Life ¤ Love ¤ Laughter ¤ Linds

We have survived the pre-Christmas chaos.  Other than forgetting to buy bacon for Christmas morning (how could I forget the bacon?!?), we are wrapped, ready, and feeling relieved!  I'm also waiting for Amazon in conjunction with CanadaPost to do their thing - one last little gift that slipped my mind and is headed to our doorstep (guaranteed delivery by 8 pm tomorrow - nothing like last minute.) The boys are on Christmas break.  All my Wisdom & Whimsy orders have been picked up or delivered.  Toy and food drive contributions have been dropped off.  Outstanding clerical duties have been tied up (I hope!) We skipped one big family get-together to take advantage of a much-needed early night on Friday.  Saturday we visited with our in-town relatives on Kevin's side to exchange gifts with the kids and talk with the adults.  Sunday found us hosting my side of the family with so many smiles and giggles and yummy goodies (great turkey, Mom, and the potat...

This time of year it's so easy to get caught up in the need-tos... need to do this, need to go there, need to find that, etc.  A season that should be reflective of all the good and joy around us become one big anxiety-ridden to-do list.  The joy gets sucked out of everything and things become an obligation that we just can't wait to be over.  We stress about the bills.  We fret about the food. We worry about the shopping list. We scurry to get it all done. But how much are we missing amongst the bustle? How many small moments and big treasures are unappreciated or undiscovered because we're stuck just trying to do it all.  How many times do we lose sight of the true gifts around us? Today I read a devotional with an excerpt from Max Lucado's In The Manger and it hit close to home.  We're no different than millions of people for thousands of year.  Sometimes it's so easy to let everyday life get in the way of an extraordinary life - a life where th...