Skip to main content

What I Am Thankful For--Day 3

Preface
It was January 2009.  After Christmas sales are really the only time to get Christmas decor.  It was the first purchase Ian and I made as a couple.  4 months before our wedding.  Our first Christmas tree.  It was a beautiful 9ft, pre-lit tree.  Little did I know, it would also be the easiest decision we would make as a couple.  The truth is, the future would hold two hard-headed, opinionated people, attempting to make decisions together.  Apparently, one thing we held in common was taste in Christmas trees.  It was a floor model, so the employees dissembled our artificial prize.   Gitty for Christmas, we would have to wait another 11 months to enjoy our new purchase.

Three years later.  Someone else will be enjoying our 15ft ceilings.  Someone else will be enjoying their first Christmas in the home we built together.  What if they don't even celebrate Christmas?  They could be Jewish for all I know.  The 9ft tree we once prized is now sitting in a box somewhere collecting dust.  It will not be erected this year in the name of Christ.  It's branches will not be heavy with ribbons and bulbs.

When I thought about this.  My heart felt heavy.  I almost decided not to decorate this year for Christmas.  If I can't have my discounted 9ft tree, then I don't want any of it.  I decided that isn't fair to Haley.  It is her first Christmas.  Which leads me to today.

Today I am thankful for Craigslist.

$20 will get me a 6ft Christmas tree.  I already have the corner picked out that I will put it in.  It will fit perfectly in the apartment.  Craigslist is pretty much amazing.  I knew buying a Christmas tree in the height of the Christmas season would be a blow to the pocket book.  I thought about just getting a 3ft tree, until I remembered Craigslist.  Craigslist has never failed me.  And I am super appreciative of that.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fruit & Root Connection: Tangled Up

Certainly, I've expressed my aversion to hyper-spiritualized language before. It often feels contrived, lacking authenticity—a facade of piety. Perhaps it's projection. Maybe jealousy. Or it could stem from a sense of disillusionment with the Christian community. But every so often, amidst the noise, a truth resonates deeply. "There is a root and fruit connection between heart and behavior. People and situations do not determine our behavior; these things provide an occasion where our behavior reveals our hearts." - Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands I've been navigating through my anger, confronting myself in the mirror. What does this anger unveil about my own heart? Surely, they aren't as enraged with me. In fact, they probably don't spare me a second thought. If anything, they—as sincerely as they can muster—bemoan my status as an apostate. So pitiful. My fruit is anger. And too often, I'm tempted to point fingers elsewhere as the source of my...
Post a Comment
You Know You Want to Know More....>>

If Your Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands....

Alright y'all, I need to post an actual blog post.  It's been awhile.I guess I have said " writers block".  Everytime I've sat down to blog, I've gotten this nasty attitude, like I just want to rant and complain.  I'm not a fan of giving a bad mood more than it deserves or letting people get on my nerves enough that it bleeds in my blog in the most passive-aggressive way possible.  So I won't go there this time.  Focusing on what I'm thankful for has been such a great practice, and has helped me avoid the above.  So here goes nothing.....I'll update a little bit on everthing I suppose.... Finally, life is beginning to slow down.I am so appreciative of the fact that the moving/settling in process is over ( only to do it all again in T minus 5 months....) In theory, there should be a big hole where our next house will be soon. For some reason I doubt that they will break ground this week, but I would be happy if they did...I'm stressed and ...
Post a Comment
You Know You Want to Know More....>>

Never Say When

At some point in my journey, I forgot that church leaders are flawed humans too. I have a tendency to overly respect authority for the sake of their position. I assumed, being a pastor meant that there is some how a higher spiritual connection. Consequently, I would turn off my own discernment in favor for whatever I was being instructed to do by our church leader. The person I have grown to distrust the most and the person I betrayed the most was myself.  Examples: Early in our journey, we had a small group. For the most part, I LOVED small group nights. Until we had a change of seasons. I had just had my third baby. We were living in a rental property while renovating another home ourselves. I was working on leading our developing children's ministry and feeling over my head. Ian worked afternoons so either small group would take one of only two family nights or would be when he was working, leaving me to attend alone most of the time. Our small group had roughly 10-15 small chil...
Post a Comment
You Know You Want to Know More....>>