Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all!  I pray your celebrations of our Savior's birth were filled with the wonder, joy, and peace that only He can bring.

It was sort of a different Christmas for us; a Christmas of firsts and lasts.  It was simply beautiful outside yesterday...blue skies and sun reflecting on all of the snow we had gotten Christmas Eve.  The trees were covered with the fresh dusting and it looked beautiful.  What a way for God to send us out in His magnificent style.

-R's 1st Christmas.  What a joy it was to see her experience the lights, Christmas hymns at church, and the presents.  She's old enough (almost 8 months now) that she was able to take it all in, observing everything around her.  My favorite was watching her play with her Little People nativity set.  It has long been a dream of mine to have a little one to play with that set.  It may sound funny, but every Christmas I would see that nativity in the store and want to buy it for our child.  Christmas after Christmas would go by and I wouldn't buy it because we were still IF.  Finally, last year I bought it while we were pregnant in anticipation of what I imagined would be coming the following Christmas.  My heart is so happy as I watch her play with baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

-Our last Christmas here.  All of the joy and excitement of having R experience her 1st Christmas was tempered with the sadness of knowing this was also our last Christmas here.  Our last white Christmas, our last Christmas in this home and this town, our last time celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services with our church family- people that really are almost like our own families.  I cried yesterday as we were leaving church, knowing it was the last time we would worship in that building and with those people for some time (sure we will come back and visit one day, but things will never be the same).

And yet through it all, I tried to remember our faith in Christ....the thing that unites us as a family of three and unites us as a body of believers...no matter where we live or where we celebrate Christmas!

And throughout all our celebrations of firsts and lasts, those of you waiting were especially on my heart and mind and in my prayers.  I pray especially that one day soon you will be able to experience the joy of Christmas as seen through the eyes of your child.