LIVE A LIFE OF NO REGRETS!!: It came without ribbons. It came without tags.

Quote from "Stepping Heavenward" by Mrs. E. Prentiss

"She says I shall now have one mouth more to fill and two feet the more to shoe, more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure or visiting, reading, music and drawing.

Well! This is one side of the story, to be sure, but I look at the other.

Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which dwells is worthy of all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ's name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other dear darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, wondrously blest!"

Friday, December 28, 2012

It came without ribbons. It came without tags.

“It came without ribbons.

It came without tags.

It came without packages, boxes or bags. ...

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

~Dr. Seuss

That’s what I quoted after our Christmas morning to myself with a bit of a chuckle. I must admit, I was almost as surprised as the Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ tale. You see, we decided earlier in the year to have a Christmas vacation instead of Christmas presents. We went to Wilderness at the Smokies in Tennessee and we had a blast. It was a wonderful time with our family. We even got to stop to see more family on the way home. The kiddos went sledding in the ....leaves and did a bit of swinging. Great fun!

I still worried how well my smaller ones would do when they woke up Christmas morning and just had the things they bought or made one another. Every year I remind them it’s not about the tree, the gifts, etc…it’s all about Jesus. Once again I found myself preaching to me.

Christmas morning came. The kiddos were great. They talked about where we would go next year. CrAzY!! It was the most relaxed Christmas ever. We enjoyed breakfast and lunch together with my daughter Cindy’s family. It was a wonderful Christmas!!

Unfortunately, my Uncle Wally passed away during this Christmas season. My Dad picked me up Tuesday and took me to my Uncle Billy & Aunt Alice’s home in Duluth, GA and we rode together up to my Aunt Sara’s home in Ringgold, GA. It was a sad time, but I must admit I loved the time I got to spend with my Dad and his family. I loved hearing their stories.

Hoping your Christmas was merry. Happy New Year to you all!