Post-Christmas

Life has come to an abrupt hush for our family. Presents are unwrapped and played with, the hurriedness of the season has quieted. The past week has been a blur of gift-giving, treat-making, cake-baking, family-visiting, present-wrapping and minimal-sleeping. All the above whilst incubating two babes on the side. Er, on the "inside" I guess I should say. The holiday season has been an especially exhausting one. Expectantly so. And no matter how hard you try to simplify things, there's still so much to be done. But now it IS done. And this momma is rather thankful.

We were asked a few months ago to house-sit once again...and when I found out the dates I came close to denouncing any obligations associated with the job. They needed us the day after Christmas. Which I thought to myself was the worst possible time ever to pack up my belongings along with my kiddos and leave home for a while. Turns out that perhaps it was the best time to do so. The kids are still entertained with their new toys...which ALL came with us. And I lounge my tired body on someone else's couch, in another person's house...to which I have minimal household chores to do. In my own home I seem to find endless work that needs to be done. Forcing myself to be still is sometimes a chore in and of itself. But here....I answer phones, cook meals, take doggies out potty...and rest. It's change, and out of my comfortable surroundings, but right now it's needed. At least that's how I shall choose to look at it.

With the chaos of packing up life on Christmas day, I failed to share my favorite memory from our Christmas of 2011. On Christmas morning our girls (as usual) woke up before the sun. They peeled us out of bed to open stockings before our church service. As we were finishing up and beginning to munch on our tradition "sticky-bun and grape juice" breakfast, the sun was beginning to rise. As it did, something outside caught my eye. Something that Hubs and I didn't recall being there last night. I scared the girls half to death with my cries of, "OH. MY. WORD!!!!" while running to open the shade for them to see what drew such emotion from me. (Which takes minimal effort these days, by the way.) As I did there were several gasps and eyes widened in amazement...

We were all speechless. We have admired this little hobbit house from next door for quite some time. One of our neighbors built it, and it was far too costly for us to afford. Apparently for many to afford, for it sat on his lot for well over a year collecting dust. Somehow, sometime on Christmas Eve or early Christmas morn he gifted it to our front lawn...happy to see it get some use by little children rather than spiders and weeds. The graciousness of others often brings me to tears. We are so undeserving of such kindness. It always amazes me to see Christs' love brought to earth by other human beings. I'm not quite sure why...yet it does. My only regret is that he and his wife weren't there to capture the utter shock and joy on my girls' faces...or to watch them don their winter boots (and not much else except their jammies on a freezing 0 degree morning!) and rush out in excitement to greet their new play house. Even after I retold them the story, I still wished they could have shared just a piece of the childlike joy I saw. Either way, I have no doubt God will bless them for their self-less act.

When we tucked the girls in bed last night, Kaytlin's prayer was one of thankfulness...as was mine. For generous gifts, for the kindness of others, for large reminders of God's love. It very well may stand out in the future as one of the fondest Christmas memories ever. For us all.