Christmas Miracles (2012) Part 2
Here we are, Christmas 2012-again miracles are more than the giant, earth shattering stuff we save the word for, what’s more important and common than the great miracles we leave for God and his awesomeness-it’s the subtleties of miracles we experience more than we are aware-we just might not see them as miracles or celebrate them quite the same.
This year-I waited again too long to start shopping-November was a rough, busy, expensive month and I just couldn’t get to Christmas until Santa was practically running across my roof. I scrambled as I always do but this year-the expenses, the time, the thought and the feeling seemed to stretch as long as it needed to. I was able to get everything done and the time and the money seemed to appear out of nowhere-I stayed on budget-first time in my lifetime of insisting I would stay on budget. So where are the miracles-again-it’s the subtleties and the quiet presence that you get when a moment that should be stressful and irritating becomes peaceful and full of calm.
I felt like I was able to get everything I needed and in the time I had did not get as stressed as I would normally feel appropriate. My son was able to buy everything he wanted for his Christmas-my mom was not in the hospital and her being home made Christmas great without any of the seasonal requirements. Halloween and even Thanksgiving kind of slipped by us-we usually decorate the house and go to haunted houses in October but in our defense we did kayak often in October. Christmas was on my door-My youngest son and I were able to decorate the house-something we always plan to do but never get the chance or just go through the motion, my son actually designed the whole thing and I was happy to watch it come together as a donor to the cause instead of the architect. My oldest son and my youngest went and picked out a tree in the country and cut it down-a tradition I have started, ended and started once again. We probably chose one of the best trees we ever have and I really blame that on my two sons-they have a good eye for this-I think I would have probably picked the Charlie Brown Tree being more of a lover of trees and nature rather than the perfect shaped tree. We went to a tree farm in Caddo Mills-4 CeeSons Christmas Tree Farm. The trees were beautiful and extremely affordable but it was the people that really struck me. They treated us with trust and genuine Christmas cheer-we drank apple cider and talked about their business and family. I will definitely be back next year, more important than anything was I had both my sons together and we picked the perfect tree and still had enough money for Christmas-pretty amazing. Again it’s the feeling of family of your two sons picking out a tree together-we could have been in Colorado or even back home in NJ for all I was concerned, it felt like the holiday. We forgot the saw though-just kidding-Christmas Vacation-imagine a tree on the roof with the root still intact-but I digress.
My youngest and I went to the Galleria, decorated the tree, the house, I got the feeling of Christmas without the need to feel it or to perfect it-it came and overwhelmed all of us-it could have been simply the lack of hospital and surgery this year as opposed to the previous but the spirit just seemed to permeate the holiday. We had an amazing dinner with the whole family and we genuinely enjoyed every bit of it. I bought just what I needed, I believe-not too much, not too little. We enjoyed a perfect candlelight service in Wylie and a catholic service in Richardson, there was peace, love and family-this is the miracle of Christmas-when we all stop for a moment and appreciate the gifts and miracles we all tend to take for granted, when we realize the best miracles are the ones that pass through without announcing themselves as miracles.
Christmas day-I sent facebook friends my thoughts, trying to start a new year being closer and reaching out more-I just so happened to send my oldest son a letter-he replied-look out the front door-he visited-which is one of the greatest gifts he could have given me. Full of Christmas joy and love for family, feeling like I have accomplished the most important essence of the holiday-Christmas day it snows-yes in Texas-it snows and sticks. My youngest and I drove across town surrounded by a winter wonderland-I was in awe-I felt like a little kid and didn’t even mind the snowballs in the back from my two kids-I call them kids but they are taller than I am, and I’m six two-okay would you believe six-okay five nine-but that’s another story and one of those amazing miracles of me starting to grow again and outgrow both my sons-I can aspire right? We had a wonderful dinner, enjoyed my brother and his family and got to walk in the snow with my nephew and youngest. I got to talk to a very special friend on the phone which always seems to make the season brighter, It was a perfect day and its perfection was not something I could have perfected or planned for-that is the miracle-peace that defies all understanding.
So my advice is to look for miracles, don’t stress waiting for them but be open to them and see them for what they are. Notice the sunset, the beauty of snow and silence of a stream bed in the winter-stop for a moment and realize miracles are all around us-we just need to notice them. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.