Entering in

While my title may sound like this is a New Year’s post, it’s not.  I’m about three weeks behind on blogging and have so many thoughts in the night that need to come out so I will just pretend it’s mid December and go from there…

On my way to the Christmas party for Step by Step, the non profit I worked for for seven years as a case worker helping low income women and children, I found myself on the phone with a friend.  The conversation didn’t go like I expected.  I pulled into the parking lot for the party, needing to step into high gear for the night with my responsibilities, and was shaking with tears and emotion.  My mother happened to pull in at the same time.  Providential?  Certainly.  If there’s anything I know, it’s that God is all about those small things.

She talked me into a somewhat calm stage and let me cry on her shoulder.  It’s been a month now and my heart hasn’t really recovered just yet.  However, that night, that party was, as always, a high point of our whole Christmas season.  Getting to give love and share hope with those who need it so much.

I got out to my post for the evening in the courtyard for the live nativity that I coordinated.  As soon as I was out there, it felt all wrong.  The stable where my Mary and Joseph would sit on a bale of straw with their ‘baby’ was tucked up in the rocks on a ledge.  I knew I was already worked up and upset so I tried hard to respond reasonably but something about it up there off to the side didn’t seem right.

My heart for organizing the nativity to begin with was to provide a place where the essence of Christmas could engage all the clients who attended the party, most whom I knew probably didn’t call any church home.

I fought the urge to cry (again) and put my determined self to work finding some strong men who would move the stable (which weighed hundreds of pounds) for me.  Quickly though, the consensus was it HAD to stay where it was.  Someone had said so.  I begged and asked again and finally found some who would move it anyway.

They did and my heart breathed relief as it was where it belonged.  We got everyone dressed, goats tied up, the donkey in place and all night long young families heard the Christmas story from the innkeeper/storyteller before coming outside to enter in to the heart of Christmas.

Babies were placed in the manger to have their pictures taken.  Children squealed as they pet the goats.  One client later told her case worker,

Being out there, that night, I just wanted to kneel.

My heart that hurt for the intangible loss in my conversation earlier that evening somehow filled to brimming as I watched family after family, child after child come to see the stable and the darling angels and the shepherds and the baby who changed the world.

As the night wrapped up I realized all in one moment why it had been such a big deal to me that the stable was out where everyone could walk through it.  Because the step up to get to it where it had been placed made it seem set apart for only some and in a high place that not all could reach.

The wildly amazing thing that captivates my heart about Jesus is that He isn’t a gift just for some.  His love isn’t placed up on steps that make it hard for someone in a wheelchair or a stroller…..or someone drowning in addiction or someone bearing the shame of one too many bad choices or someone who looks perfect but knows only a black empty heart.

It is for everyone.  The ones who have it all and the ones who have nothing.

Everyone.  There is a place for each one to know and enter in to God’s unbelievable, life changing love.

4-H goat group

In the hopes of finding a farm/animal outlet for our kids who live in suburbia, we joined a 4-H goat group.  It has so far been a fantastic experience.  The kids are learning a LOT.  Not just about goats but about learning to give a presentation and run a meeting.  Rylee ran (and won, unopposed) for VP of the group.  So fun!

We traveled a ways north to a goat farm and took a tour to learn all about dairy goats.  It was a great time.

The tree

We have had many awesome, epic tree hunting adventures in years past.  But this year there just wasn’t any way to fit in a trip to cut our own.  Sometimes simply being flexible is the name of the game.  It was drizzling and cold, again, so it was a short lived outing but any outing with cousins is a fun one.  Oh how thankful we are to live nearby my sister and her stellar hubby and their beautiful, precious kids!

Lights of Christmas

Sometimes the best laid plans just don’t work out the way you want.  Here’s an example:  In our effort to find a new tradition that would be more kid friendly than traipsing downtown we headed to the ever-popular Lights of Christmas.  An hour drive and none too cheap to get in, it was a big deal trip.  To top off the fun Nana and Papa had the brilliant idea of renting a 15 passenger van so we could all travel up together and sing Christmas songs.  The kids were THRILLED at the prospect.

But on our way north, van loaded with piles of warm clothes knowing it’d be around freezing temperatures, it started to rain.  We piled out of the van after a loud and fun ride up with only slight bickering.  Oh my it was cold.  And the whole thing takes place outdoors, hence the ‘lights’ of Christmas.

Everyone said they wanted to ride a horse.  Audrey was the only one to actually get on a horse, no idea why because she is usually more timid.  Doesn’t she look like she’s having a ball?

Love these little cousins so very much!

And this sister too!

This picture sort of sums it up.  Cold.  Wet.
Trying to have fun and be troopers (which they really were).
I almost didn’t post this since I do have crazy eyes.  But what’s the fun in not sharing?

A happy moment with the ginormous snowman

Phineas was probably the happiest and warmest of the bunch, satisfied to get toted around in the backpack the whole night!

When Nana asked Rylee what her favorite part was, she quickly replied “Riding in the van with everyone of course!”.  So maybe next year, we can just drive around together and skip the lights?  Or all drive separately?  Or think up something new to try?  Who knows!

Thanksgiving

I know it’s almost Christmas but just wanted to share a peek of our Thanksgiving before this week is over.  It was a little hard trying not to compare this year to last year.  Nothing could really ever compare.  But we relished family time and celebrated a long list of things we are giving thanks for.

We loved getting to see great Grandpa for Thanksgiving, we think he’s pretty amazing for traveling across the country at his age.  It’s sure not the same celebrating the holidays without Grandma.…having her here with us last year, not knowing those were her last days.  Truly a treasure that can’t be measured.

Rylee handed out little leaves to people to write their thankful things on then she posted them on our thankful tree.  In case you ever get inspired and decide to paint a tree on your wall, let me save you some time and tell you DON’T use tempera paint.  I’ve so far painted over it 5 times and the tree still shows through, because its so water soluble.  It gets wet and the green mixes with the wall paint color.  Every time.  Not so good, lesson learned.