Clouds Lifting
Gratitude
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. The traditions associated with the birth of Jesus, gift giving, decorating and cooking inevitably leads to “extra” family time coming fresh off of Thanksgiving meals.
Holiday parties can be overwhelming for some folks, this year some have been for me, probably because I’ve not been feeling well, while other engagements I attended with my immediate family. Recently, we attended a band/choir concert from our local public school, my oldest son and his wife (who happens to be carrying our first grandchild) came to visit and then we will be visiting my mom and her sister for Christmas Day.
Last Thursday, I made arrangements to get off work early to listen to my daughter, R, play her flute in front of a crowd. She practices every day and was nervous, but she did exactly what she was supposed to do. Later that evening I also got to listen to her sing in choir, who sang exceptionally well. The school asked that the girls wear a black dress, so she and Momma went to find one on a previous Saturday afternoon. R tastefully and carefully chose her own dress after visiting a few different stores. She looked quite the elegant little lady, and it did my heart good to see her trying new things and seeing some wins. Her Grandpa (my dad) came and sat with us to listen to her play her flute before rushing off to listen to my brothers’ kids do the same thing because they too had a concert. My younger son, R’s older brother, brought his girlfriend and also watched the concert with us; and even brought some yellow roses to give to her when the kids finished performing.
Towards the end of the concert, I found myself being thankful for the moment I was in; my family gathered about listening to good music from talented kids. My wife recorded every moment she could, T and S watching and being supportive, my beautiful R taking her singing seriously while Christmas carols were sung well by the group as a whole. The teachers that the school recently hired for band and choir are exceptional and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was nice to reflect and be grateful.
We had a weekend with a lot of laughs with my kids. White Christmas has always been a family Christmas Classic movie we watch every year. It’s a great filmand I think it's one of the first classic movies (aside from cartoons) that my oldest got interested in from a young age. We watch it when they come over while we eat, visit and play games. My mom made the drive to see D and his wife, who live in Kansas because we often don’t see each other for months at a time.
A couple of takeaways from this: I’m proud of my kids. D shows that he is maturing as a family man and loves to be around us—a lot of dads don’t have that. T shows remarkable compassion and is sensitive to those he is around, both physically and emotionally, but really and truly stands out when he is leading a group activity like board games. I dubbed him the “Game Master,” and look forward to seeing what he might do with this leadership skill he has developed. R loves when all her family visits and wants to be a part of ALL of it, but is as ornery as her Momma, (K) who is both beautiful and gracious as a hostess, mother and wife. K also gets time off from her part time job on Christmas Eve, which is pretty exciting.
Christmas Day we will be off to see Mom and Aunt S with a dish full of some kind of potatoes, to fellowship and eat with family and we are looking forward to it.
Family is important. They are the people God gave me. They are my closest neighbors. Christ has commanded us not only to love Him with all our hearts, minds and strengths, but to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22). Some people do not have that. I am fortunate that I do and thank Jesus for them. So as I aim at whatever is the highest good, they will undoubtedly be involved in some shape or form.
It's funny, the things we know but really don't know until we experience ourselves. Like how gratitude, even at the most humble, basic level, can cause a person to look around and find higher aims, above the clouds as they begin lifting.
Aim up: "..seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33
