Things to do, Things to do...

If you're anything like the majority of the population your to-do list right now reads like a novel! I can totally relate. At the start of this week I honestly thought I was going to have a stroke as I tried to figure out how to get it all done. Today? The list is not done, but I'm relaxed and completely content.

How? You're thinking I stayed up late each night to get it done or I have had a large amount of wine? Nope. The Spouse and I took the kids on vacation. For real.

With a to-do list a mile long we decided to head out to our "home" town and go to the waterpark.

Now, I didn't shirk any of the "have to" on my list. I got all my orders out, I took care of bills that needed to be paid, and got my laundry done(I mean the kids HAVE to have clean underwear, right?!) but I really LOOKED at the list. I decided that making those little extra handmade items could wait until next year...or would even make a neat Epiphany gift! New recipes weren't crucial. The caramel didn't need to be wrapped immediately. Wrapping gifts ahead of time wasn't vital. In short, I took stock of what was REALLY important this time of the year. We all KNOW what is important, but do we always follow through with our actions? For once I feel like we got closer to getting it right.

We took a few days and just bummed around with friends...eating pizza at our favorite restaurant, running gifts to dear ones, and enjoying a fire in the fireplace. We also took one entire day and spent it at the waterpark as a family. We played and laughed and took turns crawling up 3 flights of stairs to ride the slides with the kiddos. We snuggled and teased and ate and told jokes. We were silly and carefree...and the joy of the season FINALLY filled us up. At the end of an exhausting day we looked at one another and thanked God for the blessings He's given us; most of all for Jesus.

I pray that in the midst of this busy season you would find a minute to let the LOVE of Christmas fill your heart with joy and peace...that you would have the opportunity to truly stop and look with total love on your dear ones.
In short, Readers, I wish you a VERY Merry Christmas.