staying away from Frazzle City and enjoying the crazy chaos

Only a couple more days till '09 is history and I'm looking forward to a good 2010. We've had some financial challenges this year. Christmas shopping this time was different. Not bad, just different. Work has been nearly non-existent for the family business so we made a real effort to tone down our buying. It made for creative gift giving but it really was kind of fun. I didn't do the "one gift for her, two purchases for me," thing as I have done for so many years previously. You know how those sale prices kinda suck you in and you've just got to go ahead and buy it while it such a great deal! Well, I didn't do that this year. It hardly hurt a bit!

With a smaller gift budget to work with I found myself thoroughly concentrating on the true meaning of the season...the birth of Jesus...and all that it means for us as Christians. I made an effort to slow myself down and make myself "chill" when my temperament tried to lead me down the wild and wooly path to Frazzle City. I asked the Lord to help me be kinder and more patient with everyone I met in town from the customer in front of me to the cashier at the register at the grocery store...and He did. I found that when I was genuinely nicer and more pleasant, not only did my transaction go smoother but I left the encounter feeling really good inside. There is no "up" side to impatience and irritability when dealing with others. Ask me. I know! I deal with both these issues on a daily basis.

Christmas was good this year. We had our Christmas Eve gathering at my house with our immediate and some extended family. I was happy to have almost everyone together. Aunt Wanda and Aunt Margaret stayed at their house because Aunt Wanda isn't up to par right now. She's having some health issues that will hopefully be resolved soon. There was lots of food and laughter but I still missed them a lot that night.

Christmas Day brought our daughters and their families back to our house for gift opening and our traditional Christmas lasagna. Our grandson Sid was with his mom and her family this year. We sure missed him a lot! After we ate we went to visit Byron's mother for a little while and then made it an early evening home. By this time I wasn't the only one ready to call it a day! We were all tired and looking for some place soft to land.

New Year's Eve we're planning the Loftin-Baker-Adams 2nd Annual Wii-lympics. Sid will be home by then and we'll have a blast playing competitive Wii games, eating a great dinner and then shooting off fireworks in the driveway. That's our plan, if the Lord allows. I'm so glad to have children to share the holidays with. I'll admit sometimes it's lovely to just sit and visit with other adults with no children's distractions but for me, Christmas and New Year's Eve just aren't the ones! I love the crazy chaos of the kids with their goofing and rough housing and fun.

It seems like only a few days ago it was 2008, but here it is 2009 and it's nearly gone! I'm looking forward. Forward to what the Lord has in store for us. I am looking forward to hearing from the Lord more clearly and more often. I believe He's always speaking to us so, I want my heart to be sensitive to hear Him well. I would like for the economy to turn around in the near future, but I really don't know what the new year will bring. I'm not afraid, and I know it's sure to be OK because the Lord is in control of it all. Who better to trust with our future than the Lord? I'm hopeful about the days to come for our family.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Heb 13:5

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for a lovely Christmas and a good new year. You promise us your presence and your help even in the middle of economic uncertainty and trouble and we love you so much for staying right with us. What a great thing to know that we can be content with what we have! I love you so very much. You are wonderful!

Suz