Advent

Tuesday evening.

our sweet, finally-getting-over-all-forms-of-sickness kiddos are asleep.

Grant, in all his fatigue, was passed out early.

I sit with [decaf] dunkin donuts coffee brewing 

and {don't judge} heavy whipping cream awaiting it.

{totally in love with holiday baking that leaves real cream left over for my coffee}

today I played the Goodnight Moon game about 74 times with my favorite almost-5-year-old.

I scoured the house for a pink hairbow for my favorite, insistent-2-year-old that commandeers all my pony tail holders for bracelets.

{our sweet, cuddly, a-tad-obsessive Gracie}

{grace, who's holding her necessary hairbow}

and today, as our Christmas Advent Calendar nears single digits, 
my heart still reflects on how to truly honor Christ in this season.

In this whole fun, busy, stressful, whirlwhind of a season,
does my heart, my attitude, my speech, 
{my life}

honor the baby in a manger?

and if it does 
{and oh, how I long for it to}

how do I reflect that to my family?

to the cashier at Target who was, well, honestly, slow.

and I was in a hurry. 
with a toddler on the brink of making a fast escape 
and streaking through the candy section.

If Jesus is truly the reason for my season, my life should be different. 
Especially the month we're celebrating Him.

my checkbook should look different, the way I handle Holiday stresses should look different, the way I handle kids who want to play but come-on-don't-they-know-I-have-things-to-do situations should look different.

and in all, I've concluded, they should be marked by love.

For even if we give away all we have,

{even to charities and needy kids}

even if we have all faith and all knowledge

{and know the history of Luke and can tell the Nativity story better than anyone}

Even if our house is the prettiest and decorations the best 
and our baking the most impressive...

even in all,

if I have not loved in the process,

i.gain.nothing.

nothing.

As our Advent Calendar gets closer, I pause.

I attempt to love harder, more deeply.

to give more freely and more richly.

Love God, Love others.

richly.

Give.

My heart.

My time, my life, my energy.

Richly.

I will embrace the business of this season as an avenue to love.

After all,

that's what it's all about, right?

----------

...Of all the commandments,

which is the most important?

You shall love the Lord with all your heart...

you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 12