Merry Christmas!

Believe in the Love behind the reason for Christmas. May the love and peace of Christ be with you now and all through the year.
Merry Christmas!!

Believe

I have this ornament on my Christmas tree. It is simply the word "Believe" written in script and studded with rhinestones. At this time of year, we are exhorted to believe and we're bombarded with phrases like "Believe in the magic of Christmas" or "I believe in Santa Claus". I've even seen something like, "If you don't believe in Santa then you get underwear." Well, at least I still get underwear. 100% cotton, preferably, please.

However well-intentioned or humorous these phrases may be, I still think they're misguided. At best, they're a distraction from the true meaning of Christmas. At worst, they distort and deny the true meaning of Christmas. But what is the "true" meaning of Christmas? Quite simply, it is about the best gift ever given; the gift from God to us as so eloquently stated in the Gospel of John:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." ~John 3:16-17

Believe and you will be saved. Believe that God loved you enough to do this for you and that no way no how could you ever work for it and earn it. That's why it's called a gift.

MeRrY ChRiStMaS!!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” ~John 11:25-27

In the Middle

If it's not in all caps, it's not a rant.

Honestly, I try not to complain too much. It's counterproductive and takes alot of time and energy. That's not to imply that I don't get annoyed or that I don't complain; I do. I just try to be selective about what it is I'm complaining about.

If there's one thing that drives me batshit crazy it's when people stop and stand in the middle of the aisle while grocery shopping...with their shopping cart...blocking the aisle. Oftentimes these same people are completely oblivious to the traffic jam they're creating as indicated by the fact that they glare at you like you're an ill-mannered a**hole who's trying to shove your way past them. The nerve. My advice to these people is:

For the love of all that is holy, 

STOP STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLE! 

MOVE OVER ALREADY! HELLO!!!

Ser.i.ous.ly. I would never shout this to them of course, because my mother did teach me manners. (And I did go to a Catholic school after all.) In this case, what I say and what I think are two very different things. If that's an example of hypocrisy then so be it. Personally, I think it's an example of self-control. ☺

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

Lucky Number 13

On Monday, I will officially be the mother of a teen. My 12 year-old will be 13 years old. Lucky number 13. Hehehe. Contrary to what some might think I am not afraid of the teen years; in fact, I'm looking forward to them.

Maybe I'm not worried because my oldest son is not a typical kid and therefore is not/won't be a typical teen. This is the kid who when asked if he wanted to go to the first dance of 7th grade said, "I'm not ready for that kind of commitment." Hehehe. That's not to say that I think the teen years will be smooth sailing. But seriously, were the teen years smooth sailing for anyone? All of the drama, the melodrama, the angst: Can anyone seriously look back and say, "Those were the best years of my life!!" I didn't think so.

Alrighty then. Time to board the teen roller coaster, Lucky Number 13.

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