Another Christmas has come and gone, our first without mother. As we prepped way too much food for the 24th-25th like we always did when she was alive, it was bittersweet. I whipped up her cheese log, the same one she started making when I was in middle school. Her hot crab dip is another tried and true favorite we've enjoyed for decades. But the girls and I also decided to branch out with a couple new recipes, like pulled pork sliders and balsamic caramelized onion dip. We have leftovers crammed in the fridge, but I'm sure the husband will do his best to put a dent in them over the next few days.
Around midweek, an Arctic blast blew through Texas. The temps outside dropped so low so fast that the windows fogged up. We had to schlep up to the other two houses we own to winterize them for the hard freezes and do our best to avoid broken pipes.
Since it will be our last Christmas in this house, I decided not to haul out all of my Santas because they'll need to be moved to the new place in a few months once we finish a bit of updating. It still looked like Santa Claus came to town, just not to the same extent as usual.
Tonight before I go to bed, I'll read the last entry in my Christmas devotional. I've highlighted lots of gold nuggets this month. One of my favorite days was Dec 15 when the author used 1 Kings 18:18-24. I immediately recognized the scripture since we studied it earlier this fall in BSF.
What God wants for Christmas is simply your bended knee. We were made to worship - our internal circuitry wired to worship. Every moment you live, you live bowed to something. And if you don't choose God, you'll bow down before something else - some banal Baal.
This Christmas season, I've tried to focus on His presence rather than presents. Our world needs less "stuff", but waaay more faith, hope and joy. The miraculous gift of Christmas is and always has been God's great love and mercy for us, His creation. He sent love incarnate into the manger in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago to provide a path for our salvation, drawing us back to Him. It's a gift we can never earn, but rather humbly accept in the spirit He provides it. May your walk from today through epiphany be one of peaceful rediscovery of God's holy presence in your life.
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