Y'all. You wouldn't believe what happened to me last night. I was sitting in my living room obsessing in a good way over Christmas music when what to my wondering ears should...appear? That's right, folks... SANTA ON A FIRETRUCK! complete with many sirens! and flashing lights! I can't even tell you how happy it made me to hop outside on my good foot and stand shivering in the cold, dark night to catch a glimpse of the Big Man himself. He was throwing candy at the young'uns and they were just beside themselves with glee and joy over the unexpected visit. I'm not gonna lie. It was the best moment of my week and I'm not even ashamed to admit it. I even got a really bad picture, see?
Words cannot even express how very much I love my newest discovery. I love how God throws something right in my lap to encourage me, and that's what He did yesterday! I was reading Big Mama's post, as I do nearly every day because she cracks me up and I need all the chuckles I can get. In it she listed some of her favorite Christmas music. Now I love it when she lists her favorites because it saves me some work trying to find new stuff to like, but this time my real find was in the comments. My new best friend Kristen who is a complete stranger to me changed. my. life. forever.
And no, I am not prone to exaggeration. I think we've addressed this before?
Anyway, she informed the worldwideweb that Sixpence None the Richer (holiday) on Pandora was simply - and I quote - dreamy. And she wasn't wrong! It was a lovely blend of different artists singing mostly Christ-centered (instead of season-centered) songs in an easy, laid back, dreamy sort of style. I spent the better part of the day clicking the "like" button on the songs that came up. The play list fits in perfectly with my big plan to not indulge in the crazy this year and I just couldn't be happier. And I thought you should know.
You're welcome.
My ankle is down to only about 4 or 9 different colors at this point...two whole weeks after my big injury. It's still kinda pretty to look at if you like multicolored feet, but I can tell that someday it will go back to the boring ole foot I've known for nigh these many years. My left leg no longer screams in pain from all the weird ways I've been limping and walking around, and in fact the whole walking thing is going a bit better. I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it.
Again...thought you should know.
No more Christmas shopping has been done since I last reported in on the subject a couple of weeks ago. Not another daggone thing. I appear to have lost the will to shop... even via the worldwideweb. This whole neardeathexperience thing I've had going on seems to have thrown me completely off-kilter.
I really, really love saying worldwideweb. I have no explanation for this and therefore will not even try, but I'm kind've afraid it's not nearly as adorable as I like to think it is.
On a food-related note, I can't seem to let go of my grief over my poor pumpkin pie. I had a lot of a pie left from Thanksgiving and was secretly planning to eat it all. by myself. in the dark. with lots of whipped cream. Unfortunately The Great Plague threw me off my overeating game and it got old and yucky, and yet I can't bear to actually throw it out. It's just sitting in my fridge mocking me. MOCKING ME!
Seriously people, that just ain't right.
Finally, I know I have already addressed the whole music thang in the above paragraphs, but can I just say I love me some Casting Crowns. and I love their Christmas CD. and I really love their rousing rendition of "I heard the Bells." Therefore, I have included the link below for your listening pleasure. Because it's Friday. and it's Christmas time. and I love ya.
This Christmas season is going to be different. And this time I mean it.
For years now I have found the holiday season to be my least favorite, pretty much excruciatinglystressful time of year. I love my Jesus, and I am so grateful to Him for the way He gave everything up just for me...My discomfort in December certainly has nothing at all to do with the Christ Child. I just find December to be so very noisyand demanding.
I've tried to ignore all the noise and and pressure crushing in on me each year and longed to simply bask in the precious warmth of love and gratitude... but I have never been able to actually pull it off.
I've always shared with my friends that my favorite part of the entire holiday season is Christmas night....when it's all over. That's when I would do my personal happy dance for surviving another year :)
My children are adults who understand my limitations, and my friends expect nothing from me other than the love I can give them. So, as that familiar knot begins to build in my stomach and my mind begins to race and strategize- -
I have decided not to play.
That's right, doggone it. This year I refuse to engage in the frenzy or the crazy.
This year I am keeping it slow, simple, peaceful.
I will not try to figure out how to buy things I obviously have no budget to buy...and I will not feel guilty because I can't.
I will give my family and my friends my heart...and I will truly believe that to be, not just enough, but everything.
I will focus on Christmas music that is all about Jesus and not about chestnuts roasting or hand-holding :)
I will decorate less, cook less, bake less.
I will mute! the tv commercials that make me feel frantic and anxious. Better yet, maybe I'll turn the television off altogether!
I will participate in Advent each day this month, keeping my focus on Jesus, the Christ Child, and all He means to me.
I will ask my Father to help me to be Jesus with skin on to someone who needs Him desperately this December.
For quite some time I had looked forward to spending a full week with my whole family under one roof. There is nothing sweeter to me than late night talks in our jammies with my daughter(s) while everyone else sleeps, or early morning hugs from my sweet girl with her still soggy-diapered bottom, puppy and milk in hand. There is something beautifully un...urgent about having days at a time when no one has to to go home.
These are things I didn't value while raising my children. Back then the days seemed to last forever and I had no understanding of how quickly the time flies and how valuable that time was. Now my babies are grown and usually all I have are quick glimpses of what used to be.
I'm not complaining. This is God's design. We grow up. We build our families, training them to grow up and build their families. It's a good thing and I'm grateful for my daughter's wonderful lives and beautiful families.
But that doesn't mean I don't miss them and the bustling life of homework, and hugs, and ballgames, and youth groups.
I say all that to try to explain how special our extended visits are and how very much I look forward to them. This Thanksgiving was extra special because sweet little, not-even two-week-old Owen was with us.
Once I got home after this holiday and all the chaos it included, I found myself feeling kind've sad, kind've blue, and kind'vea lot sorry for myself. Sometimes it feels like I get more than my fair share of the disaster-type stories. (I used to call them adventures when I didn't want my children to completely melt down.) I found myself once again wondering why things seem to always go wrong and I often find myself disappointed.
Poor, poor me.
Satan really knows how to hit us when we're down, and I'm sure my physical maladies contributed to my decidedly ungrateful attitude. Be that as it may, this is a terribly unflattering side of me and I'd kinda prefer to keep my lousy attitude to myself, but it feels a bit hypocritical to prattle on and on about how funny life is and how grateful I am all the time when I'm not, in fact grateful all the time. I had a little chat with God, and He forgave me for not appreciating all the sheerwonderfulness that He showers me with every. single. day.
..and I feel compelled to share some of that wonderfulness right out loud, so to speak.
(A Thousand Gifts #130-144)
baby toes that wriggle enthusiastically when the socks come off
family whose first line of defense is to laugh with each other when facing the icky
more food than a family of seven can eat and the leftovers that follow
grace undeserved
grown daughters who value time spent with me and with each other
sweet Audrey's unconditional love
my lastborn's home, which is large enough to make us all comfortable...even when not feeling well
able bodies that bounce back from even ugly cold weather illnesses
love all around me
safety in the travels of my loved ones
in-laws who are kindly cooperative in accommodating schedules
peace beyond understanding
neverending hope
sons-in-law who are caring, and patient, and kind, and strong
...and always, always Jesus
Happy, happy Wednesday! Renee
p.s. If you would like to read from more grateful people feel free to follow the link below. I guarantee it'll bless you right down to your toes!
