Merry Christmas

There were many Christmas's where we shoved as many gifts under the tree as possible thinking what the kids got and how much they got is what made it a good Christmas.... gosh how horribly wrong I have been...  the last few years have been very simple but special - special because we have focused on what's important - and that is the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful to have a loving God - who has blessed me with a wonderful life with a beautiful family, great friends and so much more!!! My husband spoiled me rotten with a few things... which is was very tearful specially since he and I have for years not exchanged gifts.... for mostly monetary reasons ~ He got me 2 new charms for my James Avery bracelet one was the Let go Let God charm and the other one was the tiny angel charm :) he said both were things I needed to keep close to my heart and mind... and he is right Let Go and Let God take control of everything and remember he has sent Guardian Angels to watch over us.  My heart smiles for this man, if some of you knew the trials and tribulations we have tried to overcome in so many years but never were any of those attempts successful until we surrendered them to our God and realized the more we tried to control everything the more we lost control and messed them up in the process even more so.

The kids were happy and a joy to be around, our oldest daughter DJ didn't make it home this year... she is in Fort Carson, Colorado... and I felt her absence the most last night @ the candle light service @ church.... :( - it's okay though, God's timing is nothing but perfect.  Christmas dinner consisted of a nice roasted turkey with all the fixings, along with a brown sugar ham - good gravy it was delicious...sadly I did not take pictures of all the lovely dishes... but I do have proof it was eaten....    Ha ~ love you honey and Dad ;o)

Christmas brings hope and new life. What do you TRULY hope for this coming year, something my husband brought home to me a few weeks ago from Mens Fraternity... sometimes you have to die a little to live a lot - and to that I say AMEN - Merry Christmas everyone.

Three Gifts

I don't have grandchildren yet, but with 4 children 2 that are young adults - I do anticipate having some in the future... and I hope to pass on valuable traditions, which has led me to thinking that this is a brilliant idea!

Christmas has always been a huge deal for me in giving gifts to our children, sadly I never had the gift of Christ behind it - it was always how many gifts can I put under the tree - most years it was small but still a lot depending on the budget of that year.

What were the three gifts that the wise man presented on that day they visited the King Jesus ~the very first Christmas?

The Gift of Gold~
Gold is of great value~ expensive. This gift could be that special gift that the child truly wants and of course the most precious thing they have been wishing for~ wrapped in gold paper .

The Gift of Frankincense~

Frankincense was the spice that was burned in the Temple during Jesus’ time. This gift could be one that will encourage growth in his or her spiritual walk. This gift could be a new Bible, devotion book, Christian music or even a Christian Movie.

The Gift of Myrrh~

In the Bible times Myrrh was a spice that was used to embalm the dead ~not such a sweet thought but it was said to be what Mary carried to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. So how can we relate this to gift giving? The gift of Myrrh is the gift that covers the body. This gift could represent the gift of clothing, bath and body things and of course pajamas.

I love giving gifts and I think this could be a wonderful way to keep the focus on Jesus and HIS birthday.