Christmas Carnival Day 4

Hello and welcome to Day 4 of the Wives of Faith Christmas Blog Carnival! 

I missed out on yesterday's topic thanks to spending most of the day at the Dr.'s office...I am feeling so much better today (ah the wonders of those painful shots)  so I thought I would blog today. 

Today's topic is "My Grown Up Christmas List"

I did not have to think about this one too long...sure material things popped in my head initially and that is ok, but as I thought about it, I reflected on a conversation I was able to have with our 6 yr old.  I was apologizing to him for still not having our Christmas tree up and reassured him that as soon as I felt better we would get that tree up.  He stood there for a moment and said "mommy, it is really ok.  It is not about the tree or the presents anyway.  I stood there for a moment and said "well, son can you tell mommy what it is about?"  he replied "well, mommy it is all about Jesus.  He was born on Christmas day and that is what we should celebrate"  Yep...tears....

So first on my "Grown-up List" is thanks to our 6 yr old:
1.  That we would all share the great news of Jesus with everyone...flood the world with the message of HIS saving grace.  That on Christmas day and everyday we remember what is important.

I miss my husband and brother terribly.  I miss the comfort of my hubby taking care of me.  I miss the long talks that my brother and I were able to have.  I miss all the fun activities we would be doing if they were here.  I am trying so hard to keep things normal and routine for all of us...but I can not help but to feel a huge hole that I just can not fill. 

So second on my "Grown Up List" is:
2.  That all the wives who are alone this Christmas will feel an extra special comfort during this season.  That they will not feel alone and have the strength to keep going.

Which makes me think about my children and all the children who have a deployed parent.  I can not imagine what their hearts feel or their minds think.  Often my children try to communicate these things to me, and I do my best to understand, but really I can not even begin to fathom.  The other day I allowed the kids to pick out presents to send daddy.  I had no input in their gift choices...I wanted the choices to be all theirs.  And let me tell you, I still laugh about the choices.  ;)  (Not gonna share here cause occasionally Jason reads and I do not want to spoil the fun)  As the kids wrapped the gifts themselves (when I say wrap, I mean with nearly an entire roll of tape) I asked our 4 yr old why she chose her gift.  She looked at me in complete seriousness and said "Silly, mommy because I want my daddy to laugh!"

So third on my "Grown Up" list is courtesy of our 4 yr old:
3.  That all our soldiers will feel the love and appreciation from all of us at home.  That even though they are thousands upon thousands of miles away from "home" that they will be able to enjoy their Christmas day free of worries and fears...and of course that they will get something in a care package that will make them laugh ;)

Then my heart turns to the families who experience sickness.  I think of a precious family in our church that are currently living in TX as their daddy is receiving treatment for cancer and the mommy and 3 precious children who are with him...encouraging him and praying for him.  I think about how much more meaning this season must have for them!

So fourth on my "Grown Up" list:
4.  That all the families who are battling with sickness this Holiday season will feel complete comfort during this time.  That they will be able to experience complete joy and sense of normalcy even if just for a moment. 

I think about how this will be the first Christmas in my 30+ years of life that I will not get a big-squeezing hug from my grand-daddy...(He lost his battle with cancer this past February, but now he is completely healed and experiencing a Christmas celebration that I long to join him in)  I think about the other families who will also be experiencing their first Christmas after the loss of a loved one.  Not just those of us who are having our "first" but all those who are missing someone this season. Be it the first, 5th, 15th, or 50th you still have that longing to see them and their smile and wonder what it would be like.

So fifth on my "Grown Up" list:
5.  That the families who are missing that someone special this Holiday season will feel God's loving arms around them.  That even though there will be sadness and maybe even tears that they will also have smiles and laughter as they recall special memories

I also think about friends of mine who are have brought home orphans and made them their forever children.  I think about how wonderful it must be for the families to pull up an extra chair at their tables.  And how wonderful for these children to experience a family and learn about Jesus.  I also think about families who are waiting to be connected with their forever children and how much excitement and anticipation they must be feeling.

So sixth on my "Grown Up" list is:
6.  That all the children in the world who are longing for a mommy and daddy will soon be connected to their forever families.

So those are my "Grown-Up" Christmas list wishes...on a selfish note, I would also like to over indulge in all the yummy goodies and not gain an ounce.... hahaha  (hey, I can dream right???)

Be sure to click HERE and read what other military spouses are sharing on their "grown up" Christmas wish list.