It's time I become a REAL blogger. Posting more often may help me reach my goal. I was thinking of all of the things that I am sooo grateful for at this time of year.
- Thoughts of The Savior's birth
- Christmas Stories
- Time spent with Family and Friends
- Serving others
- Delivering neighbor gifts
- The snow
- The soup and stews for dinner
- Yummy treats
- The lights
- Christmas shows
- The Nutcracker Ballet (Clytie Adams and Ballet West production - our family favorite)
I've been thinking a lot lately. It seems like the true Christmas spirit no longer exists. I know for our family we made a HUGE change last year. If anyone reads this I may get hate mail. We felt that the focus of Christ was being taken away from Christmas. Sooooo..... we told our 4 children that Santa isn't real. I won't say it was easy, but it has been totally worth it! Last year the focus turned from "What can I get?", to "What can I give?". This year we decide since Christmas falls on a Sunday we would open the 3 gifts (a want, a need and something handmade) Christmas Eve. Leaving Sunday open to worship the Savior and to serve others as Christ would. What better gift could we give someone who has given so much to us? We are leaning towards serving a Christmas dinner at the local Rescue Mission for our service this year. I know this isn't for everyone, but I do hope it will cause you to reflect on what the Christmas spirit is really about.
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| Liz Lemon Swindle |
One of my favorite blogs I follow wrote an amazing poem about this very subject. Read it here and enjoy!
Someone save me! How do you start a blog? Are there unwritten rules I'm breaking as I type?
I've procrastinated beginning a public blog. It scares me! I feel so vulnerable. I have so many weaknesses, spelling and grammar at the top of that list, or pretty close. What has motivated me more than anything to start blogging is a couple of really pushy friends. Just kidding. I'm really starting this for selfish reasons. I want to have accountability for thinking positive every day. What better way than to tell the world!
This quickly approaching holiday season has made me realize how much I have been lacking in the gratitude department. I have started turning into the Negative Nelly I never wanted to be. I have so much to be grateful for, so much to learn from daily life. The Good Things are there each day, I just need more practice recognizing them.
Today I've learned to be grateful for flooded basements and compromise. Everything downstairs was ruined. Ikea beds and all. I've told my husband for years I wanted to get my daughter a real, solid wood bed. I was thinking pottery barn, he was thinking the hardware store. My husband and I live on two different ends of the financal spectrum. His idea of a bed is two mattresses on the floor, I think more like Restoration Hardware. Don't get me wrong, I adore my husband and his squeeky walk (ha,ha, I hope he reads this). We balance each other. I'm the first to admit that my ideas aren't always financially sound.
Over the last 13 years we've mastered (sort of) the art of compromise. Today was a huge score for both of us! We found a pottery barn Catalina bed with trundle on KSL (our local craigslist), in excellent condition and for $350! Miracles do happen! We are going to have one VERY happy daughter this afternoon.
P.S.....Did I mention I can be long winded?
