This picture may seem like a funny one to share with you since you probably don't know who this is or what he's doing, but bare with me for just a moment if you will....
This picture, to me, represents the true meaning of Christmas and here's why. Every year for as long as I can remember, we'd gather around the Christmas tree to open gifts, and my Dad would have us all sit down and he'd read us the Christmas story from the Bible before we could open gifts. Now you can imagine, for a couple -- or 5 -- antsy little kids, this was NOT high up on our priority list for Christmas morning! LOL!! He would read the story and we would fidget and stare at the gifts under the tree, and wish he would hurry up! And just to make sure that we REALLY paused for a moment and 'got it' about what Christmas was all about -- before the gift hooplah, he would have us sing some Christmas carols together after he finished reading the story! (Hahaha... now, I think it's kinda funny but at the time, I SO didn't!) ;) Usually we would sing Joy To The World and maybe Silent Night, and then we'd sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.
Obviously, I'm all grown up now, but this is a picture from this past weekend when all my siblings and parents came over for our Christmas gathering......it's a picture of my Dad reading the Christmas story to us from the Bible.....doing the same thing he's done with us -- FOR us, really -- my entire life and I'm so, so grateful. (and yes, we still sang carols when he was finished!) I appreciate him taking the time to instill in us, why we celebrate Christmas.
I hope that you are able to squeeze in a little of the same this Christmas season. Some time to pause and reflect with your children and loved ones, on what it's really all about. Christ's birth. If you're not sure where to find the story, just read the first 20 verses from Luke 2.
I wish you all the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Years! Thank you for the blessing you are to me!
~Dawn
