/’reasons’}, leading up to Christmas I didn’t choose to make the time to schedule a post. I thought I’d do it at our friend’s home. But I didn’t. I couldn’t get online on Christmas Eve night and on Christmas day I chose to focus on those I was with face-to-face, rather than worry about figuring out how to connect online. I did write a post late Chrismas night, but it seemed so shallow after the day spent, I chose to remain ‘unplugged’. But, it wasn’t because I didn’t think about you – I prayed for you. I prayed you would know the real spirit of Christmas – Jesus’ love for you. I hope your day was blessed.

Leading up to Christmas Eve I was sewing & crafting until 1am, just 8 hours before I’d planned to leave. Then I started to wrap gifts – I climbed into bed at 2am after wrapping & cleaning the living room. {NOTE: when you aren’t giving a lot of gifts, wrapping doesn’t take long. This is not a bad thing…} I slept until 8:30, then got up on the run. We were blessed to head into town for a couple days with some very dear friends. Friends I have only known a couple years compared to the 20+ years I’ve known most of our other family friends. It was such a blessed time. It was a time of relaxing.

This family has five children – the oldest was first my sister-friend, then she introduced her two youngest siblings to my children, then we parents met. My sister-friend is 10 years younger than me, and her parents are about 10 years older. Her mom and I are friends as well. Only a mom-friend can truly understand the life of being a mom.

Mom-friends, such a beautiful God-given gift.

The four are only 3 years apart – with my two being the bookends: boy (Vince), boy, girl, girl (Christine). We all homeschool and genuinely enjoy being together. These four haven’t seen each other in a while – so off they disappeared. They really only came around every once in a while for food :-), when we went to the Christmas Eve service, and opening gifts.

Christmas morning was a meshing of our two families traditions (which largely were the same: Christ, food, gifts slowly and intentionally, one-at-a-time). Mid-day a couple other singles came to enjoy the rest of the day together, cook together, fellowship together, and eat together. The evening was spent taking a gorgeous walk in the falling snow & playing games. I didn’t play games. I sat on the couch, in front of a beautiful tree and fireplace, and read. As a single parent I can’t state or express how incredibly refreshing it is to hear/see/know your childrens’ love tank is being filled. and not by you. It was truly a blissful Christmas.