Lost In the Prairies.....Found by God

Friday, November 30, 2012

Caffeinated Christmas - Simple and Pure

12:00 AM | Posted by Michelle | Edit Post

I've spent the day trying to think about what to write about. The last few years I have had challenges for everyone for the Christmas Season. Best Decorations. Best Christmas Story. Holiday Traditions. You get my point. This year I have .......Nothing.

I have tried to avoid Christmas this year. I didn't want to think about it. I called the neighbour down the road crazy for putting up her Christmas decorations the day after Halloween (you have to give me that one.) Every time there is a Christmas countdown mentioned, I just want to scream. It's not that I have not thought about it or prepared. I have a pretty good idea of what I am getting everyone. I even took part in Black Friday to purchase a new Keurig for my mother in law. Waiting in front of Walmart at 7 am in -10C was exhilarating to say the least. There were 10 of us who braved it and nobody got hurt. I digress....

It's not that I dislike Christmas. I love Christmas. I love the smells. I love the lights. I love the traditions. I just don't like the stress; the expectations; and the family strife that occurs during the season. I love surprising my kids with their gifts. I love sitting by the tree, mesmerized by the light. I love watching the Christmas shows (The Drummer Boy is still my favourite). I dislike the mess. I dislike phony sentiments. I dislike the commercialism that it has become.

Christmas as a kid and Christmas as an adult are different. I now know why my grandmother breathed a sigh of relief, along with a glass of wine, after Christmas dinner. I know the stress of getting that perfect gift so that you can see the light in their eyes Christmas morning. I know how tired my feet feel after spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day standing in preparation of a meal that is done in 1 hour. I too know how good that glass of wine is when all is said and done.

However, I also know the true reason for the season. I love watching my kids every day of advent create the nativity scene. I love when they finally get to put out baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. I love reading them their Christmas books about joy, compassion, hope, and love. I know why Christmas occurs and the sacrifice made for us to experience it. I know that Jesus came with little fanfare and little glory. The hype that Christmas has become almost cheapens this. I enjoy the simple. I enjoy the less.

This week I finally let the Christmas decorations out early so that I could start to light our Advent candles. Yes, I'm early but I have been doing the Good Morning Girls Advent Study and this week was on the light. I wanted to see the light. The simple candle burning for all to see. The light representing the hope that was brought into the world. The simple flame. The flame that grew to burn around the world. The flame that continues to burn. The flame that guides us. The flame that shines upon each of us. This is really Christmas.

This season of advent. I'm going to look for the simple amongst all the paraphernalia. I'm going to focus on the flame burning and what that flame represents. I'm going to focus on the positive in the negative. I'm going to not become burned out. I'm going to try to not become Scrooge and allow my heart to be open and not shut. Won't you join me?

Have you been avoiding Christmas too? What are you looking for this season? Come join the other Java Junkies this week and share in the Christmas Randomness.

Labels: Caffeinated Christmas, Christmas, Hope, light | 6 comments

Monday, November 26, 2012

Messy Mondays - Blood

12:00 AM | Posted by Michelle | Edit Post

Blood.

It cleans.

It destroys the old and unjust

It wipes away the disgrace.

It breaks the chains

It renews and regenerates.

It brings peace and new life.

Only through Christ's death are we reconciled with the Father. This was the Father's decision. He planned this.

This is our intervention.

We need to choose if we accept or deny.

For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20

Labels: Blood, Colossians, Messy Mondays | 1 comments

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Week 4 - 3 in 30 Update

7:31 PM | Posted by Michelle | Edit Post

Just as a reminder for us of what my goals were this month:

1. Read up to Week 4 of Made to Crave and read the Lean.
2. Organize my Pantry, Office, Laundry Room and Master Bedroom
3. No Yelling

I've given up on the first one. I may roll this over into December. This could be a blessing or a curse as December is Christmas cooking and food month. I will be praying that I can make it through. I've felt very heavy and burdensome this last week. I am tired of feeling defeated when it comes to food and tired of hating my body. I did see the doctor this last week for my yearly physical. It surprisingly was a light spot on my week. He told me it appeared that I was pretty healthy. When I said I was overweight, he looked at my chart and said "I've seen worse." There is hope.

I am almost finished my laundry room. This week we will be decorating so I can pull out the Xmas bins and sweep and organize that area. I am very happy with the way it is looking. I moved some bins and the workbench we have in it. I labeled all the bins with what was in them. Even Tman was happy. He could read what was in each bin. I was happy because I didn't have to pull off lids of each and every bin to find something.

This is as close to my laundry room as anyone is going to see. Just take me at my word.

No yelling....what was I thinking. I lost it few times this week. I am tired. Period. When I am tired, I get cranky. When I am cranky.....well you know. I have done pretty well, but not as well as I want to. I finally pulled out a jar tonight. I will be informing the kids that when I yell, I will put in a $1. If they yell, they will owe me 30 minutes of electronics time. I think that's fair. the money at the end of the week will be for a treat for them. Let's see who wins.

Can't wait to see how everyone else is doing. Come join us at the 3 in 30 challenge at Welcome to Our Good Life.

2 comments