Merry Christmas!

One hour: that's the amount of time I have before the girls wake up from their naps,
Shawn comes in from the barn, the finishing touches on our Christmas dinner need to
be made.  One hour to sit here and reflect, to process all the joy and love and light
that surround me at this very moment.  Every where I look, in every single direction,
little Christmas blessings have filled our home to the brim.  The many Christmas cards
and well wishes from friends and family far and near, the presents I finally finished
wrapping tucked under the tree, a freshly decorated gingerbread house with little
pieces already missing.  We have had a busy week but we have really taken our time
this year to sit and breathe in the spirit of the season, to hold onto each other and grow
closer together during this time.  Our old pal, Freddie the Elf, has hopefully given Santa
good reports as the girls have been extra good under his watchful eye.  He brought them
a letter this year telling them how proud he is of them, how well they have adjusted
and helped their parents through Daddy's accident.  He reminded them that there's no
such thing as a "bad" child and that as long as they try their best and spread their love to
all they know, they will always be on the "nice" list.

My favorite memory of this Christmas season so far was the day Isabelle and I
collected clothes and toys and household goods and brought them to a family in our
town.  We have done this for the same family for the last 5 years now and we both
look forward to this special day so much.  When we drove up to their house with our bags
full of goodies, they ran off the front porch with open arms, hugging us and telling us
how much they love us.  We told them how much we love them, too.  We brought the
bags inside their home and wished them a very merry Christmas, one more hug for the
road.  As we drove away, Isabelle had the biggest smile on her face, knowing she had
just received the greatest gift any of us could ever receive: the gift of love.  She felt the
deep sense of happiness that is felt only through giving of yourself.  And seeing her little
face understand such a valuable concept: it was the best gift I could have ever
received.

May your days be merry and bright, this Christmas and for always...