This Christmas is one of changes. I sit at 1 am Christmas morning writing because I can sleep - which is weird for me.
I sit in my sons living room where in a few short hours 4 excited girls will bound in to see what Santa brought them. This is the first Christmas in a number of years that we haven't had Christmas morning at our house.
Christmas Eve the girls opening presents, bouncing up and down with excitement over an Ipod, head bands, baseball gloves, toe socks, games, a watch for one, a purse for another. Yet to me the most memorable is the gift that my 10 year old granddaughter gave her dad. It was a puzzle with of a short story about what Christmas meant to her.
She was excited because this year they didn't have to travel as long to get to grandparents houses but what touched me most was that she said Christmas Eve always started with the reading from Grandpas absolute favorite book Luke 2 in the New Testament. I had to stop and think how proud my Mom would be to know that a tradition she started over 50 years ago was being carried on by her Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren. That her Granddaughter was sharing the Christmas story in Africa to those who had not heard it. That truly is the best present of the season being reminded of past generations and current that are keeping Christ in Christmas.
Merry Christmas to all
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Ghost of Christmas Past
I looked through some of my sisters photos of Christmas past on line and through a Christmas scrapbook I have of each Christmas since the kids were little. I pause each time I come across the photo of our first Christmas in Virginia. I think it was the first time that we were not in Nebraska for Christmas. Money was tight with just moving and about all David got from Santa was a plastic train set that was battery operated. I look at that picture with what now I would consider so little under the tree and see the excitement and joy of a little boy as he watches the train going around on the track. He could have cared less that there was not an abundance of gifts because there was an abundance of love. He reveled in the joy of a new toy. He enjoyed the gift to its fullest.
Then I stop, think of the tremendous gift we were all given that first Christmas. It was given with an abundance love, with joy that we should revel in and we should enjoy that gift to its fullest and most importantly share that gift. That gift should be as contagious as a small child's laugh and excitement over a new toy. It should infect those around us so that they feel God's love and want to share in that gift.
Then I stop, think of the tremendous gift we were all given that first Christmas. It was given with an abundance love, with joy that we should revel in and we should enjoy that gift to its fullest and most importantly share that gift. That gift should be as contagious as a small child's laugh and excitement over a new toy. It should infect those around us so that they feel God's love and want to share in that gift.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Black Friday
Black Friday - Gammy's Version
The grand kids came on Wednesday and the chaos of having 6 extra people in the house started. It is something I look forward to and yet when they leave to go to "the other Gammy's house" Grandpa and I both sit with our feet up enjoying the quiet.
But I wouldn't trade the chaos for anything. We learn so much, like Savannah (5) and Charlie (3) think it is perfectly OK to take showers with boys. (by the way Charlie is short of Charlotte). Jenna (8) was told by a boy at school that she was hot but she informed her parents when she got home not to worry she felt OK. There is a volume control on the TV in the back bedroom and it unfortunately goes all the way up to 24 on that dial. Charlie likes to turn it up loud and then fights over who gets to sit the closest. Of course these fights have to be shouting battles so that she can be heard over the TV.
Savannah has band aids on her Santa list - because she wants a band aid whether she needs it or not. Ellie (10) has Chocolate on her list - because she wants to be sure to have plenty, definitely has some Case gene's in there somewhere. Ellie wanted to go shopping on black Friday just to see what it is like - not because she had anything to buy - but she wanted to go. Grandpa and I took her to town when he went to put his check in the bank so that she could see the parking lots jammed with people.
Have also discovered when the chocolate milk jug gets down to one glass left it is best for Gammy to drink it - it saves lots of arguing later (someone has to do it and I'm willing to make the sacrifice). Jenna has turned into the bottomless pit - she finished her grilled cheese, then ate what was left of Savannah's and Charlies. Thursday for breakfast she had 2 pieces of toast, cereal, cranberry bread, banana and an apple and was still looking for something to eat.
Jenna made the statement that this Thanksgiving dinner was really good - I should note it is not necessarily my cooking but the fact that this is the first year she ate the dinner and not just a PBJ sandwich.
Yet in the midst of the chaos I hear feet in flip flops coming down the hall and start to fight the tears because I know it is not the original flip flop queen, who for the first time in her life won't be home for the holidays but another, younger little blond haired girl coming down that hall with the familiar flip flop sound.
I don't know how parents coped before the Internet when their children went overseas as missionary's or when they go to some part of the world where they don't have daily access. I thank God that she is safe and so willing to serve and for the fact that we get to see her online and share in her life there in some small way.
So I sit and am so thankful that my son and his family are here to share Thanksgiving dinner, in putting up the tree (did you know that when you pull a box of ornaments out in a room with four little girls those ornaments are on the tree in less than 5 minutes - amazing) and hanging the stockings up. Yet there are still the pulls on my heart because the Christmas Elf, Personal Shopper and Gift Wrapper is where God wants her to be and I find myself trying to deal with the fact that that happens to be in Africa and not Gum Spring, VA, and as she said in one of her blogs.. For this, I have Jesus.
The grand kids came on Wednesday and the chaos of having 6 extra people in the house started. It is something I look forward to and yet when they leave to go to "the other Gammy's house" Grandpa and I both sit with our feet up enjoying the quiet.
But I wouldn't trade the chaos for anything. We learn so much, like Savannah (5) and Charlie (3) think it is perfectly OK to take showers with boys. (by the way Charlie is short of Charlotte). Jenna (8) was told by a boy at school that she was hot but she informed her parents when she got home not to worry she felt OK. There is a volume control on the TV in the back bedroom and it unfortunately goes all the way up to 24 on that dial. Charlie likes to turn it up loud and then fights over who gets to sit the closest. Of course these fights have to be shouting battles so that she can be heard over the TV.
Savannah has band aids on her Santa list - because she wants a band aid whether she needs it or not. Ellie (10) has Chocolate on her list - because she wants to be sure to have plenty, definitely has some Case gene's in there somewhere. Ellie wanted to go shopping on black Friday just to see what it is like - not because she had anything to buy - but she wanted to go. Grandpa and I took her to town when he went to put his check in the bank so that she could see the parking lots jammed with people.
Have also discovered when the chocolate milk jug gets down to one glass left it is best for Gammy to drink it - it saves lots of arguing later (someone has to do it and I'm willing to make the sacrifice). Jenna has turned into the bottomless pit - she finished her grilled cheese, then ate what was left of Savannah's and Charlies. Thursday for breakfast she had 2 pieces of toast, cereal, cranberry bread, banana and an apple and was still looking for something to eat.
Jenna made the statement that this Thanksgiving dinner was really good - I should note it is not necessarily my cooking but the fact that this is the first year she ate the dinner and not just a PBJ sandwich.
Yet in the midst of the chaos I hear feet in flip flops coming down the hall and start to fight the tears because I know it is not the original flip flop queen, who for the first time in her life won't be home for the holidays but another, younger little blond haired girl coming down that hall with the familiar flip flop sound.
I don't know how parents coped before the Internet when their children went overseas as missionary's or when they go to some part of the world where they don't have daily access. I thank God that she is safe and so willing to serve and for the fact that we get to see her online and share in her life there in some small way.
So I sit and am so thankful that my son and his family are here to share Thanksgiving dinner, in putting up the tree (did you know that when you pull a box of ornaments out in a room with four little girls those ornaments are on the tree in less than 5 minutes - amazing) and hanging the stockings up. Yet there are still the pulls on my heart because the Christmas Elf, Personal Shopper and Gift Wrapper is where God wants her to be and I find myself trying to deal with the fact that that happens to be in Africa and not Gum Spring, VA, and as she said in one of her blogs.. For this, I have Jesus.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)