It is hard to believe that it is Christmas, again! It seems like only a few weeks ago our family was sitting in the living room with gifts scattered everywhere, and the kids playing with the packaging and not the gift. That was last year. It wasn't long after, maybe even that afternoon, that we began the conversation of 'so what about next Christmas?'. Would the girls be game to skip out on the 'stuff' and do something else, like take a trip?
Here we are 365 days later, packing bags, and wondering what tomorrow will be like without all the usual movements of the day - stockings, big breakfast, gifts... Don't hear us wrong, there will be a couple of things under the tree for the girls and there will be a stocking and most definitely we will have a big breakfast! But we traded most all of it for a trip to the beach and instead of spending time scurrying from one place to the next to get that toy or those shoes, we chose to spend the time helping take care of other folks. Now the biggest question to us is whether the girls 'get it'? I hope so, and I think they will. I know growing up that other than a bike and a sled, the only things I remember about Christmas was my grandma's birthday party on the 24th and spending time in Georgia with my dad's folks, eating ice cream with his aunt's and uncle's, eating oysters at Andrew's Oyster Bar (read as 'hole-in-the-wall'), and watching football.
Looking back and comparing this year to the last few, it has been amazingly peaceful. Is it because we haven't been standing in line at Target, or waiting on UPS to deliver? Or, was it because we made it a point to give our time away and focus elsewhere? I guess it is both really, but I know that the latter played a huge role. This has to have been one of the most peaceful, stress-free, and rewarding Christmases that either of us have ever experienced.
We had lots of opportunities to help this year, from providing for kids at school to playing Santa, and I am glad that we were able to share most all of it with our small group.
Merry Christmas? I hope so.
Rodney
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2 comments:
Merry Christmas for sure brother. That is cool. I hope ya'll are having a good time. Good to see you at Charlie and Fran's.
I'm glad you are enjoying your time in FL and that you had a peaceful Christmas! Me, too! Enjoy every moment down there and I wish I could be two places at once!!
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