Did you have a Merry Christmas?
I love Christmas! I love thinking of gifts for those I love … I love all the decorations and lights. I love all the food and sweets. I love the Christmas music… I love a day when we are just all together.
Growing up Adventist, we never did the going to church on Christmas thing… but I have to tell you how much I love that tradition, of being with a whole group of people all celebrating Jesus’ birth.
I love Silent Night… How holy that night was and yet how humble a setting was Jesus born in. Such a simply beginning… I love thinking of Mary, so young and innocent and how awesome a privilage she had and how much pain she would suffer in those few hours of his crucifixion.
I couldn’t help thinking of the families of the Connecticut children that were shot died. Did their moms buy them their gifts already? How sad and heavy their hearts must have been and continue to be.
Christmas, it seems to always be such a time of mixed emotions. I missed being with my family, all of them. I missed seeing my friends that are now so far away.
Yet there are the things that cause continuous delight… my boys and their happiness at being surprised at the gifts they recieved. The foods that fill our bellies. The time of being with each other.
Now we have the following days of just relaxing, sleeping in, hanging out with friends… just what the doctor ordered. I love waking up to a bunch of bodies, warm and snugglie, understanding I want to sleep and they are content with playing on their ipod or whatever. Then the restlessness starts, then the touching, then the wrestling of sorts and then the noise… my usual wake up call.
I love my boys so much. Oh don’t get me wrong, they can be drive me to the brinks of needing to be committed…. but I adore them. They warm my heart… and I truly can’t imagine life without them.
The other night, Sammy, my social child, wanted to go help the neigbour girl, driving with her to Whitby, help move her cousin back here to our neighbour’s house. It was already 7 ish in the evening. They were calling for snow. My gut told me no. And yet, Sammy has the persuasion skills of the best of them. We let him go, told him to make sure his phone was on and text us with what was happening.
I found myself reading, awaiting for him to come in and yell, “Mommy, I’m home” and then I would go to sleep. Yet, I feel alseep and woke up with the need to go to the bathroom. Suddenly, I realized I had fallen asleep and didn’t remember Sammy saying he was home. I looked at the time, it was 3:30 a.m., I peeked into his room where his bed was empty. Panicked, I called his cell. NO ANSWER! My first thought was, “I’m gonna kill him!” My next thought was, “What if he was dead on the road somewhere?”
I kept texting, knowing his phone had likely died by now, and found myself begging God to please keep him safe, to bring this child who drives me bonkers, home to continue to drive me bonkers. I couldn’t imagine our world without Sammy in it. My heart raced at an abnormal rate. Sanj, whom I woke up, muttered an “Oh NO…” and then continued his snoring.
Then there was that welcomed beep. Incoming text. Never have I been so happy to hear that sound!
Sammy…. he was alive, well and on his way home, after dealing with a broken down vehicle, waited for the father to show up and the roads were horrible so it was slow going. Phew.
First I can’t imagine not having the faith in a Father above who is in control of all things. I am so grateful to Him of all things. Then after I got Sammy’s text, after I thanked God over and over for His mercies, I found myself haunted by the thoughts of the 26 little ones that have parents that must get through the holidays for their other little ones.
I know that every day we live with love of family and friends, even sometimes strangers, is a day filled with blessing, that I must never take forgranted.
Hope your Christmas was filled with love, family and food.
xoxo