Sunday, December 25, 2016

Amazon Boxes and James Avery Charms

Merry Christmas. Yes, let's celebrate the birth of Jesus and acknowledge Him as our Savior. Truly, the greatest gift from God. Sharing that story is paramount to any other activity on which we spend our time. Go tell it on the mountain. Talk about it over the dinner table. Shine that light.

Now, we can transition to another great gift this holiday season. The gift of Amazon Prime. How did we do Christmas before the joy and pure beauty of two-day free shipping? For this Christmas, I received at least 15 Amazon boxes. Some had one gift enclosed, others had several.

I began my Christmas-gift planning in November. I knew most of the gifts I needed to buy. And, I started ordering. Most every other day, there was a box on my porch. Either it was waiting for me at day's end or I would hear the 'ding dong' of the doorbell announcing an arrival.

When, Christmas lists were written and other requests made, I could pop on no matter the time of day or night and put in another order.

Easy, breezy, lemon squeezy ordering, receiving and then, oh yeah, organizing and wrapping. OK, those last two aren't so easy or breezy, but the first two, yep. Easy. Breezy.

It's $99 for the year. That's it and you can order as much or as little as you want (need?!). What. A. Bargain. What. A. Gift.

Christmas morning at our house starts around 7:30 a.m. The girls are not the earliest risers, but they do get up and go when it comes to greeting the gifts. This year, the girls were really into the Elf on the Shelf, Santa and decorating. Before anyone worries, we started off the day with a conversation and Bible study on why we celebrate Christmas. Both girls nailed it and are available for quizzing.

The gifts ranged this year from favorites of a hot glue gun and Julie the American Girl doll to Season One Shopkins (it's a miracle was the exclamation) and gymnastics mats. A Whataburger Yeti, a Fitbit Blaze and a gym bag were other favorites from the non-little ones.

We have so much and the gifts are really just icing to the blessing we have already received.

This year involved quite a few transitions. Best friends moving. Changing colleges. After-school activities. All required major planning and scheduling. Fourth parts still took place but some days there seemed to be little time for the joy of nothing (remember, watching Bravo is my nothing). With the transitions, there were some anxious moments, some tears and some serious praying.

While we do have our Savior and are encouraged (no asked) to cast our anxieties on Him, as a mom, there are days, times, moments where it is much easier to sit in the anxieties than trust in something greater. Melatonin, Tylenol PM and Unisom always help, but so do friends who care and the word of God.

In a few weeks, we have another transition. Chris is moving to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech. He's thrilled and so confident in this decision. He's a different kid. Not the same one who went off to school last year. And, this isn't the same situation. No more football and no more weekly visits to watch games. He'll be six hours away. He'll be living in an apartment. He'll be starting to 'adult.'

I've wondered if this was the right move and if it was at the right time. Things are falling into place so I know it's right. Plus, we continue to receive confirmation from God that it is the right move and right time.

And, then, I open a gift from Chris this morning. It's a Texas Tech James Avery charm. He bought it. He wants me to put it on my charm bracelet right away. He's proud. He's ready.

So, we pray for our hearts to be ready to accept Jesus and his blessings. We pray that we can proudly (without boasting) share the story of Jesus' birth, death and resurrection. We pray that things are done at the right time and according to God's path for us (rather than ours).

Then, you get a simple gift. A simple charm. Something bought with pride. Something paid for after a lot of hours at a retail job. Something he wants his mom to wear.

That's way better than Amazon Prime.

Merry Christmas.


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