Christmas Ideas!

For several Christmases now, my family has had our Christmas traditions. I've shared them before, but I always want to share them again in case someone is in search of an idea to start with his/her family!

- Wrap Christmas picture books and put them under the tree. Every day a child chooses a book and unwraps it for our story time. (You can wrap 24 books, or you can wrap a few at a time.  If you don't have a lot of Christmas books, borrow from the library... just be sure to wrap those first so that they can be returned promptly!) Here are some of our favorite Christmas books: Our Favorite Christmas Stories!

- Hang up twelve pairs of Christmas socks and put Bible verses, ornaments, and candy in them. All through December, we count down to Christmas Day by taking down a sock and reading through the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus's birth. 

- Make an edible treat and drop them off at your dentist's office or other local businesses. 

- Do some old-fashioned door-to-door Christmas caroling.

- Put out some snacks for the mail carrier and delivery people. They're busy this time of year! (the photo on the left shows the little basket that sits out on our front step, right under the mail box)

- Introduce yourself to a person of a different age group at your church. Invite them over!

- Keep extra gloves, socks, hats, granola bars, and restaurant gift cards in your car to give out to homeless people.

What do you do to reach out during the holiday season? Please share! I'd love to hear from you!

When You're Emotionally Exhausted

I don't know what you're going through right now, but with the holidays coming, wounds that you thought were almost healed feels fresh and new again.

So I want to share with you the words of my friend Susan. Her father-in-law passed away suddenly a few weeks ago, and she writes about it on her blog.

If you're grieving, read her words. May you find hope and peace.

When You're Emotionally Exhausted

43 Years Young

Yesterday was my birthday, which always makes me contemplate. Could I count the last year as a success? And by success, I don't mean, Did I make more money, did I write more books, or did I lose those 10 pounds? These are the types of questions I ask myself:

Am I a better parent than I was a year ago?

Is my marriage better than it was a year ago?

Do I love people better?

Have I gained more wisdom and learned more about God?

I'm glad to say that last year was a successful one, especially after the rough parenting and wife-ing moments and strange, blah birthday of 2020, and it was because I took these 3 things to heart.

1) Make every day count. I lost 4 friends in the past 2 years, all of whom were under the age of 43. I can groan about getting older, or I can see it as a blessing.

2) Our Triune God is the God of love and community. After reading Michael Reeve's wonderful (and easy-to-digest) book Delighting in the Trinity, I stopped picturing God as a lone person sitting out in the vast emptiness of space. No, He is in constant community with the Son and the Spirit! And that is how He wants us to live–ever giving, ever loving, ever connected to other people.

3) Live in love, not in fear. I used to be afraid of what people thought of me. In my heart I wanted to care for people, but I couldn't step out of my comfort zone to do so. But then I realized that "I'm shy" or "I'm an introvert" or "I don't know what to say" are just selfish excuses, because I was focused on myself more than on the other person. And if I want to "make every day count" and be like my Father, "the God of love and community", I need to stop making these excuses and start exercising my "love muscle." And it IS like exercise! In 2020, after months of not having people over, I found it extremely hard to think of cooking for guests! And having people over simply wiped me out! It was a strange feeling, and it showed me how easy it is to fall into a pattern of complacency. But if I exercise the muscles of hospitality, generosity and compassion, they grow stronger! What was difficult to do a year ago is easier now! And will be even easier next year!

So here's to another year of growing in wisdom and building up my love muscles! The older I get, the more I live in the reality of being the daughter of the King!

We love because He first loved us. ~I John 4:19 NIV

Life in the Slow Lane

Grinding the coffee by hand.

Hanging the laundry to dry.

Writing a letter and sending it by mail.

Sometimes, doing something slowly is worth the time it takes. We have so many gadgets to help us save time... but why do we need to save that time? I'm not sure if "time-savers" are a benefit when it makes us feel like we should squeeze more things onto our to-do lists.

And plus, when we do something slowly, our minds can slow down too. We give more thought to the task, or give more thought to an emotion or idea. We pay attention.

I started a garden last year, but I don't have a sprinkler system or drip lines set on on a timer. When my flowers and baby fruit trees need water, I go out and grab the hose. And this is when I talk to my little avocado tree  that is diligently growing tiny leaves. Or I bend down to dead-head the chrysanthemum and dahlias and make sure they're getting what they need. Or sometimes, I just close my eyes, feel the day shining on my face, and take a slow, deep breath. I know that if I didn't have to water the plants by hand, I wouldn't go outside as much. 

Today, find a task that you would normally use a gadget for and do without. Knead some dough by hand. Read to your children instead of turning on a tablet. Drive without GPS (and see where the road takes you!)