Christmas 2012

I love Christmas. I love the emphasis on the birth of our Savior. I love Christmas carols, Black Friday sales, parties, getting cards, decorating, pretty much the whole deal. I love the beauty of the season. I love that it never gets old. Every single year we enter this time with excitement and awe as we prepare to celebrate the birthday of our King. I love the rush. Shopping until the very last minute. Even going to the mall just to watch all those other crazy people rush around. That is good stuff. However, this year was unique.
I still loved every single second, but my experience was so very different this year. Satan tried really hard to rain on our parade and to mess up our plans in the form of pesky little sicknesses. From the beginning of December up until several days before Christmas, we battled a stomach virus, pink eye, the flu, strep throat, and some nasty colds. Out of the five of those, I had 3 of them. There were several days that I did not even get out of bed. Seriously, my husband, my daddy and my in-laws rock. They did everything. Now, I am very aware that even in the midst of all that- we are blessed folks and I am so incredibly thankful for our health! I am also grateful for the lessons I learned this year.
Since I spent most of December quarantined in our house I missed out on a lot all of the fun parties and activities. Was I bummed when Kevin and the boys left to go celebrate without me? YES! Did I force them to go even though they told me they would stay home? YES! Did I sit on the couch and cuddle that sweet baby boy I love so much? My goodness yes!
And you know what? This year was not busy. I did not rush. But I loved it! I have always known that the true meaning of Christmas was found in a manger, not a store. However, it is so very easy to become enamored with the other things that accompany this time of year. Though they are good, well meaning things -they pull our focus away from the heart of Christmas. The spirit of Jesus can get lost in our busy schedules, in the excitement of gifts, and rush of all things seasonal.
But I found it this year. The true Christmas spirit.  It is in my 4 year old who memorized Isaiah 9:6 to surprise and recite for his daddy on Christmas morning. (There little brains are like sponges. That kid knew it after a week of practicing and shared it with daddy long before Christmas!) It is in my 2 year singing "Away in a Manger" completely unprompted. It is all 5 of us cuddled on the couch fighting over one blanket (like there are not 92 more spread through out our house.) It's watching the "Grinch" and singing along.
"Because maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store, perhaps maybe Christmas is a little bit more."

It's glancing across the room, above the chaos of toys, laughter, and kids, to meet Kevin's eye. Knowing, he too, feels what words do not have to say. The love, the warmth, the Jesus. Right here in this place.

My friends, Mr. Grinch was so right. It is so, so, so much more than anything bought at a store.

"For unto us a child is born,

a son is given:

the government will rest on His shoulders.

And He will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

 

Defining moments

 I ask that you join me in praying for all those families in Ct. who lost their precious children today.

There are moments that define our lives. Times that mark beginnings and endings. Times that divide our lives into before and afters. Sometimes these events are so small and insignificant that we fail to recognize their magnitude when they occur. Other times, they are so obvious we cannot help but see their importance. Good or bad. Right or wrong. This is the substance of life. The dots we connect when we look back at our past.  Right now, our little family is experiencing one of those big life changes. A change that will impact us all. Thankfully, this is a good wonderful change that Kevin and I are so incredibly excited about.
Looking back, I can easily spot the moments that have defined my life to this point....

Spring 1997- Gave my heart to Christ. Did I still screw up after this? Yes. Did I still make unfortunate mistakes that directly disobeyed God's commandments? Yes. Did I lay in bed at night begging God to forgive me? Yes. Did God's grace cover my sins and did I repent? YES.

June 1, 1997- Baptized.

September 1999- My sweet momma woke me up to tell me she had breast cancer. At the time, I had no clue what this meant for her or us, as a family.

Tuesday, October 5th 2004- I had a first kiss with a man and knew I would NEVER kiss another.

Tuesday, November 1, 2004- I agreed to marry that same man.

Saturday, May 21, 2005 @ 5:00- I became Kevin's bride.

March 2006- I got a call at work to come straight home. I walked into my parents house and perched on the arm of the couch. (I will never forget these details because what happened next forever changed me.) Daddy and momma gently explained that mom's cancer was in her brain. She had 3 months at best. I no longer had a sick momma. I had a dying momma. What a difference one word makes.

April 14th, 2006 @ 1-ish am- She did not make it 3 months. She lasted 6 weeks and early that Good Friday morning my momma met Jesus. I was lost. I felt like my heart had been removed from my body and died right there beside her in that bed my parents had shared for the last 32 years.

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 @1:55 pm- After 22 hours of  hard labor, God handed me my heart back in the form of a cone-headed (sorry, buddy- but it is the truth) baby boy. Manning Ryan changed me. He made me a momma and I will forever be grateful for that boy. I became assertive, protective, and nurturing in an instant. I would give up my life for this 7lbs of joy.

Wednesday, April 14th 2010 @ 12:30pm- I realized that God can replace sadness with happiness. My second precious baby boy was born on the date of my mother's death (4 years later.) When they handed me that chunky newborn my heart literally doubled. Anyone who has more than one child will agree with me. You find room to love this one JUST as much as the first one. The same fierce intensity. It's amazing. I have a favorite pair of shoes, a favorite food, and a favorite pair of jeans. But I could never have a favorite child. God just did not make us mommas that way. Myers Wilson has brought so much laughter into our house. I cannot imagine anyone more hilarious than this tiny little guy.

Friday, February 3rd, 2012 @ 1:08pm- Arriving with complete urgency, with a decreasing heart rate, and vacuum delivery, McCann Riggs proved again that our GOD knows what HE is doing. Looking in Kevin's teary eyes, as the machines beeped, and nurses rushed in, I knew this baby was going to be so special. I mean, seriously, what an entrance. This kid is the happiest, mellow, momma-loving baby. Again, my heart just embraces this precious baby. I hold onto him, loving him so much.

And here we are nearly 11 months later.

In August, I agreed to "facilitate" a women's Bible Study at my church. It was the study of Jonah written by Priscilla Shirer. She focosed on changing our perspective on the we view interruptions in our life. "Priscilla redefines interruption and shows that interruption is actually God's invitation to do something beyond our wildest dreams. When Jonah was willing to allow God to interrupt his life, the result was revival in an entire city." She challenged us to see God's movement in our lives as a "divine intervention" rather than an interruption.

Although my schedule was already busy and I knew I might should decline, something compelled me to lead this group (even before I knew about the topic) . Little did I know God was preparing my heart and gearing me up for a huge "divine intervention."

Early November 2012

As a family, we have been called to full-time ministry. Kevin will be attending seminary in the fall of next year and we will seek to follow God as he leads us down HIS perfect path.  This decision has changed us, already redefining the way we approach life. We thank you, in advance, for your prayers and support.