be heard on the radio. We have always enjoyed the holidays, but we used to scorn the “early birds” who would begin humming carols before the official start (i.e. Thanksgiving). But this year things are different. (Photo: Grace with her first tooth poking out.)Talking to a couple of our friends we realized that our updates from Chad tended to concentrate on the good things. Even when we had bad days, they seemed to make funny stories for the blog that didn’t seem so bad in retrospect. It was not intentional, but sometimes we may have made life seem a bit easier than it always felt there. Reading our old postings, this was especially true of the holiday season.
You may have trouble understanding what I’m getting at if you’ve never lived in a place that doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Even if you don’t “get into the spirit of things”, the celebration is all around you. And true, there is a lot to frown upon—the rush to buy, buy, buy, the traffic, the stress, the forgotten Christ child—but the Christmas season is part of our culture, and the funny thing about culture is that, good or bad, it feels “right” because it’s home. Traditions are important. They create continuity and stability.
That said, we plan to relish this Christmas season. We look forward to good times spent with family and friends, singing Christmas carols, giving gifts, cozy nights by a fire, Christmas puzzles, trimming trees, advent wreaths, the smell of pine, and the celebration of a child’s birth—a child who would be a light to all nations.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
We’ve been working hard this week on getting Grace onto a better schedule. Thank you to those of you who prayed for this because she has adjusted wonderfully! We’ve had some wonderful opportunities this past week to be with friends we don’t get to see regularly. It was really good to connect with old friends.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
We are going to New Jersey for Thanksgiving. Pray for our travels and our time with family. Grace has one tooth now and more on the way, pray for happy teething.
