It's taken me a couple of days to get myself organised to do a Christmas post. A couple of days before Christmas when I drove up to the coast I was definitely coming down with a cold. I had runny eyes and nose, sore throat and generally felt quite off. It continued right up to Christmas Eve, but I woke up on Christmas morning considerably better.
My sister brought her family over and we exchanged gifts, and then had a really lovely cold Christmas lunch with my cousin and his family, and uncle and aunt. All up there were 14 of us, but it all worked out lovely. This was the first time I think I haven't had a hot meal for Christmas, but I think it should become the tradition. Especially since it was stupidly hot, and ridiculously humid... Who wants the oven blaring on a day like that?
The thing I miss about not being at home is not going to church. We've tried a few churches here on the coast, but it's not the same. The funny thing is, I go to church just about every weekend, but normally miss out at Christmas, and sometimes Easter if I am away. But I have friends who only ever make the effort at those times.
As usual around this time of year, people are looking back over the last year and trying to make promises and resolutions for the year ahead. I enjoyed 2011 my "year of appreciation of the arts", however I think next year has to be something a bit more substantial.
So with all this thinking about life and new years and stuff, I came across this article called "how to get rich without making more money" on a blog called Raptitude.com it's reasonably long, but if you get the chance, take a few minutes out of your day to read it. Its all stuff I have been thinking lots about in the last few years... About what is really important, and how fortunate yet unappreciative we really are.
I've become somewhat of a fan of those "first world problems" that are all over the Internet and twitter. Not because they make us look like spoilt brats (although they do this brilliantly), but because they are usually the simple things that we all complain about, and when they're written down like that, it brings home how amazingly fortunate we are and how much we take for granted when there are people in this world who have nothing and are fighting to live day to day.
Anyway, my prayer and hope is that I will be more aware of others in need and then do something practical for them, to continue to try to remember to appreciate the simple things and thank God for all my blessings.
The above pic is of the angels my niece Amy and I made together a couple of weeks before Christmas... An example of the simple things and one of my little blessings.
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