It's not the presents or the decorations or the lights. It's not the candies or the parties. It's not the snowflakes or the shopping or the bows and the ribbons. It's not "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" or "Elf" or "Home Alone."
It's not the bonus checks or the vacation time. It's not the stress or the hustle and bustle or the traffic jams. It's not the trampling or the camping overnight to get the best gift. It's not the most expensive wine or the best food.
It's not Santa.
It's not the perfect tree.
It's the joy.
It's the joy of giving and the joy of receiving. It's the joy the Christmas movies bring and it's the memories the Christmas parties make. It's the joy the goodies bring to the people you share them with. It's the joy felt in the air as people finish up their shopping. It's the anticipation of Christmas morning.
And it's the magic.
It's the magic of believing.
It's about being around those you love. Your friends and your family. And it's about remembering those who are no longer with us.
It's about creating memories and traditions and love.
It's about being together.
It's about faith and hope and love.
And most importantly, it's about Jesus. If Jesus wasn't born, we wouldn't have Christmas.
The Christmas Starfish
I feel extra blessed this holiday season. Just being healthy and loved and able to spend time with my family and friends is the best gift.
I created special memories with my dad this holiday season, attended Christmas Eve service at Hope with my mom and dad and took coffee to a few co-workers the morning of Christmas Eve.
Yesterday, my dad and I went to the cemetary where my Grandma and Grandpa are buried. We always spent Christmas Eve with them, so it just felt right to be there. This is the 2nd Christmas without either one of them. I know they were looking down over us this Christmas, bringing joy to our hearts and helping us remember what is Christmas is truly all about.
"Understanding why God allows someone to choose violence, hate, terror ... is hard. Simplistic answers don't help, either. Life can be devastating, and making sense of suffering like this is never a totally satisfying endeavor ... because from our vantage point we can't see everything we need to see in order to know everything we need to know. Still, we keep the faith, knowing there is hope in the promises of a God who doesn't abandon us in our heartbreak, but in fact weeps with us in our darkest valleys. We turn to God in times like this, because nothing less will do, and deep down we know that the world has no answers for bigger than this world problems. We hold fast to the truth of Jesus' resurrection, because his empty tomb reminds us that death - which appears to be so final - doesn't get the last word. God has our enemies covered. So we pray, "Thy Kingdom come" - where there is no violence and no death ... and we pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" - that we might find better ways to protect the most innocent among us right now ... and we pray, "Deliver us from evil" - knowing that, in the end, God's light dismisses the darkness ... and the darkness can never take back the light."
~ Pastor Mike from Lutheran Church of Hope
My heart has been breaking, over and over and over since the tragedy at Sandy Hook took place on Friday. Just like all of America (and other countries) my heart goes out to the community, the families, the beautiful souls that were taken that day.
Pastor Mike has a way with words, as you can see above. I think it is SO important in times like these to keep our hope and faith. We may not understand and we may not ever be able to make sense of what has happened, but God is there.
It brings a comfort to me to think that God was there in those classrooms, holding the little children close to him as they were taken too soon. And giving the teachers the courage to put their lives on the line to protect their little ones. He was in the cabinets and the closets protecting those children and he was in the fire house weeping with the parents who's children did not make it out of school that day.
Today's Starfish
Today, I said extra prayers for those families who have lost their loved ones in Newtown CT. And I prayed hard. I prayed for the children and their parents, their brothers and sisters. I prayed for the teachers and administrators and the people in their lives. And I prayed for the person who caused this horrific event and I prayed for his family too. Prayer is powerful. If you believe in prayer, pray. If you don't believe in prayer, that is ok. Just keep these people in your thoughts.
Let your speech be
always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer
every man.
~Colossians 4:6
Put down your cell phone. Turn off your i-Pad. Leave the DS at home.
Angry Birds can wait. Nothing is going to happen on Facebook or Twitter that cannot be read later. The people you are playing on Words with Friends aren't going anywhere. Your boyfriend can wait for that text.
We have become a society hooked on our smartphones and our tablets. We don't go anywhere without them. We are always connected.
Everywhere we go, people are always looking at their phones. The shopping mall, out to dinner, in the car, at sporting events, at church, out with friends.
Right? When was the last time you went anywhere without your phone? Or when did you last turn your phone off? When was the last time you left your phone in the car or in your purse and didn't check it for a long stretch of time?
During the holiday season especially, don't forget to focus your attention on the joy around you. The family and the friends, the reason for the season. Leave the technology behind this Christmas.
Today's Starfish
I had to go to the doctor today and while I was waiting in the lobby for my appointment, I struck up a conversation with an elderly gentleman. Instead of checking Facebook or catching up on the news, I am pretty sure I made this man's day just by talking to him about the weather, the holidays, his life during his younger years and arthritis. Sure beats the 12 status updates I could have read!
Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes."
--Joseph B. Wirthlin
"The door is always open."
"When God closes a door, He opens a window"
"Close the door on the past - Open the door to the future"
Have you ever stopped and thought about every single door you go in and out of each day? I know I haven't until right now - the door out of my bedroom and into the bathroom; the door out of my house and the door into my car; the door out of my car and the door into my office and so on and so forth.
Sometimes the door is revolving and you have to wait your turn. Sometimes the door opens automatically when you get close to it. Sometimes you have to knock before you can enter. Sometimes it is wide open, inviting you to step inside. And sometimes the door is locked, sometimes it's jammed... sometimes it's just plain hard to open.
We each have a door of our own within ourselves - a door to our minds and a door to our hearts. Maybe you used to have your door open and you slammed it shut due to a past experience. Maybe you locked it and threw away the key. Maybe your door is creaking open slowly. Or maybe you took the hinges off your door and you are ready for anything and everything that comes your way!
Keep an open door policy. Open your mind and open your heart. Let friends and family inside. Always remember that others may have a closed door. Be patient. Keep knocking. Drop little acts of kindness off at their doorstep. They will come around evenutally.
And don't forget to let God in - He is constantly knocking at the door to your heart, but you have to open it!
Today's Starfish
As I was going about my day today, I made sure to hold the door open for everyone I came into contact with when I was entering and exiting. It was nice to get the "thank yous" and it was nice to have a few gentlemen insist that they hold the door open for me instead. Try this sometime - it is easy to do and it will make you feel good!
