All I want for Christmas

No ... it's not my two fwont teeff! LOL But that song is stuck in my head now ...

Every year my mom says that all she wants for Christmas is for her family to be healthy and happy, and every year, I think how sweet that is. And I agree, but I still busy myself making a list of "stuff" I'd also like for Christmas. I think I just take my family's health for granted.

In fact, this year I wrote my Christmas letter before Thanksgiving, in which I talked about how my family is healthy. And then my father-in-law was in the hospital over the whole Thanksgiving holiday. Oops, I thought. I guess we're not as healthy as I thought. But still I didn't pause enough. Yes, I prayed for him and asked others to do so as well. But overall, there was too much to do, too much to think about.

Then my mom called with the news that there might be something wrong with my sister Erin's baby girl, who Erin is currently carrying at about 28 weeks. I was shaken, but my faith told me that everything would be fine.

But it wasn't until we were at Charlie's parents' this weekend celebrating Christmas that God reminded me how blessed I am to have a healthy family. He reminded me so vividly that I am to rejoice and humble myself in gratefulness for the most important things in my life.

Charlie's dad was back in the hospital earlier this month, but he received excellent care and underwent a procedure to fix the problem in his heart. He was a bit tired and not quite himself this past weekend, but his prognosis is great. And I am so looking forward to seeing him with his energy restored and his body healed.

We got to spend two days with Charlie's sister Melody, her husband Kenny, and their darling daughter Eva, who's one. We've seen so many pictures of her that we definitely feel like we know her, but to see her in the flesh was such a blessing. She reminded me to never take for granted the wonder of hearing a loved one laugh and seeing them smile.

I talked to my mom on Sunday, and she gave me the wonderful news that Erin's baby will be absolutely fine and that the baby's heart has a small hiccup that should cause her no harm in her delivery or her life. Yippee!

I am so happy that things have worked out so well, and I will especially cherish this Christmas as a reminder of what a gift it is to have the people I love in my life. I am also reminded that I have an internal joy and peace that only comes from my savior Jesus Christ. For this I am most thankful! And I know that if things hadn't worked out well, I could still hold on to this peace and joy that surpasses all circumstances. And for that, I am also grateful.

But, God, I've gotta say a big THANK YOU!!! I am sure glad to have my loved ones are healthy and happy this Christmas. Whew!

May you and yours be happy and healthy this Christmas. But most of all, may you have the peace and joy only Jesus can give.

Merry Christmas!
Tracy

“Mess-free” Color Wonder, a black eye, and a 4T sleeper

Motherhood rule #3768 – The words “mess free” do not apply to any product a 2-year-old boy could possibly get his hands on. I was reminded of this simple, yet crucial, rule just this evening by my sweet boy Shea.

I had slipped downstairs to get just a couple things off the computer. Shea and his ever-watchful big sister Megan were upstairs entertaining themselves. I thought, what could go wrong; I’ll be gone just a minute (rule #107, don’t ever let yourself believe that there is such a thing as a harmless, unsupervised minute).

Well, I’m not sure how it all started, but Megan’s Color Wonder art kit got brought out, Megan came downstairs, and Shea was left to his own devices for said “minute.” If you’re unfamiliar with Color Wonder, it really is a wonderful product. They make the special markers that work only on the special Color Wonder paper and nothing else. The markers look white (or colorless) if used on regular paper, clothing, skin etc. In this kit Megan got for her birthday, it also includes Color Wonder finger paint, which is also white (colorless) “stuff” that is kind of like jelly – or hair gel … You can probably see where I’m going with this …

When I came upstairs, Shea had scooped all the gel from several of the finger paint color wells and rubbed it through his hair. He was frustrated because he didn’t like the feel of it on his hands and wanted me to clean them. I was horrified at the sight of his new, spiked and greasy hair-do.

I tried to wash it, but rule #4385 states that stuff like that never washes out. With Megan it was Vaseline; with Shea, it’s Color Wonder finger paint. He’s asleep now, but he was up a few minutes ago for an extra middle-of-the-night snuggle, and the gel is starting to dry and get crusty. Maybe we’ll try washing it again tomorrow, or we’ll see if it flakes out throughout the day. Either way I’ll be sure to get a picture for your viewing pleasure.

Again, if I had my digital camera yet, I could post it right away, but as things stand it’ll be a while. When you do see it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the funky hair, the black eye he got when he fell at church on Sunday and hit his cheek on a kneeler, and the super-cute, size 4T! Buzz LightYear sleeper he’s wearing. And you know, I haven’t taken the picture yet, but I know he’ll be smiling from ear to ear and melting my heart and causing me to forget at least half of the standard mom rules. :-)

Busy, busy ...

"I work for god." St. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:23-24, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

I am blessed with work ... idle hands are the devil's tools ... those cliches, I've found to be true. My new boss commented today about how much happier I seem in my new position than I was in my old. And on this day, the busiest since I started in technical support, I find that it is true.

There was a time when I was unchallenged and unhappy in my work - not in my home, family, church work - but in my daily, make-some-money, feed-the-family work. I remember looking back over the previous year and not seeing any remarkable accomplishments, no desire to tackle new challenges. I was being reprimanded for tardiness and too much time on the internet. Things seemed to be spiraling downwards.

I felt a bit hopeless and without clear purpose or direction, but in it all, I prayed and trusted that God had a plan for my life. I was just getting a little bit impatient waiting for things to change. I applied for several new jobs in my company and found no success, until God opened the door to this position, which I believe is exactly where I'm meant to be. Thank you, Jesus!

There was a point where I could barely stand to read the passage from Colossians because I felt so disappointed in myself, but God is faithful. And I am so happy to be in a position where I can work hard and give my all. To work, to be challenged, to give unto the Lord ... whatta blessing!

Oh, my group just received this email from the head of another tech support group. :-)
"Congratulations to the Unit Controls group…for taking 105 calls today with an average call answer time of 2 minutes and 35 seconds. Very impressive!

Note: This was with half a staff due to split day training!"

Somewhere in the middle

A dash of nostalgia mixed with a glint of the future and some fun for the present. That's the kind of night I had.

My friend Kay invited me to the Minnesota Gophers women's volleyball game tonight at the "barn" aka Williams Arena. I asked Kay whether Megan could go too, and she agreed. So Kay, Megan, Kay's Mom Marion, and I went out to the University of Minnesota campus to see the game. It was a gorgeous fall evening with a cool fall breeze but an unseasonably warm temperature. There was energy in the air as students and fans headed to the volleyball game in Williams or the women's hockey game next door. I loved the sound of the band playing outside and people chit chatting on their way in.

Minnesota played the Hoosiers of Indiana, and we all had a great time. Volleyball has changed so much since I played in high school. Instead of playing to 15 points; they now play to 30. And instead of having to serve the ball to get a point; a point is scored on every serve. The game moved so quickly, partly due to the new rules and largely due to the level of play. These girls can play!

So, the whole night felt so special. It made me nostalgic to the times I played in high school and how much I loved the game itself and how I wanted to excel so badly at it. I didn't, but I still loved it so. It reminded me of the fun of college and cheering for men's basketball games in arenas a bit smaller than the one we were in. I wondered at what activities my sweet girl Megan will choose as she gets older and chooses her own activities. We saw teams of high school girls who'd come to watch the game, and I thought to myself how I hope Megan has an opportunity to be part of a team and has opportunities to dream big!

Of course, the greatest part of the whole night was being there with some fine ladies and my sweet girl. She loved waving the Minnesota flag Kay got her and keeping an eye out for Goldy (the Gopher mascot) and his latest antics. She yelled "Point U!" when the Gophers scored and held me tight as we stood for the national anthem. It was great!

How precious it is that no matter where I've been in the past and where I'll be in the future, right now I'm somewhere in the middle and right where I want to be, experiencing the most amazing blessing of being a mom.