Sunday, November 30, 2008

Life

Life has been jam-packed for us lately. School, preschool, Girl Scouts, small group, friends, family, etc., etc., etc. It's that time of year when things just get so busy we sometimes forget to take time and smell the roses. I am more guilty of this than anyone, I think. I always have a to-do list running in my head (or on a thousand notes around the house, which is a habit I inherited from my mom) and they never seem to quite get finished.

I'm trying to at least make some new meaning out of our busyness. We're participating in the Holiday Tour of Homes here in Adrian next weekend. Getting ready for that has been a whirlwind. There were rooms to be painted (which led to more rooms getting painted), Christmas trees to put up, decorations to be found, shopping to be done. The list goes on and on. Now we're less than a week away from the big day and I actually feel like I have things under control. I've had some great times with the kids decorating the Christmas trees and baking gingerbread men. There's still a lot to do, but I'm hoping this week I won't be one big ball of stress. That I'll still be able to enjoy letting the kids help me or doing something fun with them.

Oh yeah, back to the meaning in the busyness. One of the things we decided to do this year was to put up a pink Christmas tree. Not something I would normally do because I LOVE the traditions of Christmas. But as most of you know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago the week after Christmas. So, the tree is in honor of her and all of the women we know, or even don't know, who have fought or are now fighting the same disease. The kids call it Nana's Christmas tree. They don't quite understand the meaning behind it yet, but year after year as we put it up, I'm sure they'll come to understand it, and maybe appreciate their Nana even more. And thank their Jesus for healing her.

Decorating so early and doing it for so many weeks in a row has led to some good conversations with the kids too. I think they're starting to get that Christmas is not just about presents. Yes, presents are the most fun part for me, with my love language being gifts, but I work really hard for that to just be one part and not the most important part. Ashlyn and I have talked about things we could do for people who may not have any presents this Christmas or food on their table for that matter. We've talked about baby Jesus coming and dying on the cross for our sins. I know some of that is getting through to her.

So, as you go about your busyness this season, and especially this week, remember to try to put some meaning back into it. Make it fun for you and your family. And pray for me that I can do the same.

1 comment:

Lisa said...

I'm so glad you posted, I'd been checking. Can't wait to see you.