Christmas 2009

So one more Christmas has past. It is midnight and I am sitting here with a glass of wine in hand. I look around my living room and see a shambles. In fact, I look around my house and see a shambles. Yesterday up until 1 am when I went to bed, I had envisioned this year to be different. During prior times when I was married, I would have a spotless house, with wonderful decorations and the table set for Christmas morning. The last couple years things have been a bit different. Since becoming a single mom, working part time and going to full time university, a clean house was last on my list. Overwhelmed with my new responsibilities of raising my kidlets by myself, as well as the additional factors of going through a messy split and school and homework and......left the house a bit last on my priority list.

So tonight, I sit here and look around at the paper still strewn about, and dishes yet to be washed, knowing my upstairs bathroom still needs doing (it got partially done today) and I sigh. Maybe next year I will pull off the Martha Stewart house again.

But this year? I have my baby lying on the couch with me sound asleep and two passed out sleepyheads upstairs? How did their day go this year? Well thanks to the generosity and help of friends, this year my kids got everything they asked Santa for. And due to the overtired Christmased out children I now possess, I had a 90 minute opportunity to have a heart felt discussion with one of the kidlets. It was 90 minutes of time that changed some perspectives, if not in the long term, at least in the short term.

This Christmas has taught me some things. It has taught me that family is where you look. Family does not have to be blood related. In fact, I am finding that my truest family may not be blood related. I also learned that miracles do happen on a day to day occurrence, but if you don't recognize them for what they are, you miss out on them and the beauty and joy they bring. Miracles don't necessarily come with a trumpeting fanfare, more often than not, they are silent whispers in the night. I have been the recipient of many of these night time conversations turned miracles. I have also discovered its a lot about perspective. Many of my miracles this year, were nothing large for those who facilitated them, but to me? they were everything. These miracles that have been dismissed by the givers, meant my children got the things they asked Santa for, it meant that I was able to give them a wonderful Christmas spent with great people all of which edified my children and allowed them to more fully enjoy this day.

I know I'm not the only one who experienced these types of miracles. Two of my high school friends, although the circumstances are different, have also experienced Christmas time miracles that were not considered any great accomplishment by those who so freely gave to us. Yet to us....???? These are miracles.

As you close off you day, stop and think....what miracle did I experience today????