On the Downhill Slide

It's been a long time! Turns out this is looking like a seasonal blog.  Thanksgiving was my last post and now Christmas.  Needless to say my free time is non existent these days.  I am going to try and work on that and slow my roll in this upcoming year.  I always hated hearing older adults or my parents tell me how fast the year was passing or life in general and now I've turned into them.  This year was a blur for me.  I'm not exaggerating at all.  I don't know where it went.  It is unreal to me that 2012 is at our door already. 

We survived Christmas and it was wonderful as usual.  Sadly enough I got caught up in the material aspect of it and lost sight of the true meaning.  On Christmas eve night I was tucking the kids into bed and saying prayers and Gunner did the sweetest thing.  I heard him humming and I said, "Sweetie what are you singing?"  He said, " Happy Birthday to Jesus Mommy.  Don't you know it's Jesus' Birthday?"  Needless to say I was a mess and I helped him finish singing.  Out of the mouths of babes.  He's 6 and growing way too fast but I pray he always knows that God loves him and his relationship with God is the very most important thing he'll ever have.   It made me think about the day I had my boys.  Everyone around me awaiting the long anticipated arrival of sweet babies.  I couldn't help but think of Mary and how her heart must have skipped a few beats when she first laid eyes on Jesus.  The joy my heart felt when I seen my babies was unlike any I have ever experienced or ever will.  Can you imagine Mary's joy?  The savior of the world wrapped in flesh and her the mother of God.  Wow.  My mind can't wrap around it but my heart sure feels it.  On Christmas morning I asked my kids before a single present was opened one question. "Were you good enough this year to receive all these gifts?" They looked a little sad and were honest and admitted that they had definitely not been their best throughout 2011. I told them to keep that in mind and remember what Christmas truly is and who it's really about and that none of us were good enough to receive Christ either but He is our greatest gift. I'm so thankful for Christmas and the true meaning of it all whether it happened in December or Winter or not. It's still the time we celebrate and shouldn't we be celebrating all year? 

My after Christmas job is now the organizing part;0)  Not one of my favorite things to do but it's got to be done.  If you have any good websites or clutter cutting ideas I'll take them all! 

And this is a book I read about three months ago and have yet to review until now.  Aren't I the overachiever?This is an excellent novel from one of my favorite authors Stephen Arterburn.  This is his first fictional piece but based it on real events.  It's a great story of forgiveness and the long journey a man takes to find his birth mother and how he handles all the questions he has for her.  He's a wealthy successful man that has had a void his entire life because of the unknown details about his mother.  I can't tell you how it ends or give details but it is a fantastic read.  You'll love it!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”