Blessings

Blessed. Truly blessed, to say the least. That is what we are. We are blessed is so many ways, from having a warm, cozy home to food on the table to Robert having a stable job to me having the privilege of being at home with our beautiful boys to having amazing friends and family and I could go on. Forever. I am rich in so many ways, and I'm not talking about financially. This time of year, especially given our country's economic situation, I am finding it more important that ever to be so appreciative of all that we are so fortunate to have. Especially the small things, the small things that mean so much.

This Christmas we are able to buy gifts for our loved ones, but we are cutting back just like everyone else. Not just because we want to conserve money, but because in all honesty it's not about the material gifts. It's about the intangible ones. The feelings, the sights and the true meaning of this season. My boys will have more gifts from friends and family than any child needs. They will love it. However, Robert and I have never been big gift people and we tend to keep all gift-giving occasions pretty simple. The boys will have one present each from mommy and daddy and a few small things from Santa and some very small (can we say $1 bin at Target!) things for their stockings. And, to tell the truth, I would rather my children just have fun, positive, special feelings about this time of year than to have a single gift under the tree. This is what I strive for. For my children to have nothing but pure joy and understanding of the Christmas season. We are doing pretty well on this, too. They know why we celebrate Christmas and just love to see the manger and baby Jesus. They don't really understand the whole Santa thing, party because I have not stressed it too much. They will get into that soon enough. For now, I want them to focus on the real meaning of Christmas and set a foundation of nothing but happy memories.

I say a prayer every night for those families that are in a more difficult situation than we are. Although we may not be there now, we do not know what the future holds. I wish everyone a glorious, blessed Christmas and I believe that we should all be more appreciative of the little things that make us so rich. As these are the things that make Christmas a truly magical time of year.

Many Blessings and Merry Christmas!