Look for the Miracles God HAS Given

Sunday we celebrate 40 Christmases together Ray and I..  As is said so often, "seems like only yesterday".  I don't know where the years have gone.  What have we done with 40 years?  They have certainly been packed full and life has never been boring.  At times things have been very tough, sometimes full of tears, sometimes happy, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but we've remained best friends, love each other more now than the first day we met (and I honestly didn't think that would ever be possible), and through it all we continue to know and experience joy in our lives. Happy 40th Anniversary Suggie!

This weekend as we quietly celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary we're looking forward to that quiet weekend and to doing one of our favorite things, decorating our home for the holidays. Christmas has always had a very special meaning to our family. This year, for me, it is steeped in the realization of the gift another mother, in another time long ago, gave to the world.  Now before I go any further here, please understand that I am NOT comparing myself to the gift God gave us through Mary and the birth of his Son. God was providing a way for us to have eternal life through that miraculous birth,  I can take no credit and say I know how Mary felt.  There's no one who can say they know how Mary felt.  You can bet that's a question I have on my mind to ask when I get to heaven.  I most likely won't care a whit once I get there.  Well enough rambling.

Just let me say that amazingly, there is no sadness today, only wonder.  As I sat at Kristin's 30th  birthday party last night it was amazing to see all the joy, laughter and fun.  It wasn't by any means a fancy event, there was birthday cake and everyone brought snacks.  It was about celebrating life and my son was leading the charge. (The only reason I'm using the "I" and "my" pronouns here is that this is my blog. I do know that his father is as proud of him as I am.)  Aaron is everything we ever dreamed of in a son.  The only thing we've ever asked of him is "do your best" along with "be Aaron" every time he leaves the house.  He still hears that every time he goes out our door, "be Aaron".  What an Aaron he is.  He's smart, he's funny, he's talented, he finds joy in everything, he loves life, he has a great marriage and is a great husband, he's a great pappa to our grand- puppy Belle, he's a great son-in-law, he accepts people as they come to him, he's thankful for everything in his life, he exudes joy.  What mother could ever ask for more?.

As I enjoyed the evening last night and listened to him sing I just wonder if I will ever understand why God would give one person so much talent only to take him away in the prime of his life?  You know what? Ain't goin' there.  If God wanted me to know that He would have already told me.  What God wants me to do right now is celebrate both the birth of His son and my son and that's exactly what's going to happen.  We are going to have a killer holiday season and spend very little.  We're going to decorate and celebrate.  We're going to spend time with family and friends.  We're going to give to others.  We're going to sing Christmas Carols.  We're going to, and have been since November so we can get them all in, watch Christmas movies. We're going to hug, cry, laugh, look at old pictures of Christmases past and make new memories.

As I sat and listened to Aaron sing last night I'm thankful for the miracle God put in my life, my son.  He has such a beautiful voice, he plays guitar, he composes songs, he writes like none I've ever read, he loves His heavenly father and shares that love with everyone he meets, he has more talent for drama than can be imagined, he has an imagination that is unsurpassed, and he's my son!  What a miracle God gave me!  So in one sense, I can imagine what Mary felt like.  We both have received miracles!