It's Beginning to Look A Little More Like Christmas

What a great weekend. We finally got our tree up -which was pretty painless this year. The lights cooperated, no ornaments were broken. I got lots of shopping done, Alyssa has the cards under control, and to round out the weekend... a beautiful time of worship at church with Christmas carols and time to just sit in awe of God and His incredible plan. At one point, during one of my favorite carols, I looked around and saw the familiar faces of church family and just had an ahhhh moment. I'm striving to find the balance of focusing on the simple joy and beauty of this season and taking care of the not so simple tasks that go along with it. God is so good to provide just what we need at just the right time. And, thank you, God, that's all year long.

Going Home

I was away during Thanksgiving so I missed being able to blog all that I am thankful for. Thankfully, I can do that every day! And, being away, visiting with family, definitely made me more grateful and aware of the blessings that abound in my life.

I always love going "home". I love the familiar smell of my mom's house, playing the annual Scrabble game with my brother(who rarely ever loses), visiting the local Zesto(it's a burger drive-in place that has the best ice cream cones that all the locals call "a custard"), riding through the park to see the light display and just having down time to sit and talk about the cousin of my former Sunday School teacher who married so and so once removed... There's nothing quite like it- it's so simple- and that's just how it's supposed to be. And, I'm thankful for that.

How fitting that Advent should fall just after Thanksgiving. I'm ready to rejoice in the true reason for this season - and every day of the year. Somehow, going home helped me realize that.