My Christmas cards went out this week, and although I still have some to pass out at church, most of them included this little blurb...okay, it's lengthy, but I usually am. Here is the Annual Christmas "Letter" from The Cooley Family:
I
genuinely love Christmas cards. I love the fact that someone invested the time
into writing to my family, into making us part of their family, with something
as simple as a card. There’s such beauty in the written word, isn’t there? I
love knowing what’s going on in your corner of the world, beyond Facebook and
Instagram! It’s crazy when I think of
how social media has impacted how our world “communicates,” and the lost art of
using more than 140 characters…
Christmas
cards are probably so exciting to me because my parents are retired postal
workers. In fact, every time I walk into a post office, the smell of paper and
ink makes me smile. Taking my son to the post office to drop off packages is so
fun to me; I think I was just about his age when my mom started working for the
postal service, and I have so many fond memories of her office. It’s sweet to
see his little face when the packages disappear into the “magic box,” and when
we walk past the LLVs (mail trucks—“PawPaw drove that!”). My earliest memories in life were from when I
was around 2-3, so as Jericho approaches 4, I wonder what things we do that
will leave those indelible impressions in his little brain?
I
never realized how much parenthood effects the littlest moments. He repeats
things (often to my chagrin); he remembers things (“Mommy, you like shopping!”);
he replicates things that we didn’t know he noticed; and basically, he grows up
and makes these memories from his unique perspective of how we live. There’s a
lot of pressure to not mess up this amazing tiny human being with our own
faults…and there is an increased reliance on the grace of God to undo the bad
and to emphasize the good, in how we raise our son.
Watching
Jericho transition from 3-to-almost-4, has been wild. I don’t think anything could
have prepared us for experiencing this stage of parenthood. He’s such a PERSON!
He’s opinionated, hilarious, expressive, messy, loving, ornery; he’s the
magnification of so many wonderful things that I see in David and even in
myself. And, he’s likewise the magnification of so many ornery things I see in
David….(see what I did there?
Bahahahahaha!)…Okay, AND in myself. My son is every bit as stubborn as
his father and as persistent as his mother…and maybe a little more.
I
hope that the memories we make for him are as wonderful to him as they are to
us…
Major
changes for David and I are….Well, NOTHING, and for those of you that know me,
THAT’S AWESOME. In January, my cancer cells decided to do this gnarly
cloaking-thing, and be non-reactive to the traditional body scan they do for
thyroid cancer, so I had to do THAT test, and then the PET scan, which cost a
small fortune. The results showed the cells were still there, but had
decreased, so in July they decided to start with an ultrasound. That test showed
no activity, and we’ll repeat that at the end of this month. It looks like, for the first time since 2012,
I’m about to escape 2016 surgery-free, which is AMAZING.
I
continue to be employed by the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of
Optometry, as the Credentialing and Compliance Specialist. My position expanded
last year to include more responsibilities in coordinating the Mobile Eye Van
services to underserved public schools in our community, and I have to say
that’s my favorite part of my job. It’s amazing, how many children go through
school and are told that they’re learning-disabled, when they’ve never had an
eye exam! I also had the opportunity to do some guest-editing for a friend’s
series of children’s books, which is a dream come true (look for I Can Color a Prayer by Sarah Hanks on
Amazon. There are 3 books in the series, & a 4th on the way).
David
is employed by Met-Life as a Dispatch Specialist and really likes what he does
in coordinating services. He has opportunities with this company that he is
excited to take advantage of, and I’m excited to see him pursue new adventures.
He purchased a new-to-him truck this year, and he really loves it; I’m sure our
family loves the fact that we no longer have to borrow a truck every other
month or so. J
And
as for Jericho, well, every day is a new adventure for him. He is excelling at
academic things, but struggles a bit with his fine motor skills, so we have
goals to work toward. Earlier this month, he went on his biggest adventure of
all when we went on a family vacation on the Carnival Fantasy. He would LOVE to
tell you all about his experiences on the “party boat” and how he met Santa on
his trip! Or, he can tell you aaaalllllll about the “chicken nugget fries” that
he ate EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Sigh.
Anyways,
after 6 years of not taking a vacation (and no, medical leave does NOT count as
a vacation!), we decided that if the price was right, we would take a
much-needed break. We explored as a family, and made some amazing memories.
I
think that’s really what it’s all about—the memories. Facebook and Instagram
puts a lot of pressure on society to present these images of a life that’s
altered, filtered, and condensed into something palatable, but that’s not what
our memories are made of. Our memories are made of the messes, not of the
finished product…the paint on the floor, not the canvas on the wall. There is a
tendency to be stand-offish, and not to get involved in the mess of intimacy
with each other.
I
love the mess (just look at my house). I love to know that my husband and my
son, and our extended families, are all parts of actively creating memories
with each other. Sure, there are a lot of funny pictures, but behind those
pictures is a nucleus of people who ferociously love one another, and who are
grounded on the amazing foundation of Jesus, Who gives us memories to
celebrate, and Hope for a future with Him. He makes the messes into a perfect
tapestry of testimony, and I can’t wait to see the Ultimate Finished Picture.
I’m
sure that when Mary and Joseph went on their mess of a journey to Bethlehem,
they were not prepared for what the Ultimate Finished Picture would look like.
Every time I reflect on Mary’s trip as a young, heavily pregnant mother who had
to give birth in a disgusting stable, I cannot help but think of the mess of it
all, and what she must have been thinking. I wish the Bible gave more insight
into her personality, because I’d like to think she was a normal human being.
She was highly favored by God, and devoted to His Will…but she was a human
being, about to give birth and making a really uncomfortable journey on a
DONKEY that ended IN A BARN. That’s messy.
But
it was God’s Will.
He
makes messes into amazing things.
I
am a mess. We all are—in spite of our lives on social media, we’re all a hot
mess that only Jesus can untangle. I like being part of your mess, and I like
knowing about your mess. I love watching how God makes our messes into amazing
things together.
This
Christmas, let’s thank Jesus for the memories and the mess. Let’s thank Him for
the Hope for our Future. Let’s thank Him for the journey, blisters and all.
Let’s
thank Him for the messy birth in a messy stable, and for the messy Cross…
Let’s
thank Him for the Holy Resurrection…for the fact that in Heaven, because of His
messy Sacrifice, there are No More Messes…
I
am grateful for Christmas…I am grateful for our lives, for our memories, and
for the opportunity to celebrate one more Christmas together.
Merry, Messy Christmas to You and to Your
Family, from my Hot Mess of a Family. J We love you!!!
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