My kids were scheduled to share a few words at a church program tomorrow, describing what Christmas means to them. Now, however, it looks like the "Holiday Blizzard of '09" will keep us housebound.
No worries, though. Whenever they share their thoughts (as we traditionally do on Christmas morning), I'm sure they'll express an extra dose of thankfulness for both their gifts and their recent experiences.
With the final day of classes for my 2nd and 6th graders; the countdown week to Christmas, and the surprise snow that has made everything familiar seem exciting and new all falling on the same day, our excitement is in overdrive.
I made cookies soon after the snow began falling, and while the scent has lingered, of course they're just about gone. Despite the darkness, my son put on his coat, hat and gloves and took a nighttime jog through the backyard.
This year, my Christmas gratitude list will include memories like this, but also the simple things.
I'm thankful for my warm house on a snowy night; the fact that my family's home safe and sound; and the ability to bake cookies and sit at my laptop sharing my thoughts with you.
That may sound trite, but framed in the context of families who lost their homes to foreclosure this year; unemployed parents who can't afford gifts for their children; and men and women who are miles away fighting a war to keep the rest of us safe, these are blessings worth acknowledging.
This year, Christmas means all the things it has always meant: joy, peace, love, and a celebration of God's greatest gift. Yet there's an extra dose of gratitude for what God has granted on this current day, and a willingness to accept that regardless of what awaits me under the tree, I'm already surrounded by, and filled with, the gifts I treasure most.
Stacy Hawkins Adams is a Christian fiction author, speaker and freelance columnist. Her sixth novel, Dreams That Won't Let Go, will be released by Baker Publishing Group in January 2010. She lives in Richmond, Va. with her husband and two children and welcomes readers to visit her at www.StacyHawkinsAdams.com.
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