Amazing Love: It's the Real Christmas Magic!

Christmas Day.

What a day it has been! Such joy on my grandchildren's faces. I couldn't stop smiling at them and their excitement for all things Christmas. They are 5 and 4 years old. A boy and a girl. Both fiery redheads. You see, they weren't supposed to be here b/c of "custody agreements," but I got the best surprise last night around 9:30. Katelyn called me and said, "I just got a notification that something I ordered was just delivered. Can you go out to the porch and get it?" I opened the door and there stood my two Littles' beautiful sweet faces. They had driven here from Fayetteville (2 1/2 hours). I was overcome with delight and of course, there were happy tears! I haven't spent Christmas with young children since my children were young. All the work and exhaustion came flooding back as I watched my daughter "prepare" for Santa's arrival. Almost as soon as they arrived, she started making the hot chocolate and cookies to leave for Santa. They made reindeer food: oatmeal, cheerios, popcorn, and glitter. Then we all went outside to sprinkle it all over the front yard for the reindeer to find and have a snack before taking off in the sleigh again. Back inside to read a bedtime story. I listened as my daughter read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore (his version is the best in my opinion). I just thought, "Wow! Here we are full circle." What I once read to her, she is now reading to her children. It gave my heart quite the happy skip. It was one of those moments one always hopes to remember. And my oldest son... he was so funny with his comments like, "It's weird to be on the other side of this. I didn't realize this is so much work"... "Now I see how hard it is to be Santa"... and my personal favorite as he came up to me and gave me a hug, "Mom, I'm so sorry for all the faces I made or things I said to ruin Christmas." Ahhh, he sees. He gets it now. Nice. I'm pretty sure Katelyn will be getting it for a lot more years to come!
making reindeer food
tossing the reindeer food onto the lawn


Sleep tight!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

This afternoon while everyone was napping or doing their own thing, I sat in the living room, asked Alexa to play "Christian Christmas Music," and admired the Christmas tree and the cozy feeling inside my home with the people I love most in this world wishing my son and his wife could be here too. I listened to the songs say things like, "His amazing love, He is the Light of the World, Oh, Holy Night" and I thought, "Yes, HE is Christmas, not all the hoopla that commercialism has turned it into." There would be no Christmas if not for Him. After all the opening of gifts and excitement from the morning, I just sat and let that fact sink in for a minute. We can so easily be swept into the buying and receiving of gifts, the parties, the merriment, etc... that the true "reason for the season" escapes us. I want these two little redheads to grow up knowing Christmas is very special and it's because of the sacrificial gift we (the human race) was given that night in Bethlehem--FREE of charge.

I feel so blessed today. So much love in this house. I have so much love for my children and grandchildren; my heart is bursting. I have a beautiful home that we can gather in and celebrate and be ourselves and escape the outside world that tends to pull at us from all sides. Each of my four children has their own struggles at this time and they are each one learning to "figure it out." I always want them to love coming home; it is their safe haven; their place of rest. They know they can always come home. Just as our Heavenly Father wants us, His children, to know we can always go to Him, come home so to speak. He is our safe haven. He sent His Son to earth as a baby so He could grow up and experience life as a human in an oftentimes terrible world, one that treated him horribly and eventually brutally murdered Him. Yet, He did it for US. That's WOW. When I consider that sacrifice and the pain our Father must've experienced, it brings me to my knees. I am forever grateful for THE GIFT.
The famed Step Picture 2018
1, 2, and 4




















A few highlights from our Christmas...


Looking for the Pickle. Nick found it AGAIN!
They had a blast!


Katelyn gave Jacob the #1 gift this year.






So, Christmas ... truly such Amazing Love. He is indeed the Light of the World. And what a Glorious Night, Holy Night it must've been in Bethlehem in a barn with a baby lying in a manger surrounded by Love Divine. Can you imagine?!

Thank you, Lord, for helping me see that today has been so much more than the unwrapping of presents. Thank you for the four gifts you blessed me with and because of the four, there is more! I have a son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 2 beautiful grandchildren. My cup runneth over. I have Christmas every day!!! Thank you for being that Bright Star born on the holiest most blessed night in all of history. You are the Gift to the whole world!

O night divine.
O night when Christ was born.

Enjoy the Glow,
D~
The cuteness!! I can't stand it. My babies!!


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