It's over?!?!

Ever have that deflated feeling after all of the gifts are opened and that special dinner has been eaten? The anticipation of Christmas morning and the faces of those that you love when they open what you hope will be the perfect gift, is wonderful. The down side is, it seems to be over all too soon! I love excitement and surprises, which comes as no big shocker to those who know me, but when you go to great lengths to produce those two things for others and then it's over it's kind of sad. I think the key is to focus on the love that I have for those that surround me on Christmas morning and those loved ones celebrating far away. They are thankful for what they have received but what's even better is the fact that they are thankful just to be together. Eryn made the comment before Christmas ever arrived that it didn't matter what was under the tree because she would like what ever was there. When I asked her about it later she said that all that mattered was that she has her family. The wisdom of a nine year old is an awesome thing!

One of our family traditions is to take some time on Christmas Eve to sit in the light of candles and Christmas lights, eggnog or hot cocoa in hand, and listen to Jerry read the Christmas story. This year he started with the prophecies of Isaiah and then read the story of Christ's birth in Luke. We discussed the link between the Old and New testaments and how God has given us so many reasons to believe His infallible Word. It is unmistakable how He choreographed all of history to set the stage for the birth of His Son, even in ways that we will never know or recognize this side of eternity. He reveals Himself to us each and every day but so many people miss it because either their sin has blinded them or they simply aren't taking the time to see it. God does say in scripture, "Be still and know that I am God."

In all of the rush towards the New Year, I hope that everyone takes the time to be still and recognize His hand in their lives and to be thankful He takes the time to place it there!

It's that time of year

It is a cold frosty morning, with just a little bit of white on the grass and roofs but they have canceled school because of the ice on the roads. This means having my girls at home, but it also means that I won't be working and neither will Jerry. The up side to all of this is that we get to spend the day together working on Christmas projects and maybe watching a Christmas movie. The down side is that we kind of need the money that working in the school system provides right now. Oh well, I have to look at it and think, "God knows our needs, He controls the weather and we can only do so much." There is a reason He says, "Be still and know that I am God." It's a relief to recognize the struggle of trying to do everything yourself and then let go of it and give it to Him.

Back to the weather! Kaytie and Eryn are convinced that the reason that we have ice and no school is because of the "Freezing Rain Dance" and the "No School Dance" that they made up and performed yesterday. The first one they did in the front yard and the second one they did in Eryn's room last night when she was supposed to be sleeping!

There is still so much to do between now and Christmas morning. It makes it hard to enjoy the time, worse yet to order my thoughts in a fashion that helps me get things done. I think it is referred to as avoidance! There are many excuses that I could use but I think that one defines where I'm at the best. Obviously blogging is much more appealing than getting things done which is why I'm signing off for now. I'll keep you posted as to how far I get with my projects.