The two pics above are both the same, yet very different. The first picture is how I saw my night ending on Christmas Eve, in a grey blah mood. Sitting alone in my room in wrapping paper chaos, overstimulated and anxious. With thoughts of lost loved ones, loved ones in the hospital, and not being with our loved ones who are miles away. I even had thoughts of not having enough presents for our kiddos or an even amount of gifts. I was procrastinating and time was running out. So, later that evening I decided to tackle the task and sat my butt down and started to wrap, wrap, and wrap. As I eyeballed measured, cut, taped, and wrote the names on the tags I started to think about the gifts and how my Hero and I carefully selected these exclusive gifts for each child. Sitting in the mess of wrapping paper, I reflected and thought about how grateful I was to have gifts to wrap. I looked over and I realized I wasn’t alone. I was thankful I had my Hero alive and home this Christmas weekend. Thankful he could provide a warm home filled with food and gifts for our family and friends. My heart was beating a little differently now. It was filling up with color and gratitude. God was stirring and giving me new eyes to see and was reminding me about the simple beauty of Christmas. Christmas is simple and it should be kept simple. It is about a babe born in a manger, a beautiful promise fulfilled. I got wrapped up in how our culture wanted me to feel. Crazy and rushed leaving me feeling anxious and distracted from the true meaning of Christmas. I am thankful that in that small moment of wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve, yet God reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas. I hope in the midst of your Christmas family gatherings, late arrivals, screaming kids and/or adults, messy faces, and messy homes, your heart like mine gets to stir. God meets you where you’re at, stirring your heart and filling it with gratitude, warmth, compassion, and color. Giving you the opportunity to see and feel the true meaning of a simple Christmas. As I ended my wrapping session around 1 am I looked at my messy floor and saw much more than a mess. I saw the beauty of family, friends, my home, my kids, my hero, and the true reason we celebrate Christmas. A miracle birth that would change who we are and the world forever. From our blue home to yours, Merry Christmas! Crystal Ienni, President/Founder
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! ‘Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more!,’ ” "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch stole Christmas"
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