Crunch Time!!


Star of Hope

You know, every year I say that the last two weeks before Christmas are NOT going to be crazy. Ok, sure. So, two weekends remain before Christmas weekend. I WILL be done (she says convincingly). Today Ron and I have our usual Saturday date, but we're rearranging the schedule a bit. Instead of visting at Scott and Tina's house first, we will do our shopping and errands first and then head over there about 3:30. Veronica is going to dinner with us and doing an overnight at Nana and Papa's house. I can't wait - she is such a cutie. So I need to do a few things here first - like hide all the gifts that are wrapped and stacked in the family room so little eyes won't light up when Veronica walks in. Tomorrow we will have Veronica for the day and then Luke will be here for the evening as well because Scott and Tina have a Christmas party to go to.
I am excited about all of this - last night at our union's Christmas party, as I enjoyed the good food and the music and the chance to catch up with old friends who work at the university, I was looking forward to the busy-ness of the weekend. It's a laid back kind of busy-ness, nothing that absolutely HAS to be done, and that's what I love about it.
And yet, even in the busyness, there are always the thoughts of those who can't be home for Christmas. Not just the military in harm's way, but those who serve in other countries - and here on home soil - who can't get leave to come home. As a kid, when we went to church on Christmas eve, there was a young couple - they had been going together for ages. He was a soldier and couldn't always be home for the holidays. But when he could be, I remember that he had his uniform on, his girl on his arm and a look on his face that spoke total joy and peace. Oh that this look could be more present on Christmas eve nowadays.
That is my prayer - that no matter how busy we get, or who we miss, may we remember that God gave us His Son so that we would have great joy in all things. That our faith would grow in the serenity of a new born child - and that our hope would be constant.
I'm going shopping today (again) to get all the little gifts that I usually don't get 'til the last minute. (that's when the crunch time becomes panic time so I will try to avoid that this year).
My friends - it's going to be a busy one today - no doubt for you too. For those of you whose hearts aren't quite "into Christmas" this year because someone you love won't be there on Christmas morning, please remember that the BEST Christmas gift is something God gave us more than 2000 years ago. A gift that doesn't change, no matter how much the world changes around us.
Thanks for stopping in during crunch time.
Blessings,
Sue