Saturday, December 18, 2010

A Prayer, Some Presents, and Wonderful People

My heart is swelling with gratitude today and I thought I'd share why.

Gratefulness #1


Our food budget has been drastically cut.  This is cool except for one thing--the Queen of picky, a.k.a Emily does not eat anything I set before her.  As I knew I wouldn't be able to buy some of those luxuries--chicken nuggets and hot dogs--to tempt her, I had to come up with a new plan.  So I prayed.  Miraculously enough, she has eaten almost everything I have served her.

I don't usually share these types of stories with people because I feel very strongly about my faith and don't want it to be mocked; however, this experience, so simple and so powerful, has had a healing effect on my faith--which has been severely tested this year.  I needed this reminder that my prayers are answered, even if the content sometimes seems trivial.

Gratefulness #2

The holiday spirit has been seriously lacking over here.  Based on the note above, I'm sure you can deduce why.  Something, or rather someone, has changed that.

A certain person (or persons) has marked our family out for the 12 days of Christmas.  For the past week, he has left gifts on our doorstep, knocked, and ran away before we could thank him.  These gifts aren't small, either, they are big and expensive.  And very thoughtful.

Exhibit A



If you can't tell by this crude photograph, that's a poinsettia.  A large poinsettia.  I mean, we don't have anything large enough, besides our kitchen table, on which to place this beautiful plant.   But that's not the point.  The point is this gift is huge!  And all the other gifts have been equally as tremendous.  I will admit that this very caring gesture has brought tears to my eyes on many occasions this week.  It has also reminded me of the true meaning behind Christmas: the spirit of giving.

Gratefulness #3

I hope this doesn't sound cheesy, but I am feeling very blessed by all of you who visit this place and read my words.  As silly as they can be at times.  I was reminded of all your incredible natures when reading through the thoughtful comments on my most recent post.  Depression is a tricky topic to discuss and I've shared some pretty personal experiences.  You have proved my faithfulness in your trust by validating my need to share and offering hands of support.

One thing I can count on is your forgiveness and understanding when it takes weeks to respond to your lovely comments.  Thank you for making this a place of refuge; that's what I need at this point in my life.

12 comments:

  1. It's not even 9 and you've got me all teary at my computer :) What a lovely, FULL post. Feeling your blessings all the way over here... so happy for you!

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  2. I think these are amazing blessings. No mocking here. (I do have it in me, sometimes. :))

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  3. You know what the scripture says, Kristina, "Fools mock...." : )

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  4. Yes, it is indeed the giving that's most important. And I think this needs to be said: Thank you for giving yourself, honestly and thoughtfully, through your posts. Out lives are richer with you in it, even if it's only virtually for some of us.

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  5. There are dark periods when it's very hard to find the silver lining, much less holiday spirit. But if we're lucky, we have healthy kids to look at to remind us - or good friends - including virtual friends. All very precious gifts.

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  6. A couple of comments:



    Regarding #1 - very cool.

    Regarding #2 - very cool - and that is such an awesome idea. I would love to start something like this in my community. I've never heard of it, but it seems so nice. I want to give back more and this sounds like a great way to do so.

    Regarding #3 - I enjoy this connection with you and am glad to have met you along the way.



    Merry Christmas and I hope the New Year is kind to you.

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  7. That is wonderful. I'm so glad you shared!!!

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  8. I have participated in the 12 days of Christmas a few times; the idea is pretty simple--you decide on a family and choose appropriate gifts for your 12-day theme. Our person(s) is very clever and leaves a cute rhyme to accompany each of his treats. The best thing is the gifts don't have to be elaborate. They can be simple gifts, like a package of milkduds for 8 maids of milking or even a nice note. The important part is letting the person, or family, know you are thinking of them. If that makes sense. I find it marvelous that you want to start this in your own community.

    I, too, am glad for our connection. Thank you for being a wonderful friend.

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  9. I love this! Wonderful reasons to feel gratitude.

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  10. It's hard to feel grateful sometimes and even harder sometimes to acknowledge it. Glad some of that spirit is inhabiting your space. As for the blogging community, they certainly uplift, educate, and elevate me to strive to be a better person.

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  11. It is so important to stop and see those blessings, and quite often they are so simple they can easily be overlooked, but we need to make sure we don't overlook them.



    So glad someone is doing the Twelve Days of Christmas for you all--ENJOY.

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