It's a Christmas Play...Lovin' it!!!

You know they come every year, the annual Christmas play, concert or pageant. Each year, about this time, perhaps multiple performances or only one, at the director's discretion.

We attended a Christmas play/musical tonight called "Skipping Christmas." Tonight's version included the story of Jesus and how a baby can change your life...that baby, Baby Jesus, whom we cannot leave in the manger because He came to go to the Cross for us...to become Our Savior!

The first half was loosely based on a book written by John Grisham that later became a movie entitled "Christmas with the Krank's." That movie was released on Thanksgiving Day, 2004. I remember this because it was the first holiday season we were facing without Macy Jo and PaPa Bishop. We had purposed to have Thanksgiving be a simple affair, an "alike-but-different" approach. We had our 'non-traditional dinner' on Wednesday night. On the traditional day of Thanksgiving, we went to Carbondale, IL to Denny's, then to that movie with our entire family...just to laugh! And, laugh, we did--the whole day--from the comedy of the meal to the comedy of the movie...

That movie inspired me in many ways. First I was inspired to immediately form a plan for our family to host a Christmas Eve party that year. This plan would help me carry out the 'alike-but -different' approach I'd formulated as a constructive way to grieve through the holidays, yet stay involved and celebrate.

And, celebrate we did! We invited everyone we knew to stop by and visit throughout the evening on Christmas Eve that year...and many accepted our invitation! It was fun, and the planning and carrying out the party kept me very busy. Yet throughout the month of December, I still had quiet moments when the heaviness of grief would engulf me. I could weep alone or with my husband, or with our kids, but the dark clouds of grief never over took, they were kept at bay because we were intent on putting together a celebration.

Tonight, especially, I was reminded of one dear friend and her family that brought us a beautiful gift that night, from their hearts. They had worked together to make it. It was two pewter colored picture frames, a pewter ornament and a small name plate, all arranged on a red velvet-covered board. One of the frames had a poem entitled "Merry Christmas from Heaven"...the ornament had "I'm spending Christmas with Jesus this year" engraved on it...the other frame was a picture of Macy Jo in front of the Christmas tree the year before, dressed in her little red velvet dress with white trim, also wearing the matching red & white hat pulled down on her brow. And in exact Macy Jo fashion: looking very sassy! The name plate simply said 'Macy Jo Bishop'. It was lovely.

That first year was hard, yet the Joy of the Lord was our strength, having our friends around us helped underline the second thing I took from that movie: the idea of living in community with like minded Christians. We are not alone in this thing called life!

To this day, children's programs are especially hard for me to face, no matter the season. The word hard, as used there means that I cry during them and I worry whether I am being a distraction to those around me.

Like this evening, at Rock Bridge. I was fine watching "Skipping Christmas", laughing at the appropriate times, and enjoying the music...and then the little girls came out to dance. Little ones, like 3-6 year-olds each dressed in (you guessed it) red velvet dresses with white cuffs around their sleeves and hems. I cried and cried, and didn't care who I distracted...except, I looked at my dear, sweet husband, and he was crying with me...sometimes, you just have to give in and admit that you just miss 'em. You just do. And, it's OK to cry and it's OK to distract...it's OK.

Soon after those precious little ones exited the stage, it was time for what I would call the "tap-dancing grannies" to dance on to the stage. And, OH MY GOODNESS did that make my heart sing! They were so cute...lovely, each one, white haired, and tap dancing...most of them looked like my Grandma AnnaBelle, who just turned 89! So precious! And, I thought to myself, none of them are up there without having lived through some sort of pain in their lives, yet they are up there, living it up, enjoying the moment, enjoying the 'community' of dancing together and celebrating the season and dancing, truly, like 'no body's lookin'--except they were lookin' and lovin' it!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is the anniversary of my mom's birth. She turned seventy today! How fun is that? I'm just thankful that this year, as she's in Florida, we are in the same time zone! My mom has loved me my whole life. I know this isn't unique for most of us, but for some of my 'new' acquiantences, that is a precious commoditity they know little about.

Mom prays for me and my family every single day, she encourages me when I'm down, or even when she thinks I might be 'down'...she's always insisted that I give it a try, or step out in faith, or trust in Jesus, no matter what. I've witnessed her strength over the years, her faith journey and her servant's heart. She serves and serves and serves, like there's no tomorrow...I am truly thankful for her example, and the way that she loves me and my family. Because she is sucha servant, she completely understands the role my family now plays in this ministry. She has taken on our boys in true prayer warrior fashion, keeping up with their names and unique details about them so that she can pray specifically for them each day!

She loves unconditionally, and trusts God with every fiber of her being. We've been through some really difficult days together, she, my sister and me...and we've remained very close, even though the miles seperate us, physically. I am proud to call her mom, and so truly blessed by her example! Thanks, mom, I love you so much.