A Blessed Christmas

Today is Christmas Eve. For the past three weeks my kids have gone to practice on Saturday mornings for the Christmas Pageant. One of my little girls was even cast as the Blessed Mother. We planned a quick morning clean up from last night's party, then some last minute wrapping, a quick trip to the supermarket, an easy lunch of party leftovers, then off to church for the pageant and Mass. Of course, those were my plans. God's plans looked completely different. This year, God has asked me to practice some of the most difficult virtues for me. First, He threw me some sick kids to practice humility. When a person is as focused on impressions and pleasing others as I am, it is a very humbling thing to realize that you have exposed 50+ of your dear friends and family to a stomach virus just two days before Christmas. Next, He asked me to practice fortitude and patience as multiple children came to my room throughout the night vomiting through the carpeted hall on their way. He asked me to practice charity toward that little boy who just wanted Mommy to snuggle him when he was sick, but Mommy had an agenda to clean and work towards a "successful" Christmas. He asked me to practice temperance when I discovered my wedding ring was missing from the cabinet where I had left it to stay safe while I prepared meatballs for the party. Finally, He asked me to practice gratitude while I was sifting through yesterday's trash searching for my ring. We didn't make it to church for the pageant and Mass as a family, but we did get to go freely and safely to attend holy Mass and celebrate the birth of Our Savior. We didn't get to all munch on those yummy leftovers, but we were able to run to the supermarket in our town where chicken soup, gingerale, and jello were readily available to soothe aching tummies. I didn't find my wedding ring in the trash, but I was able to recognize that as I was sifting through trash on Christmas Eve for a diamond ring, other moms were sifting through trash to find food for their children. Our Christmas isn't going to look the way I would have pictured it in a fairy-tale storybook, but we will have a blessed Christmas. We will celebrate this great feast with freedom, plentiful food, a warm home, and love that surpasses all of the losses we have experienced thus far. God is good, and Jesus is born! Merry Christmas!