Let’s just say, Christmas came in like a lion and out like a lamb.
But before I get into it, I might just take a moment to comment on Cambridge. You see, when we returned from across the pond we hit the ground running in a way that I could have never imagined. House, job, death, birth, friends, family, schools, choirs, churches, therapy, everything that is a part of your everyday life – things that you have taken years to settle into, plus more. The life that I knew in Cambridge, one of daily (might I add, multiple) coffee dates, walking cobble stone streets and sitting in the park for hours after school, vanished without warning or regard. I never felt a real sense of closure and my soul ached as it stretched and flexed muscles that had had a chance to rest, restore.
Needless to say, anything extra was set aside until I felt that I had a grasp on commitments already made. Not only that, but I truly had a to close the door on a chapter in my life and begin anew, embrace a new reality. Not only is life in BC nothing like life in Cambridge, it is also nothing like life in Alberta. My children are older and in school, swimming, soccer, ballet, skating, the list goes on… I am working and my husband is not working as much which means I am taking care of the children less and he is home more. Our friendships need time to become comfortable again the things that gave me such great pleasure, such as cooking, entertaining, photography, yoga and, dare I say, blogging, have taken a backseat.
Just the daily necessities took everything in me so when Christmas came, I was wholly unprepared. There was a time, when, knowing the rigorous Christmas concert schedule that lie ahead, I would have the house decorated, baking done and Christmas cards ready by mid-November. Not so much this year.
I felt rushed. all. the. time. Which is not the way it should be because Christmas is meant to be savoured. Every sound of a child laughing, every cookie decorated with precision, every decoration hung with care and every candle lit to remind us of the hope, peace, joy and love that we celebrate at Christmas time.
Christmas came in like a lion.
And while we didn’t do all the things that many would call traditions I don’t think our children noticed or cared. These days are so rich in their own right. Jakob is at the age where his mind is constantly analyzing and digesting, longing to make sense of the world. Every day holds a teachable moment from what is an allergy is to why we need to be thankful. Christmas time is full of these moments. But it is only when we slow down and take the time to listen and to answer with care that both parent and child will be the better for it.
Christmas came in like a lion, but is about the Lamb. How often we have to remind ourselves of this.
Christmas is often a very hard time for me. I have no reason for this. I have not lost a loved one – on the contrary, I have an abundance of people that love me close by. I have no reason to be lonely but I know people that do and I can’t help but think of all the families who will spent Christmas without someone but perhaps this makes me appreciate all the more the blessings of my family, my friends, a warm home and the safety that comes with living in a place like Canada. I am thankful that my children had gifts to open on Christmas morning…
and full stockings filled with the wonder of a jolly old man in a red suit….
 |
| We went down to my Grandparents to open stockings. Having lived with my grandparents when I was small, this is hugely nostalgic. |
I am thankful for my husband, who, despite the fact, is the biggest music nerd I know, loves me, loves my children, loves God and makes me laugh…even when I am rolling my eyes at his latest pun.
 |
| Ben and his new baton |
I am thankful for big long tables, filled with food and people, all wearing ridiculous paper crowns.
And as we celebrate the 12 days of Christmas (yes the 12 days of Christmas come after Christmas) I finally can take time. Time to do puzzles, make lego airplanes, read, have a bath, think. The year is coming to a close and a new one is just around the corner. As always and in good fashion reflections and resolutions will be made so until 2013, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Leave A Reply