a random mix of faith, family, and the many things that fill my mind
Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your day is full of love and laughter and family and joy.
But most of all, I hope you know the amazing depth of God’s love. He shows His love in many ways, but today we remember one of the most precious and profound ways — He sent His son, as a tiny baby, to be our Savior.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
- Luke 2:11
I’m not nearly as stressed out as I should be.
I haven’t baked a single Christmas cookie yet. I haven’t made C’s teachers their gifts yet. I haven’t visited the grocery store to pick up ingredients for the Christmas Eve hosting we’ll be doing. No Christmas cards went out this year. The Nativity set has not even been removed from the storage room. And it looks like at least one Christmas gift (ordered weeks ago, by the way) will not make it here in time.
And, oh yeah, Christmas is in three days.
Normally, I’d be a mess at this point. The perfectionist in me would have taken over. I’d be feeling guilty over all the things that are simply not going to get done, and my stomach would be knotted over all the things that I’m going to really, really, really try to get done in the next couple days.
But for some reason, I’m resigned. At peace, even.
Yes, I’m going to try to get a lot done. I have plans to bake, and a grocery store visit lined up for tonight. This afternoon has “Make Teacher Stuff” written across it in my planner.
But the things that don’t get done? They’re just not going to get done. And I’m okay with that.
I’ve been taking care of a sick preschooler this week, nursing my own illness, and trying to focus on the things that really matter.
Jesus’ Birth.
Love.
Family.
The cookies, the dusting, the cards, even the gifts…they’re nice things, but just not critical.
I don’t know exactly why I’m so okay with the state of things, when normally I would be “not so okay.” Even Chad knows what my typical reaction would be. He started to tell me the other day how I should not get stressed out and worried and uptight about all the things that “should” get done…and I told him that I really wasn’t stressed out — and I meant it.
Whatever the reason, I’m thankful to be feeling this sense of peace in the middle of a crazy season. And I hope you are feeling some of it too.
The tree is up and decorated, the stockings are hung by the fireplace, and there’s a dusting of snow on the ground. There’s no denying it: fall has come to a close and winter is moving in. Which means, of course that Fall Into Reading 2010 has also come to a close.
I want to thank each person that participated in this year’s challenge. Many of you answered the weekly reading questions or checked in to occasionally keep me posted on your reading progress over the last three months. You made this season of reading extra fun for me!
As we wrap things up, I just have one more thing to ask. Would you please write a final wrap-up post, letting all of us know how Fall Into Reading 2010 went for you? I would love if you’d take the time to write a final post and link to it using the Mr. Linky below.
Last week, I offered some suggestions for what you might want to write in your wrap-up post, but of course, feel free to write it however you’d like. Once your post is up, come here and sign up on the Mr. Linky below. Don’t forget—include the URL to your wrap-up post, not just your general blog web address, to make it easy for people to find your post.
And don’t forget…there are still two Amazon.com gift certificates ($20 & $10) and a Moleskine Book Journal up for grabs. To be eligible, please post your wrap-up post (and put it on the Mr. Linky) by midnight EST on December 24th to get your name in the drawing. I’ll announce the winner a few days after Christmas.
Thanks again to all the participants. I’ve enjoyed reading with you!
I thought I was really going to do it this time. I thought I would complete all the books on my Fall Into Reading 2010 list.
But alas, I fell a bit short.
The last few days have been plagued by a stomach bug attacking my four-year-old and a mysterious fever attacking me. Though I did still do some reading, I couldn’t bring myself to pick up nonfiction while feeling so very yucky.
So as things stand, I still have a few chapters left to read in Think by John Piper.
But I did finish the rest of the books on my list, plus one additional novel, plus two audiobooks. So all in all, I think it was still a very productive fall, reading-wise.
It’s always hard for me to pick favorites and least-favorites, but I’ll mention a few things about my fall reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed both The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and His Majesty’s Dragon, and I know I’ll be reading more books by these authors in the future.
I appreciated and/or enjoyed all my nonfiction picks as well. One of the books — Discipline by Elisabeth Elliot — I read through with my friend Jennifer. I always feel I get so much more out of a book when a friend and I discuss and ponder it together.
One of the audiobooks I listened to was also really good: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I enjoyed it so much that I plan to either read or listen to her other novels very soon.
Some other things I learned or re-learned during Fall Into Reading 2010:
Well, that’s it for me. Be sure to check out the official Fall Into Reading 2010 Wrap It Up post to see how everyone else did this fall.
So it turns out that I actually did jinx myself in that post about white elephant gift exchanges.
The party we attended last Friday was delightful. Good food, laughter…all the essential ingredients for a happy gathering. But the white elephant exchange?
It was rough, my friends.
First of all, the pickings were slim. There were just not a lot of highly-desired items to pursue. Oh wait, there was the candy dish that came with some chocolate. In retrospect, I should have nabbed that prize instead of being “adventurous” and “daring” and choosing to open a still-wrapped gift.
But no. I decided to take a chance, live on the edge, trust my instincts, go for the gold, be a risk-taker.
And do you know what it got me?
Do you have any idea what it got me?
This is what it got me, dear readers:
No, your eyes are not deceiving you. My risk-taking was rewarded with a lovely, hand-painted, ceramic dolphin duo.
I kid you not.
It had some sentimental value for the original owners. They painted it together while lounging around in Cancun on a honeymoon trip. And if I’m honest, I’ll admit that they did a much, much better job than Chad and I would do if we ever decided to co-paint a ceramic item.
(Which I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t. Because the results would be hideous. And we’d have to give the product away at the first available white elephant exchange. Or possibly sooner.)
But despite the sweet backstory and the impressive painting skills, I’m pretty sure it’s not going to score me a fortune on eBay. So it’s sitting on our bookshelf for now. Where I allow it to inspire me to try harder at my next gift exchange.
However, all was not lost. Though I didn’t hit the jackpot in the gift department, I did hit the jackpot in another key area. Here’s the story:
L(4) will be participating in a Christmas program at preschool this Friday. On our first day back from Disney World, I found out that he’s going to be one of the three kings, and that I would need to prepare a “simple costume.”
Only I don’t do costumes. I never touched a sewing machine prior to 2010 and I am most definitely not a creative or crafty type of mom.
Still. It’s for my little boy.
So I decided that I would acquire a pattern, pick up some fabric, and try to sew an excruciatingly simple tunic-type thing, accompanied by a cape-like thing…in some kind of kingly-type colors.
If it came out poorly, Plan B was a draped and pinned sheet or throw.
But then.
Then, at our small group’s Christmas party, I happened to be complaining about discussing this upcoming sewing project, when my friend Linda told me her son had been a king in a Christmas program at the same preschool and that she still had the costume that her aunt had sewn for him and that I could use it for L!
And this is not an excruciatingly simple costume that she’s lending us. I most definitely could not have sewn something like this. It’s very fancy and kinglike and incorporates colors and textures and adornments that would not have occurred to me.
This, my friends — this generosity, this turn of events, this realization that I would not have to attempt to sew a costume this week and most likely end up in tears and consuming far too much chocolate — this is treasure.
I’ll take the gift of a borrowed costume over a white elephant victory any day.
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