Where does the time go? I cannot believe Christmas is this week! Now that I am almost finished with gifts and cards and scheduling and what not, I finally have time to be excited.
I remember as a child being so beyond pumped for christmas. Like, as a kid, you start gearing up for it right after Halloween. As the holiday approached, I can recall seeing the pinched faces of many adults each year, who had so lost themselves in the bustle that they had forgotten the real reason for the celebration.
This year, I am guilty of the same thing I said I could never possibly feel--stress over Christmas. Is this some awful rite of passage into adulthood? I admit, that for the first time in my life I have been running around like a crazy person, worrying about this and that, and losing Christ in the shuffle. (Yeah, Jesus, I know this is your birthday, but I've got stuff to do!) Now that I can slow down and reflect on the past couple of weeks, I feel that voice inside me saying, "What were you so worried about?"
None of the stuff I was doing in preparation for Christmas was worth my worry. It all gets done, it always does. And, I sacrificed several moments to feelings of anxiety, moments that could've been used joyfully contemplating all my blessings this past year, and the happy spirit of gift giving, which I am also happy to be blessed enough to do.
It is easier to say when you aren't caught up in the whirlwind of it all, but that's not going to be a reason for me to not try. From now on, I am going to try harder not to lose myself to those moments of chaos and to appreciate life for the unique and joyful blessing that it is.
Thank you, Father, for your Son.
P.S. Hear are some pics of me and my husband Nick at our church. We are supposed to be a '50's couple. Can you tell? I think the dress worked pretty well for this look, actually. Photos are compliments of Maggie Cole.
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