I got this in my e-mail this morning and decided to share it, even though Christmas was last week.  I hope you enjoy it like I did!

 

The "W" in Christmas

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the
precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of
Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's Winter Pageant.
I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production, unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his Teacher, she assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of
the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.

As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class,
accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun,
commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.

So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.

Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for hristmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".
The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together.

A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we
celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:
"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And, I believe, He still is. Amazed in His presence....humbled by His love.

 

I have a few friends that I consider to be more than friends.  They are my "chosen" family.  These are friendships that go beyond the normal bonds of friendship.  These are people that feel as much or more like family than my birth family.  The people I most want to spend time with.  The people that I know REALLY care about me.   The ones I want to share and introduce as brothers & sisters, even though we don't have common parents. 

Lord knows I've more than enough "birth" family.  With 8 sisters and 4 brothers, there's no shortage of family for me.  Add in their spouses, children, grandchildren, etc, our family gatherings are usually quite large. 

This is not to say that I don't love my birth family, I do. But the chosen family is special.  They're the ones that are hand picked. 

OK, so maybe I'm a little girl in the 5th grade at heart.  But I really like getting those little messages that say "Friendship request".  Kinda like "check yes or no".  Of course, so far, I've only checked yes.  There are so many wonderful ladies finding our little playground.

I know life has cycles.  Knowing that doesn't make the "down" cycles any easier.  It seems for about the last year and a half, we've been hit with one crisis after another.  I won't go into all of the details, but it started in the summer of '06 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, followed by a botched reconstruction.  It appears that crisis is over, with plenty more to take it's place.  Every time T and I discuss these things, he has a tendency to ask "What Next? What else can possibly happen?"  And it seems every time he asks that question, we get our answer pretty quickly.  I've begun to wonder if God is trying to teach me something that I can't learn.  I've begun to wonder if I'm gonna land on my feet this time.  One thing I know.  I need to duct tape T's mouth before he asks "What next?" another time!

When did journaling become "blogging" (and when did it become public)?  AH, I guess I'm really too old for this stuff, but I'm gonna take a stab at it.  Hey, I have a myspace (but I've never posted a blog).  My daughter says she's the only person her age she knows whose mom has a myspace. 

But what does one blog about?  Life is handing me some SERIOUS changes right now, if it ever becomes funny or interesting, I guess I could write about that.  At this point, anything I write would be whining, and I'm certainly not a whiner.

I'm gonna give this "blogging" some serious thought and get back with you!  But I really think I like this as a means of "sharing".  And I'm looking forward to your blogs, whether they be funny, interesting, or even whiny!

Love ya!

Patty