Bountiful
Blessings
December 8, 2013
Good
morning. I missed you. Well. Some of you I had the pleasure of seeing IN PERSON
this weekend. Yep. That time of year again. Russellville family reunion. Christmas
is like, synonymous with family. Good thing that I love my family. J
I love
everything about this time of the year. I am one of those weirdos who have all
their shopping done by December 1st. Tree is up. Presents are
wrapped. Cards are addressed and ready to go. Magic 96 24 hour Christmas music
on the radio. Oh yea. Change dropped in the red buckets. Pluck an angel off the
tree. Driving through random neighborhoods to look at lights. I don’t mind the
traffic. I overlook the rudeness. I run from here to there and back again. It
makes me feel like a kid again. The excitement. The anticipation. The beauty.
The innocence. It is all so magical. Forget Valentine’s Day. Christmas is all
about love to me.
More
kindness is done near Christmas than all year. Have you noticed that? We give
of our time and our money. We smile at strangers. We hold open doors. Oh, these
things are wonderful. The thing is…. Why do we wait for Christmas? And oh my
goodness, we cram our thanks into two months. From Thanksgiving to Christmas,
how many prayers go up thanking God for our blessings? Seriously. What about
the rest of the year? What changes?
I will
spend this month thanking and praising God for the many blessings he has
bestowed upon me, hugging friends and family telling them that I love them,
giving of my time and money, and even being more forgiving and friendlier to
those, well, that I am not crazy about. Then bam. December 26th, it
is like a switch has been thrown. Christmas me – out the door. Grumpy me –
welcome back home. WHY??!!
So this
year, I am giving myself a present. I am
going to keep Christmas me. Yep. No refunds. Sales final.
What present are you giving yourself? Treat yourself. A mouth full of year-long thanks and praise? A generous and giving spirit? A kind and loving heart? Patience? Compassion? The gifts are endless. Give to yourself and in turn, you will give to others. It’s the “true” gift that keeps on giving.
Quote for the week:
“The
curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can
change.” Carl Rogers
Bible verse for the week:
“Pray
without ceasing.” 1 Thess.
5:17
Bible fun for the week:
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Thanks,
Spirit, Gifts, Nice, Fail, Grumpy Me, Like, God, Love, Eve, Jesus
Picture for the week:
God bless you and keep you!
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