Merry Christmas! Ok, so I'm a couple of days early, but since I seriously doubt that I'll manage another update before Sunday, there ya go...... Merry Christmas! : )
It's quiet here this afternoon. The boys are at their dad's and Bruce is at work. It's just me and the critters hanging out. I finished wrapping gifts earlier. Now I'm just enjoying a bit of peacefulness. Lots and lots of things need done here, but they will still be waiting for me when I get done here. So far, no Good Fairies, Christmas Elves, or other imaginary beings have found their way to my house to do the cleaning/organizing/laundry/cooking/etc for me! (Let's admit it, I do live in a "dream" world on occasion!)
It's been a great week so far. The boys were done with school on Wednesday. We had our Christmas lunch for work that day, too. We had just enough snow to make it look like Christmas for a few hours. Now we are back to sunshine and non-freezing temperatures! I keep thinking back to 2 Christmases ago. There was a raging blizzard up in the flatlands on Christmas Eve. It was horrible! Krystina decided that she just had to come to our house on Christmas Eve. I still do not know why she thought that was a good idea, but she and Jake bundled up Zaine and Dane, who was only a few months old, and drove the 5 miles to our house. I'm really not sure how they even managed to get there, but they did.
Zaine was so excited. It was Christmas Eve. We had a tree and decorations and he loved being at our house. Besides, his mom had told him that Santa would find him no matter where he was on Christmas Eve and would leave gifts for him. There were a couple of problems with that, tho. The first one was that we had already given Zaine our Christmas gifts, because we didn't think that we would see him on Christmas. The other problem was that his mom did not bring his Christmas gifts with them when they came to our house. So, there we were, on the flatlands, on Christmas Eve, in the middle of a blizzard, with Zaine expecting Santa Claus. Good grief.
So, on Christmas morning, around 5 a.m., Bruce and I got up. There was a good 2 feet of snow on the ground, with drifts easily twice that high. The streets weren't plowed and the van wasn't moving from where we had parked it the day before. I was working at the day care that winter. We had had a Santa's Workshop event a couple of weeks earlier and still had items that people had donated for the kids to give as gifts to their families left over. Bruce and I bundled up and walked through the snow and the drifts and the extreme cold to the day care center. We found the left over Santa's workshop items and managed to find a few things that we could wrap up and put under our tree for Zaine from Santa. It worked out ok. Zaine got some gifts and the daycare got some money from us for the items.
Poor Zaine. He was not overly thrilled to find the gifts that Santa had left for him. There was nothing there that he had asked for. He made an attempt to play with the things that we had managed to get for him, but he was not very happy. Fortunately, Santa had left Zaine a note telling him that he had left most of his gifts at his house, so they were waiting for him when he got home. That calmed him somewhat, but then he wanted to go home right then! And that just wasn't going to happen. Too darn much snow between our house and his.
We did manage to fix a sort of a Christmas meal that day. But what I remember the most was Zaine. Expecting so much and getting so little. Bruce and I did our best that Christmas for him. We've always tried to do our best for him. I sure hope that this Christmas Zaine has a smile on his face and happiness in his day.
Our Christmas here will be joyful as always! All the kiddos, except for that traveling railroad guy Eric, will be here. Candice is coming down on Christmas Eve to go to church with us. I don't know if Dustin will be out on a train, too, but everyone else will be around. Amy and Chris moved back to Iowa City yesterday. It will be another 2 house event, I'm sure, full of laughter and fun and games and love and Christmas. I so love our family gatherings.
I wish for you all joy and happiness, love and peace this Christmas. May you have a day that is as blessed as a 2 house Christmas!
On this Christmas Eve look to the only source of true hope, peace, and salvation! Praying! Hope you have a fantastic Christmas!
ReplyDeleteMatthew 1:20-23 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
The Lord will always be there to get you through whatever you have to face. Praying!
ReplyDelete2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Still continuing to lift up prayers.
ReplyDelete2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
Know that I'm continuing to pray!
ReplyDeletePsalms 57:1-2 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
Stopping by to let you know I'm still here praying!
ReplyDeletePsalms 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.