Home Stetch

This time of year I'm usually grasping for a finish line of photoshoots, editing and Christmas Card delivery.  Only to drop into Christmas cookies, shopping and wrapping.  Trying to maintain a balance of purpose and culture.  Heaven and Earth.  The home stretch....  Racing through holidays that were meant to be anything BUT a race.

Even tho I'm not working just yet...we are still super busy with everything that needs done and my husbands long commutes for work leave me doing it solo most of each month.

But its November 10th.  Thanksgiving is around the corner.  Soon we will revel in the birth of our Savior.

All will be calm.
All will be bright.

This fall brought lots of firsts for us.  First time I missed my dad's Halloween party in years.  First fall after spending last year visiting pumpkin farms, taking tractor rides and frolicking in leaf piles at his house.  First fall in CO...missing the one season in Ohio that I truly treasured.  Nothing like the damp, crisp smell of fallen leaves.

But Christ makes all things new.  New experiences.  Unchartered territory.  Twist without warning.  Only through Him can I face things with confidence, peace, and most all....strength.

I've noticed a repeated pattern in my life.  Busy-ness....distraction, to-do lists, meetings, obligations, chores.  When I get wrapped up in the days and lose site of opening my Bible and sitting....

Quietly.
Till calm falls down from above.

Then I become a crazed, frazzled, self-centered, hypochondriac who only looks for more things to add to my already overflowing days.

Morning...prayer before reaching for my phone.  Workout...the body is a temple.  Scripture...set my mind to Christ and take my mind off me.

Its simple, actually.
Only takes a moment.

Yet when I miss those important parts of my day....train wreck. And I am guilty and ashamed to admit that recently, I've barely done this at all.

I hope that you find peace as we approach Thanksgiving.  Peace in Christ.  Peace in your hearts.  Peace in your homes.

Nothing is worse that running through the holidays and feeling exhausted.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect.  To give thanks.  To give to others.  To practice gratitude.  To share our light, our love and our words of thanks to the ones we love.

Then Christmas.  We will most likely be moving {again} sometime in December.  We're in the home stretch.  Thus who knows what Christmas will look like for us this year.

Part of me frets...what if I don't get to put up a tree, if the gifts don't get wrapped, if the cookies don't get baked?!

But the blessing comes in the moments spent eating reheated pizza, sipping rootbeers and popping in Elf and The Christmas Carol while we pile on each other on the couch.  Our kids will remember us playing games more than any gift they open, right?!  So why fret?

Life will be wild the next few months....as our transition continues.  But I am making my pledge now to do these 3 simple things to try to stay focused on the true meaning of our celebrations.  To let go of my expectations of what the holidays 'should' look like and embrace whatever they may be.

1) I will get the rest I need.  No sense pushing till a point of exhaustion, frustration and impatience.  If momma ain't happy....nobody's happy.  ; )  And rest = happy most days for this girl.
2) I will wake with prayer and read at least one Bible verse a day to reflect on and set my heart on Christ.  I will look at my children through His eyes of wonder instead of my tired eyes of schedules, homework and chores.
3) I will maintain a steady discipline of exercise...even if its a long walk with the kids.  Something to keep the stress at bay and the pounds away. : )

What are your pledges going into this beautiful holiday season?  How will you prepare your heart?

Wishing you all a very merry Thanksgiving and a grateful Christmas. xo