Hello, my dear friends-
Julie and I are in Maple Valley, WA, beginning our journey into family Christmas celebrations. We celebrated Mom's birthday tonight with an amazing three-course meal designed by senior chef Jonathan Morris. As family gathered around the table, I was reminded and humbled by the gift of life. So many factors could have dramatically altered the outcome of this family- for instance: what if mom and dad had gotten so sick that one night in college when they got food poisoning from chicken broth that they couldn't have children? What if Julie had never been born? I shudder to think!
Christmas to me this year is unrivaled to all previous Christmases. It's been a tough year- losing jobs, finding new ones, losing those new ones, getting new jobs, losing those new jobs, being severely sick, having a severely sick dog... We've taken a hit to our sense of security and protection. Love has been stretched, grown, and reinvented. I've often felt like an amateur runner in a massive marathon who has already gotten a stitch in his side after the first hour of running. Is it even worth it to keep running the race if I feel so much pain now?
I watch two of my brothers exchange hugs in the kitchen, and I know that instead of embracing family and personal connection I have much too often succumbed to a worldly mindset of "How much do I have to live on?" Who knows what God is planning for us? Hasn't he been good in providing miraculous ways of taking care of our finances? Yes, God, yes, you have taken care of us- through the generous hands of our family and friends (THANK YOU FAMILY, if you are reading this, we love you so much), and through the daily healing and developing of our hearts as we learn to trust You in this uncertain time.
So, Christmas has begun for me, starting when Julie and I celebrated just the joy of surviving and thriving in another year on this earth. Thank You, God, for this family- this pace of life- this chance to experience Your love in a new, tangible way. We are so lucky.
Tim
