Life is busy. Schedules are demanding. And I find myself rushing to check things off the list, which gives me a sense of accomplishment. But am I stopping long enough to enjoy the moment? The wonderful things God wants to show me, as I'm so busy crossing things off my list? If I'm too busy, then I miss so many of the sweet gifts God wants to lavish on me. The Christmas season can get crazy-busy, and I wonder how much I have missed out on, just because I didn't take time to stop and enjoy the moment.
Our Christmas tree is full of ornaments that are hand-made (#60) by Jacob, Jenica, and Jillian. There are even a few hanging on our tree that my grandma Viola made for our family. And some my grandma and I made together when I was a little girl. Other ornaments hanging on our tree were given to us as gifts - from Chad's students, from my Bible Study gals, from the funeral home in memory of sweet little LaVerne, from co-workers, from Classic Club members that traveled with me, from neighbors, from family, and the list goes on. There was a time in my life when I thought our tree needed to be perfect and uniform in color and design. All ornaments matching. But I changed my mind a few years ago and now I like it much better. It's full of memories and stories (#61), and each ornament has it's own story to tell. Even though nothing is uniform, and nothing really matches, it's perfect. This morning, the tempterature was minus 6 degrees at 8am, so I am enjoying my hot tea (#62) and a warm quilt (#63), as I watch my tree rotate slowly (#64 ~ I love my rotating tree stand, btw). It has a few stories to tell, and I am going to enjoy the moment.
On our way home from Minden the other night, we were in a bit of a hurry because it was dark, and the roads weren't very good because of all the snow that fell and the wind that was blowing. We just wanted to get home where we were warm and safe. But we took a moment to drive around the square and enjoy the 12,000 lights on the courthouse and surrounding streets. It's impressive, and I love sharing this remarkable sight with my own children. Their big sparkling eyes try to take it all in, just as I did when I was a kid. I get just as much joy watching my kids faces (#65), as I do looking at the lights themselves (#66). We drove around the square several times before heading home. It's a moment I didn't want to miss. I hope I can keep this attitude going strong this Christmas season. I want to live fully in each moment, because God wants me to enjoy all that He has given me. Big and small. It's all a gracious gift, and I want to accept those gifts with open arms instead of quickly grabbing them to look at later, only to forget where I put them.
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