This weekend, we went to Liberty Station in San Diego and brought the gaggle of children who played together with enthusiasm. Jeremiah basically laid all over this amazingly friendly dog while Cami Jay stayed locked in her stroller and Adelynn and Juliette ran around in circles. Adelynn talked nonstop and we bribed Juliette to speak, but still aren’t convinced Jenny is telling the truth about her skills. We ate Mexican food and drank beer and the kids pretended to finish their hot dogs! Really Juliette fed me spoonfuls of her rice and Adelynn ate her french fries while living on the promises of ice-cream!
Honestly it was a scene straight from my imagination. We dog-piled and sang “down by the bay” and I got to kiss all those babies over and over. I wasn’t sad for even a moment. I have had so many seasons and spaces where looking at those kids all together would have made my heart want to EXPLODE into a million pieces, but the Lord has been so faithful and kind to restore and repair my heart. He has reminded me time and time again that He is near and present and at work. Earlier in the weekend, while at the Beth Moore conference I heard the words, “He still has a surprise in store for you” and I want to let that sink in deeply - I have repeated it numerous times since. As I watched those amazingly beautiful kids run around, it felt like a true gift just to be in their lives. To love them. To laugh with them. To play with them. To have this time to give to them. This moment in time is special and I do not want to waste it WAITING for what is next. I want to be FULLY PRESENT RIGHT NOW. I want to hope and cling tightly to the belief that there is a SURPRISE IN STORE FOR ME, my greatest dreams are coming, and all the while I am living something beautiful and wondrous!
Anna, Jenny and I have been exchanging ornaments since we were little girls. When Anna and Jenny had babies, they passed the tradition on - hey everyone needs MORE ornaments for their tree, right?! SO now I give ornaments to Anna and Jenny and because I don’t have kids yet, auntshell gives the kids a BOOK. My kids will exchange ornaments with their kids should that day ever come, but it is generation to generation - so I’m still in the ONE ORNAMENT CLUB. Anna gives an ornament to Jenny and then Adelynn and Jeremiah give ornaments to Juliette and Cami Jay. Same story for Jenny only reversed: Jenny gives an ornament to Anna and Juliette and Cami Jay give them to Adelynn and Jeremiah. It’s basically the cutest thing ever. This year we had a bit of a carfuffle because we gifted in a public place, and there are three-year-olds amongst us, and glass ornaments. So we celebrated Christmas in April which was already probably a spectacle and long story short - Anna’s crew ended up with one ornament that I had actually hung on her tree at Christmas (woohooo Africa angel) and one truck that somehow unintentionally went home with Jenny and was thereby saved. The glass ornament was shattered and all the others were tossed because they were wrapped in crinkled up paper for safe keeping and looked suspiciously like garbage - so out they went when Daniel threw away the remnants from dinner, like a good tidy dad! CHEERS TO CHRISTMAS 2017 friends.
Truth-telling, my heart is still rejoicing from our evening of togetherness. It was a night of belonging like we haven’t had in such a long time and it was exactly what I needed. I am praising the Lord for the gift of peace and contentment in a season that has looked so much like wrestling and longing. I know it can swing back that direction any time - but right now - today - I am just glad for a bit of merry and jubilation - even if it isn’t even remotely close to Christmas! Perhaps there was a tiny hint of a Christmas miracle holding out for a spring night…for three friends who just needed to all come home.
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