Struggling Well With Life

I told the folks in the Cafe on Sunday that my family should have never left me alone on Christmas night. There I was at 10pm, all alone in the living room with all the lights and decorations of Christmas- quite a magical moment. Our house was beautiful - Terri went all out this year, there were greens above doorways, down the staircase, and across the mantle. Ribbons, wreaths, guest towels, candles, and goodies everywhere. She even put little village scenes that light up on ever open surface. And there I sat alone, just peering at that tree with all the ornaments from the time the girls were babies - it just hanging there, and taunting me. And so, I rose to the occasion, and sprinted from my chair, and in two hours and fifteen minutes (an all time record) there was not one sign of Christmas left within the walls of our home. I even cleaned the Christmas dishes and put them away, and swept up every blasted needle, and toted the tree out to the curb. My family awoke the next morning like the Who’s from Who-ville to discover that the grinch had stolen Christmas. After the shock of the starkness, and a strong cup of coffee - I was thanked by my wife. We have two birthdays in our house this week, a sweet 16 on January 1, and a sweet forty . . .something on January 2. I made a vow when Megan was born that her birthday would not get lost in Christmas. So we move from Jesus birthday to Meg and Terri this week. Though the garland is gone, there is a greater reality that remains and sustains, if we allow it - and that is that God is with us. My heart is real heavy with the weight of folks lives in recent days, and Jesus reminded me again this morning of His presence with me, with us! God’s love even extends to the me - the grinch!