Christmas was nice

I have to admit I have not had much Christmas spirit this year. Some difficult family issues and just plain old missing my mom have made me kind of depressed. My mom always made holiday's, birthday's, well every special day, very special. She had a way of doing small things, buying lots of gifts that made those days extra special. Now, it is my turn to do that for my kids. I had a wake-up call last night that set me on a better course for enjoying the day. I was feeling sorry for myself and doing the old poor me, I am so lonely bit when I realized that I was given a huge gift in my husband and three kids! I determined then to focus on what I had and not what I did not have.

We had a relaxing morning, playing with new toys, reading, basically being in our pj's until 10 or so. Then I began cooking. The meal went really well! I have struggled in the past to time everything so that when we sit down it is all hot and cooked. I also like to try new things and if they don't work out we are all out of luck. This year I opened a lot of cans and it all tasted great. Whew! We had a good couple of hours to play games and enjoy eachother.

Hope you had a Christmas filled with JOY! Jesus Lord at thy birth!

Forgiveness

What does it mean to be forgiven? The idea is complicated. It involves at least two individuals. It assumes there is a relationship. When an offence happens there is need for forgiveness. What happens if the offender does not ask for forgiveness? That is when it gets complicated. I am speaking from the offended point of view. I feel like I have this offence, this hurt, almost like a box sitting on my lap I did not ask for. What now? Most days I don't want to deal with it so I set it on a shelf and walk away. When I think about it, which happens many times a day, I am faced with the decision again...what to do with it.

I want to live a life God is honored by. A life that speaks of Him and His forgiveness. We read passages today in sunday school that spoke of the need to forgive one another. The conclusion was that we have been forgiven much so we must forgive others. Whoa. That is hard. Rubber meets the road folks.