Christmas thoughts...

Man...I'm like a kid in a candy store this time of the year...literally. Mom and I baked 9 different kinds of cookies last weekend, and I did not keep my hand out of the cookie jar!!! SO BAD!!!! I'm making up for it this week; I took the plunge and joined a gym (24-Hour Fitness), and am back into my schedule of hitting the elliptical. My weight loss had kind of paused, but it has picked back up again, in spite of the cookie-a-thon! I love Christmas!
This season seems like so much fun! I'm back to my yearly Christmas-music obsession; I currently have somewhere around 900 Christmas songs in my computer, and have them on continual rotation. I think that Straight No Chaser is my favorite band this season; I guess I have a soft spot for acapella music! I'm driving David crazy, but that's not exclusive to the season!
There's a certain longing that hits pretty hard at Christmas...little girls in pretty dresses on Santa's lap, make me wonder what Hannah would have been like this time of the year. I decided in 2007 that I would pay special attention to things I could do at Christmas that would not only honor Hannah's memory, but would also keep my focus on the true Reason for this season, as opposed to focusing on what I'm missing in my life.
I've kinda made a commitment to do random acts of kindness (RAK). Without going into detail, it's been fun to be a secret blessing to people! I haven't told anyone I know about what I'm up to...part of the fun of it is keeping my mouth shut, and knowing that it's between me and God. You never know when a RAK is going to have a serious impact, and I encourage you to try something crazy to bless someone! In fact, someone from my office told me about someone else who's been doing random acts of kindness for her, and how it's changed her Christmas season. I didn't do this...but I think I'm going to try it in the future. Here's her story:
This middle-aged woman has a teenage daughter; her husband died unexpectedly earlier this year. I don't know the details of his death, but I do know that she thought he was perfectly healthy, so his death at such a young age was a huge shock. She's struggled...life after losing a spouse is dramatically different. She lost her best friend, not to mention the family breadwinner, in a tough economy. Insurance details, bills, the financial stress--it was overwhelming for this family. This first Christmas without a husband and father loomed on the horizon, a bleak day of sadness that would in no way compare to the happy Christmases past. Just few days ago, however, a Random Act of Kindness changed the pall over the household. Someone known only as the "Christmas Angel" has been ringing their doorbell, leaving them little gifts on each of the 12 Days of Christmas: 2 Snazzy Snowmen (mugs with cocoa), A Partridge in a Pear Tree (a star ornament). Little gifts, yes...but this family who could only focus on what they were missing, has now had their focus shifted, and now look forward to their mysterious visitor and a ringing doorbell. This "Christmas Angel" has made these two ladies smile during a time of great sadness.
That's a Random Act of Kindness, folks. Someone is so thoughtful to these girls; someone has no idea that this woman is so touched that she was crying as she told me about the little gifts today. What a blessing--whoever that "Christmas Angel" is, I pray that they are mightily blessed, because this woman and her daughter are seeing a new meaning to Christmas. They know that there is hope, that they are smiling and will smile again...they know that Christmas this year, though sad, points to better Christmases down the road. All because of a Random Act of Kindness.
Be brave. Do something crazy. Help the guy on the side of the road...help a person in a wheelchair get through a door (it's harder than you think!). Help a child get their coat on when their mother has her hands full. Remember the widows this time of the year...remember the people who lost someone they loved, this Christmas.
Be a "Christmas Angel" to someone you don't know, and keep it between you and God. You'll be amazed at how blessed you are in your heart, just by knowing you made someone's day a little brighter, a little easier. It doesn't take long, and it can affect eternity.
If I don't get on here any earlier, have a Merry Christmas! Take the time to check out the local plays and the Christmas lights; my favs are Our Lady of the Snows, Tilles Park, and the Christmas Eve service at Life Christian Center. Enjoy your loved ones, have some cookies, hit the gym (LOL), and remember why we celebrate this time in the first place!
Merry Christmas, readers. You make me smile, and you encourage me to not only seek the face of God...you challenge me to sit on His lap! Love and blessings to you!