Now that November is behind us, Christmas time is approaching with great speed (as always). As of today, December 9th, we have yet to get a tree and our decorations remain packed neatly in their tupperware bins. Our only reminder of Christmas is our wooden advent tree - a focal point in our dining room that helps us to slow down each day to prepare in this advent season. It has kept me grounded. The decorations don't matter yet, the preparation is the important part. Today our advent challenge is JOY. We told Julia that we are joyful because we are anticipating Christ's birth (she is pretty excited about Jesus lately and has started folding her hands as we pray to Him). Charles gave Julia a goofy demonstration of how we show joy and then asked Julia to show us how she shows joy. She promptly broke out in a very excited clap for us. It's these simple gifts that remind us of the true meaning of this season. Sometimes life gives us reasons to stop. Our recent circumstances have caused us to do this, which has been such a gift for our family. We have had a "we will just do what we can" perspective, which has allowed us to rally as a family and invest in the important things this Christmas. Other times, we must be ever mindful of our need to slow down and just enjoy the ride. Being in the presence of a child is the ultimate excuse to do this! Here are a few of my simple JOYS over the past few weeks:
A new found love for the hide-n-seek - a great game when new cabinets go in.
Celebrating Thanksgiving with some great family and friends.
Enjoying our cozy comforts of home in our new kitchen.
And enjoying some family time after the turkey trot.
Where do you find joy this Christmas?
I would love to see more "after" photos of that gorgeous new kitchen!
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