No Tannenbaum

I am ALL for traditions. This is by far my favorite time of year, and I am absolutely giddy about all of the preparations, celebrations, and decor. With that said, we made the decision this year to forego a tree. I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty devastated at first. Part of the reason, honestly, is that I just don't have it in me to continuously put down efforts made by Grayson, the human tornado, to dismember my tree. But also, I had to question my initial reaction to the very idea of "Christmas Without a Tree". While I like to think I'm able to keep the correct perspective on the Reason for the season, I can see that the last several years I've really fallen in to the trap of focusing on buying the perfect gifts (cost be darned), decorating "perfectly" (as perfectly as things ever get in this house), etc. etc. I don't mean to say that any of these Christmas traditions is inherently wrong. There's just MORE to this holiday than that, and I keep wondering if James and I are truly teaching our kids the right message about Christmas. Is there something more/different/radical, even, that we could be doing? I'm certain the answer is yes. For this year, what this will look like is not having a tree adorning our front window, waiting for its plethora of presents to protect. I also want us to look more intentionally than we have in the past for opportunities to spread the message of Christmas to those who might not otherwise hear it.

*Disclaimer: I did end up breaking down and buying a dinky tree for the boys to decorate and put in their room. And I have been pushing pretty hard the idea of putting lights on the house for the first time ever. I didn't say I was ready to throw in the towel on Christmas decorating altogether. :)

Count your blessings, name them one by one

1) The unconditional love and mercy of God
2) My hubby. He's a-ma-zing.
3) My kiddos. I complain, I know. But they are pretty stinkin' great.
4) My parents - how blessed I have been to have them raise me and remain so closely in my life
5) Siblings! Both by birth and marriage. Sharing life with you is a privilege
6) Laughter and having so many reasons to use it
7) Health - not just for me but for almost everyone in my life at this moment. For those I know and love who are struggling in this area, I'm so thankful for modern medicine and caring doctors.
8) Living in a country that, even with all its problems, affords me freedoms so many can only imagine
9) Friends I have known for years and are still willing to be associated with me (some even for my entire life!)
10) New friends
11) People who challenge me to think, act, know better
12) Books
13) Vehicles that (usually) run great and get me where I need to go (even if sometimes they have to be bribed with ridiculous things like, oh, new brakes. What gives?)
14) Enough to eat and then some
15) My humble abode. It works plenty good to keep us sheltered from the elements, and we have lots of great memories here.
16) My extended family - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. So many people in my life that fill me (and now my kids) up with love!
17) Incredible in-laws. Not everyone gets the privilege of marrying into such an amazing family.
18)All 4 of my grandparents being a part of my boys' lives. Watching the relationships they're forming is priceless.
19)Cofffffeeeeeee
20)CenterPointe church - God is working!
21) Sunshine
22) Living in a place where I can experience the majesty of God's creation through all 4 seasons (even though I tend to get grumpy about snow)
23) The wonders and convenience that modern technology affords
24) James's job and the fantastic people he works with/for
25) God's provision for all our needs plus a lot of our wants too
26) Christmas - a time to specifically reflect on the incredible love of God to send His son to earth so that we would not remain lost.
27) Music
And the list goes on........ Now the trick is to reflect on this EVERY day of the year!

Gleek

I loooooove music. Love it. I love how songs can say what I struggle to, how each different tune I hear can evoke a different emotion. In recent years (much to my husband's chagrin - thank goodness for DVR so I can now tape and watch without his commentary) I have fallen in love with the show "Glee". Even more recently, I fell a little out of love with it, to be honest, due to increasing crassness and some episodes that were, quite frankly, an insult to my faith (Grilled Cheesus episode, anyone?). But last Wednesday, after a VERY long day with the chillens, I was delighted to watch my taped episode from the night before and see some tunes that were just plain fun, including the one below. I included it here for your viewing pleasure, as I go and continue packing for our trek to Michigan to celebrate Thanksgiving with the fam.

Cheating!

Today's post can be found here.

Grateful

For my guys

Blech

I'm fairly apolitical, to which my more politically inclined friends could probably attest. At best, I'm indifferent (I heard the audible gasp from some of you political passionates). If I was forced at gunpoint to put a label on myself I guess I'd probably go with Republican, since, in general, my moral standards and beliefs tend to line up with that camp. Sometimes I wish I could muster up some sort of patriotic gumption. Not that I hate my country because I do NOT - I am deeply grateful for the freedoms and opportunities I have here. I am just completely jaded by the way things have been/are run and have no confidence whatsoever in a government where the name of the game is being politically correct and re-electable rather than the best interest of the people.
Today I saw a bumper sticker that read, "At least when Clinton lied, nobody died". I can only assume this is meant to be some sort of political statement trashing the Bush era, perhaps the war on terror? In any case, my thought after reading this was: REALLY?! Really. This is our standard now? But it is! Sadly, it is. It's all about opting for the lesser of any number of evils rather than having any absolute truth or moral code. Looking at what will be the least detrimental to the majority (or to those running the show, however you choose to look at it). And it's sad and scary and sometimes horrifying, and if I didn't know Who already held the future in His hands, I'd probably be ready to jump ship and give Canada or Western Europe a try.

Once upon a time, in my former life, I was a teacher. You perhaps knew this. There are days when I have the itch to get back in the classroom: to interact with and build relationships with the kids/teachers/parents, to guide and direct the structure and layout of my days (within the confines of that blessed schedule administration so arduously creates), to get those creative juices flowing while planning lessons/organizing and decorating the classroom. There's no doubt that when June arrives there is such satisfaction derived from looking back over the course of the year and seeing the fruits of my labor in the form of bonds made with the kids and successes they have achieved. I would love to delve deeper into the vast array of learning styles that kids enter into the classroom possessing and to become more equipped to help children who struggle, perhaps through earning a degree in special education.
Other days I think that I'd love to pursue a career in the writing industry. I'm particularly interested in editing/proofreading. NERD ALERT! I just love language! I can remember sitting in 6th grade, diagramming sentences, welling up with pride and satisfaction as I fit those sentence pieces into their place in the puzzle. I sometimes sit and dissect a sentence that was just spoken, naming each part of speech.
Wow. Even I am sitting here aghast at the depths of my dorkiness right now.
Along with pulling language apart, I also love the flip side: piecing it together into a work of writing. When I was younger I would spend HOURS writing stories (and, for a brief stint in high school, poetry). I wasn't all that great at actually finishing any but still, the bug was there. It's never left. It's just been buried under academic pursuit, career choice, and now children. It's that hobby that always gnaws at you: could I make this a career? Most days I think I'm just too chicken to try. And I certainly wouldn't know where to start.
I'm not really all that concerned about what the future holds for me career-wise. God has guided me thus far and has, for now, given me the most crucial job of all: Mom. But sometimes it's fun to dream about what could still be coming; to wonder at how I'll be able to use the gifts and talents and passions He has instilled in me. And, let's face it, sometimes it's just nice to know that my job description won't always include "nose-wiper and diaper-changer extraordinaire!"