The Christmas Season

I have just returned from "home", where we have been for the last 17 days - give or take a day. Our time there was fraught with much activity, yet I have never felt lazier. My precious mother waited on me hand and foot.....wait......it almost sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it? While my mom is precious and took great care of us (but not as good as if we were Scott :) ), our time home was also bittersweet. We had a slight detour up north for a "Life Celebration" of a wonderful man, who we lovingly refer to as "another grandpa" - he was my cousin's grandpa. While death is never a happy thing, there is an amazing thrill at knowing that the grave is not the end. Dawson was saved by the blood of Jesus and is in heaven - I know this without a doubt. This is why, despite the sadness of losing someone we love, we can rejoice to know that we who are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ will one day see him again. But during this funeral I had time to think deeply about this....I have much family that I am not sure if they have a relationship with Christ and THAT deeply saddens me. Actually the fact that anyone would turn their back on the grace and mercy given to us (completely undeserving as we are) by our Lord Jesus Christ makes me weep. It is a free gift - I mean, really....what do you have to lose? Trusting in God is the easiest thing to do (and yet can sometimes be the hardest thing - but we are called to trust). God loves us....no matter what or where we have come from or been......all He wants is for us to turn from our selfish, self-serving ways and turn to Him. What greater gift could you possibly give yourself? The choice is yours.

While we were travelling up north, we stopped at a rest stop. We were getting back in the suburban and I was reaching across Jadyn to buckle her in, when all of a sudden she sneezed. Not just a little sneeze, but a huge blow chunks out of her mouth sneeze. Guess what was right in front of her face when she sneezed? You guessed it - my face, open mouth and all. She spit junk from the side of my face to the corner of my very open mouth. In fact, some even landed on my neck. This was not runny, drippy snot. It was so thick it just stuck. Are you getting the picture yet? I was totally stunned. I just kind of stood there and then my dad quickly handed me a kleenex. Completely disgusting, but totally hilarious.

My girls were fighting in the back of the van on the way back here today. Finally Grace asked me if Jesus and God were the same. I explained it to her and she then told Jadyn that Jesus was God's son, just like Jacob was Greg and my son. Good analogy. But Jadyn would have nothing to do with it. She didn't care who was whose son and so on, she just proclaimed VERY loudly, "I love Jesus! I love God! I can love them both and you can't say anything." Ok then. Feisty....she gets that from her dad! ;) Isn't is great though how in the midst of the crappy trip home on completely snow covered roads with a death grip on the steering wheel, God can bless me through the mouths of the children I was just telling to shut up? God is so good!!!

So we are now home, despite the weeping and wailing that has taken place. Clearly no one is really happy about us living out-of-state but this is getting a bit ridiculous. As we were leaving, my mom was weeping, Grace was hysterical, my dad was trying to hide and I was not going to cry. Of course I am still stone cold, my dad is probably secretly crying, my mom is still publicly weeping off and on and Grace....well...she is still beyond hysterical. I mean the girl has the hugest heart ever. She is so sensitive and loving and sweet, but I can't change the fact that we now live here. Tonight she made 8 calls to grandma (all weeping of course). After the last call she came up to me and hugged me. As she was hugging me she said "I have to hug you because you are grandma's kid and that is as close as I can get to grandma." So sweet but I was laughing so hysterically inside because my sweet princess is such a HUGE drama queen. I so love her for it though. She makes my life so very happy - I love that girl!