Reading about your challenge to address Christmas cards made me remember friends who went to address labels a few years ago. And they don't face the same challenges you do. I'm sure no one on your list would care, Michele! / As for the fragments of comfort and joy you describe, I think they look similar to sacrifices of praise (Hebrews 13:15), coming from the hard places of trial, and in which God surely takes exceptional delight.
I actually considered using labels and may resort to that eventually. For now, I’m considering the task as an extended session of physical (or would it be occupational?) therapy!
Michele, what Dorothy wrote below speaks for me as well. I had not thought about a fragment being enough, even as the fragments of food fed the 5000. Thank you so much.
Hello Michele. This year we are spending Christmas with 3 of 4 of our kids ands families on three different times due to distance and busy schedules including the other set of parents ( in-laws) however we welcome the one on one time and know that will be unique and special. It will be FaceTime with the 4th family in TX this year. However and whenever we celebrate is not the most important part it’s just seeing each family and celebrating Christs birth together and being grateful for what we Do get to do :) Blessings to you and your family.
Reading “remarkable advent” by shanna letellier has coincided with your advent series well. Especially encouraged by your explanation of mighty God-He goes behind me as the rear guard….nothing gets by His watchful eye. And everlasting Father-He’s always ready and willing to change my heart, but He shepherds me with such patience. Love the pics of your grands crafting and baking with you! 💝
Can I just say that I LOVE making messes with those kids? Their wonder and enthusiasm give me so much joy!
And I love it when you fill me in on what you're reading and how my particular words are connecting with your lived experience! Thanks for being so specific!
Dear Michele, you've given us goodies in each and every paragraph, friend. Your depth of faith, wry sense of humor, and common sense viewpoint will forever endear you to me. And bonus points for each picture of the little people. These are the good old days ...
Thanks so much for connecting here, Linda. Could it be that Substack is going to bring back to us the good old days of blogging where people connected over words and images like a bunch of proud grandmas with a stack of dog-eared pictures in their musty old purses?
Even as we do our best to recreate our traditions every year, pushing and pulling to find a date on the calendar when we can all gather, every year is different. This year we pretty much got Christmas done ahead of time to clear the schedule for our newest family member, born last week - my first great grand. And, truth be told, for all our effort and commitment to make time for the well established activities of the season, the only thing that matters is that we hold the reason for the season in our hearts all year. Merry Christmas!
I can't help but think that a more reasonable celebration of Christmas will be easier to carry into January 2024? The high points on the church calendar are intended to recalibrate our heart's affection and to jolt our mind's attention onto a more God-centered (less Michele-centered) way of doing life. This has so little to do with my pretty foil wrapping paper and whether or not the fudge hardens to the right consistency, but some years I do miss the point.
I have said before that all the wonderful, joyous, lovely Christmases I have enjoyed over the decades seem to be melded into one soft glowy memory whereas the ones that stand out in my mind are the ones where we were dealing with some kind of hardship or crisis. Those I can vividly recall. I think this is how it should be though. Humans need contrast - just like calling out the horrors of a king killing off the baby sons - so that we can better appreciate the amazing blessing of a savior given in the humblest of ways.
I really appreciate the idea of fragments of comfort and joy. This really resonates with me. Thank you. Wishing you a peaceful, joy-filled holiday.
Thank you! And know that I'm praying for you and your family right now. So much going on, so much to process. And then there's the book...
Reading about your challenge to address Christmas cards made me remember friends who went to address labels a few years ago. And they don't face the same challenges you do. I'm sure no one on your list would care, Michele! / As for the fragments of comfort and joy you describe, I think they look similar to sacrifices of praise (Hebrews 13:15), coming from the hard places of trial, and in which God surely takes exceptional delight.
I actually considered using labels and may resort to that eventually. For now, I’m considering the task as an extended session of physical (or would it be occupational?) therapy!
A good attitude to take, my friend!
😍
Michele, what Dorothy wrote below speaks for me as well. I had not thought about a fragment being enough, even as the fragments of food fed the 5000. Thank you so much.
Thank you for this thought, Maggie. Enough is just the right word to carry into our celebration.
Hello Michele. This year we are spending Christmas with 3 of 4 of our kids ands families on three different times due to distance and busy schedules including the other set of parents ( in-laws) however we welcome the one on one time and know that will be unique and special. It will be FaceTime with the 4th family in TX this year. However and whenever we celebrate is not the most important part it’s just seeing each family and celebrating Christs birth together and being grateful for what we Do get to do :) Blessings to you and your family.
I appreciate your positive perspective and willingness to be flexible in order to have precious time with your family. Blessings to you and yours!
Reading “remarkable advent” by shanna letellier has coincided with your advent series well. Especially encouraged by your explanation of mighty God-He goes behind me as the rear guard….nothing gets by His watchful eye. And everlasting Father-He’s always ready and willing to change my heart, but He shepherds me with such patience. Love the pics of your grands crafting and baking with you! 💝
Can I just say that I LOVE making messes with those kids? Their wonder and enthusiasm give me so much joy!
And I love it when you fill me in on what you're reading and how my particular words are connecting with your lived experience! Thanks for being so specific!
Dear Michele, you've given us goodies in each and every paragraph, friend. Your depth of faith, wry sense of humor, and common sense viewpoint will forever endear you to me. And bonus points for each picture of the little people. These are the good old days ...
Thanks so much for connecting here, Linda. Could it be that Substack is going to bring back to us the good old days of blogging where people connected over words and images like a bunch of proud grandmas with a stack of dog-eared pictures in their musty old purses?
Even as we do our best to recreate our traditions every year, pushing and pulling to find a date on the calendar when we can all gather, every year is different. This year we pretty much got Christmas done ahead of time to clear the schedule for our newest family member, born last week - my first great grand. And, truth be told, for all our effort and commitment to make time for the well established activities of the season, the only thing that matters is that we hold the reason for the season in our hearts all year. Merry Christmas!
I can't help but think that a more reasonable celebration of Christmas will be easier to carry into January 2024? The high points on the church calendar are intended to recalibrate our heart's affection and to jolt our mind's attention onto a more God-centered (less Michele-centered) way of doing life. This has so little to do with my pretty foil wrapping paper and whether or not the fudge hardens to the right consistency, but some years I do miss the point.
I have said before that all the wonderful, joyous, lovely Christmases I have enjoyed over the decades seem to be melded into one soft glowy memory whereas the ones that stand out in my mind are the ones where we were dealing with some kind of hardship or crisis. Those I can vividly recall. I think this is how it should be though. Humans need contrast - just like calling out the horrors of a king killing off the baby sons - so that we can better appreciate the amazing blessing of a savior given in the humblest of ways.
That perspective certainly casts Christmas as a holiday of giving up and laying down our lives—in contrast with the usual message.