And to all a good night...

If you read this weekend's post, then you know that today was going to be a coin toss.  But it was good.  Not flawless, but good.  Isn't that life, though?  It's not flawless, but it's good.  Three years ago this time, I wasn't even pregnant and couldn't have imagined that this time three years later I'd be celebrating with three walking, talking toddlers.  Two years ago this time, we had infants home from the NICU for just over a month and were walking around with monitors strapped to their chests.  So being sick for Christmas isn't the end of the world.  

My baby girl with her new baby girl



Just After Santa left.......







Joy riding on the tractor w/aforesaid calf

Squeals of delight over a new stuffed calf

The kids awoke, two with fevers and coughs still (along with mommy), with grand excitement about Santa's appearance and his gifts.  We all rushed into the living room together to see bow-tied tractors and kitchens and dolls and trampolines.  They loved their presents and fought over them all day (so much for not needing multiples of items - oddly, the most fought over item was the coffee pot in the play kitchen).  We had a grand lunch, I ended up having all the items I needed at the house so my inability to run errands yesterday did not ruin a thing.  I am sick and tired tonight, as were my sweet kiddos, but we have a warm house, clean clothes, fresh bathwater, plenty of food and medicine, and a doctor on call should we need one.  We are so much better off than most people around the world. 

Today ultimately was precious and special to me because of the Christmas message at the center of everything.   I choked up as I read the kids the story of our Saviour's birth and the message of hope that it brought to the nations then as it does now.  I am most moved by the advent calendar's telling of Mary - how she treasured each gift that was brought to Jesus, her son and God's, whether it was gold from a Wise Man or a token from a nearby villager that heard the angels singing.  As a mother, don't you know that's true?  Here she is, in the middle of this revolutionary occurrence, not that she asked to be, and all she can do is love her sweet boy as any mother would do and equally love those who came to worship and adore him.  As they came singing, Oh Come Let Us Adore Him, or their version of it, don't you know she teared up and her heart swelled.  Don't you think that as she changed him and fed him and bathed him, she kissed him and prayed for him just as any mother would do.  Even though he was not like any other child, he was still her child, and he was going to save the world - including her.  What a gift, but what a burden.

Today, what I hope my children took away besides Santa and presents, was the reason why we give.  We give because we celebrate Christ's birth and we give because He gave so much.  And I hope the gifts that were given and received by my family that went to World Vision as well as students in Guatemala and children needing vision in Africa and men wanting to go to seminar in third world countries and girls being rescued from slave trade in India were delivered with the same message of hope: today is Jesus Christ's birthday, He came to bring you a hope and a future. 

I hope you and your family had a Merry (and healthy) Christmas.  From the Vincents to you, Merry Christmas to all, and (if you'll excuse us now) to all a good night!