my favorite things about this past holiday season were the simplest things:
below are just a couple of moments from over the last three weeks. (this post is "Cause Family Christmas" and i'm hoping the next post will be "After Christmas in Kansas". my sister flew me out to meet part of my family in kansas on the 27th. it was good.)
so, without further ado. . .these were a few of my favorite things. . .
- a huge box of texas pecans sent with love from my dear friend peggy.
- christmas cards with family photos.
- quiet time to think and read.
homemade chicken noodle soup right before christmas that jason made for the group. a blessing because: #1 it was homemade. #2 i got a break from cooking #3 jason listened to the bible on cd the whole time he cooked (while i was upstairs cleaning!) and #4 there were leftovers for two more days of eating. yummy!
i had to list chris on my blog under blessings, though it's bittersweet. chris came to live at the cause in august. he hooked up with thecause on our tour this summer. chris was on the prayer set that matthew & i led the last four months. chris got his fill of teaching, reading, praying and healing over these last five months and has decided to hit the road again. we blessed him to go, but he knows there's an open door for him to come back. (soon, i hope!) this was the best of our try at a "self-portrait" the day before he left. we love you, chris!
definitely on of my "favorite things" is time with richelle. she rocks! (also in our prayer set, i get to see her almost every day.) this is just a snapshot from some of the girls exchanging gifts. (there were just a few of us left at christmas. some had a little $ to buy a new gift, others went thrifting for a little treat, and others gave something of their own.) my treasured gift from richelle was 2 carved wooden pieces that i can use to put my hair up with. it used to be hers. what a friend! what a joy!
ah, michelle. i would call her my partner in crime, except we don't commit any! this is my friend! (we just kind of make sure everyone's okay & fed when no one else is around. we also pulled off probably the best christmas eve dinner i've ever been a part of!)
our little band was so filled with joy on christmas eve, we couldn't sleep. at 2am christmas day, 10 or so of us went into charlotte, sang christmas carols & took pictures at/in the big christmas tree. (alaska phil is in the back of this one.) what a memory!
this last picture of the day holds two of my favorite christmas blessings. first, is the little christmas tree that graced our house the day before christmas. i will always remember the circumstance that led up to a good friend trimming a tree for me to have. in fact, i love it so much, i haven't taken it down yet!
the tree brings me to the second of the blessings. anyone who has known me long, knows that i appreciate gifts. like them, enjoy them, even love them! (not for the sake of spending lots of money, but for the sake of honoring.) it's not any old gift that i like, but finding that little something that can be given that somehow seems to say, "i know you and i love you," moves me to tears. dare i say that one of my "love languages" from smalley's book is the giving of gifts? yes, indeed. i think it is! this wasn't a christmas where i could purchase many things at all, but it was a christmas of giving what i had or thrift store shopping. and more than anything, giving my love and my "thank you"s to everyone i could.
ah. . . favorite things. i think i have too many to choose from.
but one thing i will promise. the favorite nephews will make the next blog!
So, I was actually sitting in the prayer room yesterday spending some time with the Lord when this random thought came and swept right through my brain. I said I was going to post pics of the nephews from the holidays. And I haven't yet. So now I am (because I want to be a woman of my word!)
