The Most Wonderful time of the year- Part Two

I just LOVE this time of year! There is a tangible spirit of joy and love in the air....

On Friday we had a group of dear friends over for a dinner party. I had put a roast on the night before, so on Friday, I just had to make the sides. Luke was up early with me and helped me make the sides and the cake. He really is pretty good in the kitchen. He is so precious when he is helping-- so independent. He can even crack the eggs and add them without getting any shell in the mix. Pretty impressive for a 3 year-old, I think.

Such a great time! We played "Dirty Santa" and laughed and laughed! Most of us have been friends for almost 20 years now. We've been through the good and the bad; dating, engagements, marriage, kids, etc.-- and, now our children are growing up together. What a blessing!

Last night we had our Christmas show at Otter Creek: "He is the King." I am probably biased-- but I can't imagine that any church in Nashville had a better quality production than we did! :) We had such amazing singers-- Brandon and Sheryl, George Rowe, Jeff Berry, Amanda Vickers-- they were wonderful. George and Sheryl sang two songs together that were beyond belief-- so good that you just had to weep! When they sang, you could just feel the spirit of God all over it! It was heart-breakingly beautiful.

I can't explain how happy I am to be at a church that encourages events like this! Brandon is so good at having the vision and making it happen. He works so hard on it. Love Otter Creek!

So-- as Christmas approaches, I am trying to savor all of these great memories being made!

Breakfast with Santa

Our annual Family Christmas Breakfast at Otter Creek was this past Saturday. I spent two days at church painting giant penguins and helping to decorate. Tons of work, but worth it! I love being at a place that values families so much! What a special time of year!

The Most Wonderful TIME of the Year

From Halloween on through Easter is such a great time of year! It just seems like there is always another holiday to look forward to just around the corner-- especially since ALL of my family's birthdays are in November, December, and January. It's the changing colors of the leaves, hayrides and bonfires, Trick-or-treating, Thanksgiving, Nancy's birthday, Daddy's birthday, blessings, Christmas parties, caroling, festive dinners, Santa's visit, ringing in the New Year, MK's birthday, Scott's birthday, Mom's birthday, MY birthday, David's birthday, Luke's birthday, Valentine's Day, Caroline's birthday, Spring Break, Easter!!!!! Such fun, precious times!

This year is especially sweet for me-- it's all about perspective.... We have friends who would give anything to just be enjoying the crazy, busy-ness of the season. Instead, they are dealing with death. She is now 87 pounds and only conscious two hours a day. He is trying to find a way to take care of two toddler boys and maintain his sanity while he is losing his wife. A mutual friend ran into him in Toys R Us last weekend with a cart full of toys. "I know I shouldn't buy them so much--- but this year...." She asked him how he was doing and he replied that sometimes he gets to the end of the day and has no idea how he even made it through because it is so awful. This has just hit me on so many levels.

When a Christmas ornament gets broken or the wallpaper gets ripped off the nursery wall-- that's OK. In the scheme of life, I am just thankful that I have two active healthy children and a healthy husband. Every time I start to complain, gripe, wish for something different, or show a bad attitude, I think of him-- I think of her-- I think of Hank and Isaac and how they will cope without their mom.... it's all very sobering.

Through it all, he still has his faith. I am sure he has questioned God and asked WHY? I have. She was the ultimate "healthy, granola girl", too. She wouldn't even let Hank have a "real" birthday cake for his 1st big day because of the sugar. For snacks she gave veggie sticks. She did hot yoga and worked out all the time. And, she was so spiritual and good to the core... WHY? Why cancer? Why so young?

At church Tim is doing a sermon series on "time":

Isn’t it amazing how time dominates our lives? The passing of it; the pace of it; the need for more of it; the reality that it is constantly running out.

It has been very convicting. Basically, he is challenging us on the concept of time. After you factor in sleeping and time spent at work, we roughly have 12 million minutes left in our lives to use how we wish. So, if that's what we have to "spend", how are we using it? Are we tithing our time? Are we making it count?

The irony of this sermon set during one of the craziest times of the year has been wonderful, too. Almost comical when you can step out of the day-to-day routine and realize that we aren't guaranteed another holiday, another birthday, another priceless conversation, another second....

So, this Christmas I am thankful for time-- for the moments that I have been given each day to praise Him, to hug my kids, to sing, to run, to love.... To every thing there is a season. I am humbled by this "gift" and pray that I remain aware of how valuable it really is.