Nick asked me this morning "I have to be good at school 'cause God and Santa are watching me, right Mom?" Oops...Yes, the fact that Nick sees God and Santa as being magical equals on the balance scale is my fault. I speak highly of God, but I guess just as highly of Santa? In the excitement of planning for Christmas, (and of course all my Christmas shopping) I missed the boat on explaining the connection between Santa and God. It's important that my children understand what the Christmas holiday is all about. I want them to look forward to visiting with family, attending Christmas services at church, listening to AND understanding the story of the birth of Jesus. I cringe at the thought of someday having teenagers who look forward only to the gifts that the holiday will bring. I hope they will most look forward to visiting with loved ones (even those that don't give gifts) and celebrating at church with our family.
Luckily, it's Nov. 8th. I have more than a month to adjust the Christmas path that I've been steering my children (and lets be honest, myself) down. Maybe I'll stick with reading the kids 'Twas The Night Before Christmas and The Polar Express only once or twice a week and include The Birth of Jesus and The Christmas Story (The Bible Story) the other days of the week. Opening a dialogue with the kids about Jesus' birthday will surely excite them. For me, maybe a little less focus on the shopping, and a little more focus on those I'm shopping for? A little less concentration on how I'll get this tiny apartment decorated to my standards, and more on having fun decorating with my babies.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Sarah's November Mourning
I was emailed a prayer request from a new friend here in Lexington last week. I receive these requests from friends and family on occasion and usually do a quick prayer for the person in need. This email was different. It rocked me to my core.
Sarah and Darrin lost their beautiful 3-year old little boy Henry to a congenital disease called Agammaglobulinemia last year. He became ill and arrived at what his mommy refers to as his "angel day" less than a week later. It happened so suddenly that they had no knowledge or preparation for the illness. Unfortunately, they've found that their 2-year old little boy Jack has the same disease. Jack is currently being treated with blood transfusions. I believe that Henry's last gift to his family was information. His illness gave doctors the information they needed to treat his baby brother. What an amazing gift.
I found myself thinking of this family a lot the past few days. I haven't met them personally, but feel a strong connection to Sarah based on our children's ages. I've stumbled upon her blog and am beyond touched by her words and her strength. She writes about the hole she feels in her chest without Henry here. She writes about she and her husband's grief and about how they get through their day-to-day. She also writes about how she began running, changed her diet and even her hobbies in the past year. I wonder how she finds the strength and the time to type those words, much less get out of bed each morning.
Thank you Sarah for reminding me that every single day is a gift. Every moment we're given with our children should be cherished and busting at the seams with love. Her story reminds me to turn off the TV, pull the puzzles and Lincoln Logs out of the closet, and play with my kids. I'm reminded to kiss Nick and Abby and tell them how much I love them, as often as I can. The laundry, dirty dishes and unmade beds will be there tomorrow. That LEGO castle needs built today!
Click here to read Sarah's Blog "What I Know Today."...... *Tissues Required*
Below is a picture from Sarah's blog of Henry and Jack.
.JPG)
Sarah and Darrin lost their beautiful 3-year old little boy Henry to a congenital disease called Agammaglobulinemia last year. He became ill and arrived at what his mommy refers to as his "angel day" less than a week later. It happened so suddenly that they had no knowledge or preparation for the illness. Unfortunately, they've found that their 2-year old little boy Jack has the same disease. Jack is currently being treated with blood transfusions. I believe that Henry's last gift to his family was information. His illness gave doctors the information they needed to treat his baby brother. What an amazing gift.
I found myself thinking of this family a lot the past few days. I haven't met them personally, but feel a strong connection to Sarah based on our children's ages. I've stumbled upon her blog and am beyond touched by her words and her strength. She writes about the hole she feels in her chest without Henry here. She writes about she and her husband's grief and about how they get through their day-to-day. She also writes about how she began running, changed her diet and even her hobbies in the past year. I wonder how she finds the strength and the time to type those words, much less get out of bed each morning.
Thank you Sarah for reminding me that every single day is a gift. Every moment we're given with our children should be cherished and busting at the seams with love. Her story reminds me to turn off the TV, pull the puzzles and Lincoln Logs out of the closet, and play with my kids. I'm reminded to kiss Nick and Abby and tell them how much I love them, as often as I can. The laundry, dirty dishes and unmade beds will be there tomorrow. That LEGO castle needs built today!
Click here to read Sarah's Blog "What I Know Today."...... *Tissues Required*
Below is a picture from Sarah's blog of Henry and Jack.
.JPG)
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