The Day After Christmas...

I hope you had a blessed Christmas!  And I hope you were able to throw Jesus a wonderful birthday party.  I have to confess that our birthday cake never exactly made it in the oven yesterday, so we'll have to have a belated birthday cake.  (Although I did buy Jesus birthday cupcakes as a back-up plan.) Let's just say that 2 days of partying with the family resulted in exhausted little boys who ended up sleeping on Christmas afternoon.  Mommy never factored the sleep into her Christmas activities, so we had to nix a few things.  But trust me, the Christmas nap time was MUCH needed.

We ended up having a wonderful weekend.  And I must say that my sister-in-law by far gave me the greatest gift this year.  She gave birth to cutest little boy this week, making me an aunt for the first time ever!  In my opinion, being an Aunt is pretty awesome.  As an Aunt, I have a special place in a little person's life.  I get to love on him.  I get to spoil him.  I get to dote on him.  But I didn't have to carry him around for 10 months (oh yes--it really is 10 months!), I don't have to get up with him in the middle of the night, and I don't have to potty train him.  Talk about a cool gig!

That said, Dear Husband outdid himself this year--again.  He surprised me with some pretty fantastic jewelry.  And this year he even bought me some beautiful cowboy boots.  I can't wait until our next date night so that I can show off my new treasures.  When I discovered that this man could pick out great jewelry and stylish shoes, I just knew he was a keeper.  I'm so glad he's mine.  I just hope he feels the same way about me by March!

The time has finally come to transform myself from stay-at-home Mommy into crazy Mommy who can spout meaningless legal knowledge.  My Bar review course officially starts tomorrow and the last stretch of my journey towards a Texas law license will then begin.  So if my posts sound a little odd, legal based, or just "different" it's because my head will literally be in my Bar review books for the next 2 months.  Just thought I should warn you.

Anyway, hope you had a wonderful Christmas!  And if you have any advice for what it takes to be the "cool aunt," just let me know!

He Was Born in Bethlehem

Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city. 

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 

And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to er first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7

He Will Be The Light of the World

Jesus therefore said to them, "For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light in order that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke and He departed and hid Himself from them.

And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me. And he who beholds Me beholds the One who sent Me. I have come as light into the world that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness."

John 12:35-36, 44-46

As some around us begin their celebration of the Festival of Lights (Happy Hanukkah!), let us not forget the One who came to bring the ultimate light to our darkened world.

He Will Be Called Immanuel

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. 

But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." 

Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled saying, "Behold the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us." 

And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

Prophecy Will Be Fulfilled

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; 

And the government will rest on His shoulders; 

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, 

On the throne of David and over his kingdom, 

To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness 

From then on and forevermore. 

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this." 

Isaiah 9:6-7

A Son Will Be Born

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 

And coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." 

And Mary said tot the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God."

Luke 1:26-37

Getting Ready for the Party

With less than 7 days until the Big Day, our Christmas lights are still looking good--except for the one white light bulb that burned out a week ago on the right side of our roof.  Our tree is miraculously still standing, considering that our full grown cats have this daily ritual where they climb inside and shake the entire tree. Ughhh.  And all of the presents have been purchased, thanks to the fact that online shopping is still a viable option with deliveries scheduled to arrive by Christmas Eve.  It's almost weird to be 7 days out from my favorite holiday feeling like I'm prepared.

Oh sure, this Christmas won't be exactly as planned.  My new nephew is scheduled for delivery (via birth) tomorrow morning in Houston, so he and his excited parents won't be making the trip home to join us on Christmas Day.  And we won't be going to the Christmas Eve service with our friends this year, because we've found ourselves in a situation we're were currently homeless church goers (meaning that we're currently looking for a new church home.)  But despite all of these new happenings this year, I'm really excited about celebrating Christmas as a family.

Instead of putting out cookies and milk for Santa, we've decided that our family is going to make Jesus a birthday cake this year.  After all, isn't Christmas supposed to be a birthday party for our King?  Isn't that why we decorate a month early and hang all the fancy items around our homes?  I like to think that we make such a big effort so that we can throw Jesus the best birthday party ever, right? 

Ok, I don't think any party I throw will be quite as great as the party God threw Him the night of His actual birth--I mean, I doubt I'll be able to book a choir of angels by next Sunday.  But even still, I'm trying to approach Christmas a little differently this year.  Our family is having a real party for our king.  And when I think of the holiday from that perspective (instead of superficially as I'm apt to do), I realize that I can't be wholly prepared for such an occasion.  But my heart can.  I can take the next 7 days to get on my knees and thank God for the gift of Emmanuel.  And I can focus on getting  ready to through Him the best party of my life.

Sometimes It's About How You Get There

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

It's always fascinating to me to watch lawyers go through the decision-making process on how to go about filing and winning lawsuits.  It's not as easy as it looks.  First of all, you have to be able to meet all the jurisdictional requirements where you're filing.  And these can vary greatly from state-to-state.  Then, you have to understand how the court where you're filing works.  Court procedures tend to vary greatly from county-to-county.  Then you want to make sure that you get to know your assigned judge's clerk so that you can make sure you adhere to your assigned judge's preferences.  This varies from judge-to-judge.  In the event you've never or rarely filed a suit in a certain county or court  you might even need to hire a local attorney to help you figure out all the rules and procedures.  Then, you have to be careful to follow all the rules and to present yourself in a matter so that the judge and/or jury will give you the time of day.  This varies from locality-to-locality as well.  Only then does it matter if you have a real substantive claim that is winnable. 

Life is a lot like trying to file a lawsuit.  HOW we do things is often just as important has WHAT we do.  It's easy for us to know what we're supposed to do.  But I think too often, we're apt to choose the easiest way to get there.  Despite what we may think, the easiest way is rarely the best.  When we choose the easy path, we tend to railroad other people.  We tend to get angry with them when they're not going along with our plans.  We tend to act too quickly.  We tend to do things in a matter that might not be the most prudent or wise.  We are this way because we are sinful human beings who forget to ask for help when we should, and we forget that waiting on God is more beneficial than taking immediate action.  Waiting is hard, because it requires faith.

I learned this lesson the hard way last year.  I really felt that God wanted me working with certain people in a certain place.  But I accepted a position that I wanted, rather than what was best for those around me.  And when a wise person told me that what I was doing was wrong, all I did was get angry--uncharacteristically angry.  The whole ordeal eventually blew up when God humbled me to the point of demonstrating that I was going to have to give up all control of the situation.  I literally walked away from what I thought I was supposed to do.  6 months later, God presented another opportunity for me to be a part of this organization.  But this time, I was perfectly at peace with the matter.  God opened the door for me to accomplish what I knew He wanted me to do, but in a way that was honorable to Him and was not hurtful to those around me.  And today, I can honestly say that getting slapped upside the face last winter was the best thing God could have done to me.  Because now I know I really am where I need to be.

You see, our motives and are hearts might be in the right place, but if we're not willing to go about God's work His way, we can really mess things up.  Christians do this a lot.  I see it happen more than I'd like.  Good people try to do good things the wrong way.  Let us not get caught up in this.  Let us allow the Lord to determine our steps.  Let us listen to "many advisors" so that our plans succeed. (Prov 15:22).  And let us be humble enough to let the Lord direct our steps. 

Just like many lawyers have learned the hard way, it doesn't matter how great your cause might be.  If you don't take the proper steps to get there the right way, then what you're doing is pointless. 

Christmas Mail

I love mail.  Sometimes I check the mailbox 3 or 4 times a day until it arrives.  Maybe I'm this way because I'm not on Facebook and Twitter and still believe that someone might actually send me a letter the old fashioned way.  Or maybe I love mail because my grandmother frequently does send me random postcards and letters, which gets everybody in our house excited.  There's just something about opening an envelope with my name on it that's exciting--even if it's from an unknown solicitor.  I know, I'm weird.

But for mail nerds like me, Christmas is an extra special time.  We get letters or picture cards from friends and relatives that we hardly ever see.  And I never tire of seeing pictures of little kiddos that are miniatures of my friends.  It's even fun to hear stories of what people have been doing all year long.  Plus, it's always interesting to see how people manage to summarize their entire year into a few paragraphs.  This is not an easy skill!

I understand that people are less inclined to send letters in the mail these days.  After all, the US Postal Service is asking practically half a dollar per card.  And I completely understand that it's much cheaper to send emails or to post Christmas pictures on Facebook.  But don't let the price of a stamp prevent you from sharing your holiday cheer.  Trust me, a letter in the mail is probably the cheapest gift you'll send.

Even though it does take awhile and can be a headache, I enjoy putting together our own family Christmas cards every November.  I know that some people think it's cheesy that I include some type of letter, and that's fine.  You don't have to read it.  The writer in me just has fun putting together our little envelopes of holiday magic to share.

I'm sure there are friends and/or family members of that are scratching their heads and saying, "but I didn't get your card this year."  And my only response to this statement is that "I probably just don't have your address."   In fact, I still have a few unaddressed Christmas cards in my desk drawer just waiting to travel to a friendly destination.  But if you don't share your address, you'll never get to experience the magic of opening your own letter.  So the next time you get married, move across town, buy a house in a name other than your own (oh, yes--I even search county property records for addresses), or get a new PO Box, let me know.  It would be so cool to actually send out a stack of cards and not get 1 or 2 returned to sender because of a wrong address.  So my fellow cousins and long lost friends, my apologies if you feel left out this year. Maybe next year I can mail some holiday cheer your way!

And no, I'm not sending you a virtual "Christmas card." (Yes, I'm soooo stuck in the 1900's.)

It's Minnesota Outside

You know you're raising Texans when they think 60 degrees means it's cold outside.  I have to confess that I kind of agree.  After enduring what felt like an Arizona summer with Florida humidity, it's hard to fathom the idea of wearing a coat. 

Texas buildings, churches, and restaurants  are not equipped with "coat rooms."  Thus, if you choose to wear a coat somewhere, you can bet that you'll have to drape it over the back of your chair or literally carry it around.  If you choose to wear it around (like you can do up north) you will die of heat exhaustion.  Store owners in Texas adjust their temperatures with the expectancy that their shoppers are going to be wearing jeans year-round.  Thus, in the summer time, if you're dressed for warm weather by wearing something sleeveless with flip flops, you'll freeze.  Conversely, in the winter, if you wear a sweater and boots with your jeans and your coat, you'll be sweating profusely before you even reach the check-out counter. 

This conundrum is probably the reason why southerners tend to wear their summer clothes with sweaters in the summer and why you rarely see them actually wearing coats in the winter. Of course, I love coats about as much as high heels and have no intention of NOT wearing my coat.  So, I've just learned to take it like a lady and deal with the "glisten" that I get when I'm hot.  Oh-- and I almost constantly run my AC in the car on full blast during the winter.

Regardless, I'm learning to enjoy the random wintery blasts when we get them.  My boys get all excited when the temperature drops in the 50's because they think it will snow.  And every time my oldest thinks it's cold enough to snow, he informs me that "it's Minnesota outside."  Since he's never actually been to Minnesota, this always makes me laugh.  According to my 3 year old, we've had a lot of Minnesota in North Texas lately.  And no--we still haven't seen a drop of snow. 

For the sake of my little guys, I kind of hope we get a real taste of Minnesota soon.  But in the even that we don't, I'm thinking a taste of Hawaii would suit me just fine.  But this is Texas.  You never know.  As they say, "if you don't like the weather in Texas, wait five minutes!"  Time will only tell.