I forgot just how bitter a December wind in Iowa can be...tonight I was reminded when Mom and I tried to go on a walk in the new part of our subdivision where there are no houses to help block the merciless cold. Needless to say, we cut our walk very short and were met with surprise when we returned to the house after only a few minutes.

This was a different kind of Christmas in our household...celebrating on Christmas Eve with my brother and his family left just my folks and me today. So after spending lunch with my best friend from high school/college and her family, my folks and I got in the car and headed to the movie theater to see "The Nativity" (I didn't know movie theaters were open on Christmas Day!)...trying my hardest not to critique it to pieces, I decided that overall, it was a really well-done movie...it was what I needed to fill the emptiness I had been feeling regarding the "Christmas-spirit."

Yesterday seemed a cruel trick...I was awoken early by my dad pounding on my bedroom door and yelling as only a good drill sergeant can....just as he used to do every Sunday morning as I was growing up. My blinds were closed, but I got a glimpse through a crack in them...and my heart leaped when I saw what appeared to be white...when I asked Dad, he informed me that in fact it was NOT snow, but rather a very heavy frost...so I got up and looked for myself. Oh well, I guess it was close...Lord knows we don't get everything we ask for. Yet, despite disappointments, there is much to be thankful for...

...time with family that one does not see so often anymore
...the hug and conversation of an old friend
...an unexpected gift in the mail from another dear friend
...phone calls from other beloved friends
...unexpected emails, no matter how random
...time just to be...to unwind...and to rest and get focused again
...a Saviour who came as a helpless baby destined for a cross in my place