No tree. No decorations. Yet it has been one of the best Christmases ever. We made a choice to celebrate this year with a Roadtrip. We all picked a place to go with the goal of ending up in Texas by the 21st so we could attend a wedding. We spent a day in Vegas another in Arizona to see the Grand Canyon, then off to New Mexico and finally ended up in Texas for the beautiful wedding of Jordan and Hannah. It’s hard to believe but not one argument. We played the music loud, sang the wrong lyrics on purpose and took turns needing potty breaks and rest stops. Nobody was in sync. Did it matter? Not a bit. Why? Because we had no agenda but to be together.
As most know, I crochet. I spent about a month and about $100 to make the wedding gift, a handmade afghan. It was in a heavy decorative box with a card filled with 100 stamps and a book on marriage called Love and Respect. As we left the lodge where we stayed in the Grand Canyon, Steve left the gift on the roof of the car. He didn’t realize it until we were about an hour away. At that moment I could’ve lost it. I could’ve ruined the trip. I could have said turn the car around we are heading home, but I didn’t. I had my daughter watching me. I could live out my faith or not. I had a choice. In that split second of sheer panic I knew I had a choice. That realization has come with maturity, the gift of discernment.
My faith teaches that God has a will for all things and he will use all things for his Glory. I had to believe that this was one of those things. Rather than caving into disappointment I chose to accept the situation. The gift was gone. Someone out there is getting a handcrafted afghan for Christmas. I pray it keeps them warm. As for me, no tears were going to flow. No lashing out in anger. We just needed a new gift. You really can’t find a meaningful wedding gift at a truck stop on Route 66. Bailey said mom we have 3 days, you could whip something out, so off to The Purl in the Pines yarn shop in Flagstaff, Arizona. We picked out the same yarn just a different color and the marathon began at 4:20pm on the 19th. I’m happy to say that at 8:40pm on the 21st we had a 50″x44″ afghan. My finger had a fiber burn from crocheting so fast for so long, but it felt like a team effort. Steve drove, Bailey untangled the yarn and rolled it into balls and I hooked like mad. We laughed. We encouraged each other. We gifted each other with grace. A gift worthy of the King…
We decided after the wedding to drive straight home so we could possibly see the grandbabies and Bay could see a friend home from the Coast Guard. We knew Belle & Kali were going to be at Grans for Christmas Eve. 30 hours later we arrived home with swollen feet, tired aching bodies, but peaceful and happy from all we experienced together. We hydroplained through the desert and skidded through a snowstorm in the mountains to make it to dinner with the family.
After we ate, I watched Belle proficiently opening everyone’s gifts including her sisters. I looked around and saw no decorated tree but rather a family. My family gathered to share a meal and a few presents. No decorations needed. We demonstrated what Christmas was really about. Gathering together in love and sharing The Gift of Grace!
Merry Christmas everyone. May you celebrate the birth of our Savior today by gifting each other in grace.
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