Girls To Grow

Nurturing moms in their walk with God

5 Tips for Surviving a Busy Season

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Well, friends, tomorrow it’s November.

Just because of how our daughters’ school/sports/fine arts schedules go, I feel like once we hit the first week of October, it might as well be January 5th.  The last three months of the year just fly by for us.  Besides our girls’ extracurricular activities, there’s all that goes along with Thanksgiving, celebrating both of their birthdays, Christmas, and New Years – and this year, we’re throwing a college visit into the mix, too!

I love the family time and the special events that happen over these next two months.  But from previous years’ experience, I know what this season can be like and want to be ready for it.  These tips aren’t new, but it helps to be reminded of them as I prepare for the full days ahead.

Check out these 5 tips for keeping yourself on track when life gets crazy.

1. Plan ahead…but not too far ahead.

For me, it works best to plan in one-week segments.  On Sunday afternoon, I sit down with my calendar and look at the coming week.  I write out my menu – all three meals for each day; start a shopping list for the grocery store; note what events I need to prepare for (buy cards or gifts for a birthday, make or buy snacks for a class party, wrap a present, etc.); and pencil in any errands that need to be run.

If I try to think too far ahead, it’s overwhelming.  I usually end up forgetting something, and have to make extra trips to the store anyway!  My exception to this would be doing basic Christmas planning early on, i.e. writing out a detailed budget well before you actually start making Christmas purchases.  I just did our Christmas budget this past weekend!

2. Let go of expectations.

Since we’re getting home late most evenings, I’m serving simple meals.  The slow cooker is my friend!  We may not have perfectly matched outfits for our family pictures, but that’s okay.  Simplifying and using what I already have works just fine in most situations.

This tip obviously speaks mostly to the expectations I put on myself!  My husband and daughters go with the flow fairly well.  I’m usually the one who wants everything to be “just so.”  I have to remind myself that it’s the time spent making memories with family and friends that’s the most important thing.

3. Communicate clearly.

If you want to plan a specific family activity, let your husband know.  If you need your children’s help with certain tasks, explain what they need to do.  From how much to spend on gifts to where and how holidays will be celebrated, clear communication helps everything flow more smoothly.

Now that are our girls are older, this means that I also need to include them in the planning of activities.  They may have things they want to do with friends or school events they’d like to attend that I’ll need to organize our schedule around.

4. Put people before tasks.

You’ll probably not regret making time for lunch with a friend over finishing that “Pinterest-y” Christmas wreath project.  Taking your children to the park on a beautiful afternoon certainly trumps having only from-scratch dishes on the Thanksgiving table.

I’m naturally task-oriented, so I have to remind myself of this frequently.  Being fully present and able to enjoy these moments is the best gift I can give my family.  It’s good for all of us if I’m at peace and not stressed out!

5. Make your quiet time a priority.

Spending time in prayer and Bible reading every day helps us keep our focus where it needs to be.  There are so many sweet lessons about gratitude and God’s love and Christ’s birth and new beginnings that we can focus on in this season.  No matter how busy the day promises to be, beginning it with quiet time always gets things started on the right foot.

So, as we approach another holiday season, what tips do you have for thriving when life is busy?

Related posts:
10 Ways to Build Strong Family Ties
A Prayer for My Family for November
5 Ways to Serve Others as a Family

Pinpointing Blessings and Finding Encouragement

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So this isn’t going to be a “normal” post, but just an update on why I’ve been absent from the blog lately.

First of all, it’s summer.  Our schedule’s been different every week, and it’s been hard to get into a writing routine.

Secondly, my dad’s had some health issues, so I took a trip up to Virginia last week.

I don’t think I’ve ever been away for several days while my husband and daughters were still at home.  In spite of the difficult circumstances that caused me to leave town, I was so thankful for the following:

~ a new realization that my siblings are some of my favorite people on the planet

~ two teenage daughters who managed the house while I was gone

~ two sweet friends who delivered the girls where they needed to be (and entertained them as well)

~ a husband who told me to take as long as I needed to help my family

I’ve certainly been looking for encouragement in this season, and, as always, God’s Word and good music have been a blessing to my heart.

After praying through much of the night, and feeling like my prayers weren’t being answered, I read Psalm 65:2.  Here David addresses God as “O Thou that hearest prayer…”  What a reminder that God is hearing, and will answer in His time and His way.

When I looked at the circumstances and thought, “Lord, it’s hard to trust you now,” I found Psalm 62:8 that says “Trust in Him at all times…”

When I said “Yes, Lord, but this is really hard,” I remembered Job 13:15, which says “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…”

And a comforting hymn to remind me of God’s care…

Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

Refrain:
God will take care of you,
Through every day, o’er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.

No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast,
God will take care of you.

~Civilla D. Martin

I know I’ve shared the video below on the blog before, but it’s been a fresh blessing to me in these days.  When it seems like God isn’t at work, I have to trust that He is, and keep taking my burdens and needs to Him in prayer.

[If you’re reading in e-mail, you’ll have to click over to the blog to see the video.}

We have Vacation Bible School at our church this week.  I’m looking forward to working with the 3rd and 4th graders each night!

Hoping to be back to a more regular blogging schedule soon.  In the meantime, I hope your summer is going well!!

Finding the Friend in the Seat Beside Me

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When I was in elementary school, three friends and I formed a club.  I can’t remember what we called it, but I do remember that we bought matching jackets.  They were green with rainbow stripes down the sleeves!  (And a belated thank you to Dad and Mom for paying for that special jacket!)

For many of us, wanting a group of friends to belong to starts at an early age.  I can vouch for the importance of teen friendships as I watch my daughters learn how to navigate peer relationships.  And even in my forties, I recognize the value of having friends to confide in as we walk through the seasons of life.

Because we have different personalities, you and I likely have unique struggles when it comes to friendships.  But perhaps many of us can relate to this Instagram post from Lisa-Jo Baker that I scrolled past recently.

Sometimes — even when we’re minivan driving moms — I think our brains play tricks on us and make us think there is an elusive “cool kids” table. This is totally bogus. Instead I’m trying to retrain my brain to focus on the seat and the woman (or next door neighbor kid or family member) siting right in front of me or right next to me. It just takes practice.

I love this on so many levels.  First of all, it’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one who thinks I’m not invited to the “cool kids” table!

And she mentions that this table is elusive.  Yes, we’ve thankfully moved past the middle school days where there may have been an actual table in the cafeteria for what were considered the “cool kids.”  But when we see that group of besties posting a picture on Facebook or Instagram of all the fun they’re having, we can feel like we’re missing out.  If we’re not road tripping with our girlfriends or getting together for coffee with them once a week, we can feel lonely or left out.  Insecurities about ourselves and our relationships can pop up at a moment’s notice.

So what’s the point of Lisa’s post?  The question that came to my mind was, “Where’s my focus when I’m having those kind of thoughts?”  On myself.  It’s all “Woe is me.”

Who's sitting right beside me or in front of me that I can reach out to in friendship today?

Lisa’s challenge is to focus on another person.  Who needs a friend?  Who do I come into contact with on a daily or weekly basis that would love for someone to connect with them?  Whether it’s my husband, my daughter, or my next door neighbor, I’ll likely have the chance to be a friend to someone today.

We could probably all quote Proverbs 18:24, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly…”  But sometimes I’m so wrapped up in myself that I don’t think about how to meet the need of another woman who may be lonely.  Instead of wishing I had been invited to hang out with a particular group of women, I can ask to spend time with someone I’d like to know better.

As Lisa says, it takes practice.  Putting others first, in any area of life, usually does.  And every gesture of friendship I make may not lead to a long-term relationship with a “kindred spirit.”  But reaching out to encourage another woman is always a good thing.

So instead of thinking about what I might be missing by sitting at a different table, let me focus on who is right beside me that I can befriend today.

Related posts:
6 Quotes About Friends for My Teenager
Finding Our Ministry Right Where We Are
God Has a Purpose for You Today

From Sea to Shining Sea

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While it’s been quiet here on the blog over the last week and a half, it’s been busy in real life!

Last week our family enjoyed a wonderful trip out west.  We spent time at the Grand Canyon, toured the red rocks of Sedona, and ended up in San Diego, where our daughters got their first look at the Pacific Ocean.  (We also took an unintended detour.  Thanks to Google Maps, we ended up right at the Mexican border, which our girls thought was really cool!)

I took more pictures than I thought possible!  Just know that I restrained myself by only including these below as a sample.

I know it sounds cliche, but you truly can’t capture the Grand Canyon in photos. It is vast, beautiful, and an amazing testament to a creative God.

We hiked about a mile down, then back up.  That was definitely enough of a hike for me!

We took a Pink Jeep tour at the Grand Canyon and in Sedona.

Sedona had a beauty all its own.

The picture above was one of my favorites from the whole trip.

San Diego was a beautiful city.  We took a boat tour of the harbor, spent a day at the zoo, enjoyed the seals and sea lions at La Jolla, and hiked in Torrey Pines.

 

I’m so thankful for safe travels, good health while we were away, and the special memories we made as a family.

We’ve pretty much caught up on our sleep after taking the red-eye home Friday night.  My 16-year-old started work this week, and I think (hope!) we’re getting used to a summer routine.

I should be back later this week with a new blog post.  I’ve been studying humility, reading about Abraham’s faith, thinking on verses 2 and 3 of the hymn Wherever He Leads I’ll Go, and considering what it means to have two daughters in high school…  Not sure yet which of those (if any) will turn into a post!!

Hope your week is going well!  I’d love to know if you’ve visited the Grand Canyon – and whether you prefer the dry heat of summer out there or the humid conditions here in the South!

Of Bands, Birthdays, Tears, and the Value of Time

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Since it’s been almost a week since I posted on the blog, I just wanted to share some thoughts – and hopefully some encouragement – today.

I thoroughly enjoyed attending the national fine arts competition for the first time!  My girls’ school won first place in band!  Here’s a video of one of the songs they performed.  (My 16-year-old is on the left in the back row.  She plays percussion, and is on the cymbals for much of this song.  My 14-year-old plays the tenor saxophone, and you have no hope of seeing her as she’s seated directly in front of the director!)

Friday was my birthday.  I purposely had no expectations.  I knew it was going to be a regular day, filled with errands of all sorts, and generally catching up from being out-of-town the last few days.  And it was a perfect day.  Why?  Because I chose to celebrate the little things.

~ an early morning “happy birthday” text from my older daughter, who was in the midst of packing up to leave the college campus where she’d stayed for the competition

~ a nice morning walk

~ a Starbucks drink and a good podcast while I ran errands

The value of time, on a birthday and beyond

A coconutmilk mocha macchiato

~ a totally unexpected birthday card from this sweet friend and blog reader

~ family time shooting baskets on the new basketball hoop in our backyard

~ many precious birthday wishes from family and friends

~ our family back together under one roof Friday night

And then I cried a little…I was listening to an episode of the Family Life Today podcast in the car on the way to get my girls from school.  The hosts were talking specifically to parents of seniors in high school.  Now my daughter’s only a high school sophomore.  Yet knowing how fast the last two years of high school have gone, I feel like she’ll be a senior in the blink of an eye.

If you’d like to know what brought tears to my eyes, here’s a link to Preparing Your Teen for the Future.  Around the 14-minute mark, Dennis and Barbara Rainey talk about a poem that was read during a special graduation service at their church.  Below the podcast episode, you’ll see a graphic you can click to download and read “With These Hands.”  While the poem is good on its own, hearing the Raineys read it aloud just about did me in!

I’ve read blog posts before about how someone does random acts of kindness for other people on their birthday.  I think that’s a great idea, and maybe one that I’ll try someday!  But this year, I chose to focus on the ordinariness of the day, the health I’ve been blessed with, and that I get to do all the little normal, every day tasks that I so often take for granted.  God is good all the time.  All the time, God is good.

And finally, I think I’ve gotten a little perspective lately from a chapter on time in Ann Voskamp’s book The Broken Way.  She says,

“We all get one container of time – but no one gets to know what size that container is…Take your one container of time and believe it contains exactly the time you need for a meaningful life.”

And then there’s this…

“Your time is limited – so don’t limit your life by wanting someone else’s.”

And maybe the best of all…

“You have only one decision every day:  how will you use your time?“

Time is a resource that we can never get more of.  I show who and what I love by the way that I spend that time.  May we challenge ourselves to make the most of today and of every day we’re given!

Top 10 Podcasts for Christian Women to Listen to in 2017

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If I share a story or a nugget of wisdom with someone in my family, chances are good that I’ll start the conversation with, “So, I was listening to this podcast…”  And, hypothetically speaking, that may lead to a bit of eye-rolling from certain teenagers!

You can find a podcast out there for any topic you’re interested in.  I’ve developed quite a list that I listen to on a regular basis.  Since I have an iPhone, I subscribe to my favorites in iTunes so that they automatically download to my podcast app when there’s a new episode.

I listen to podcasts while I’m working around the house, when I walk for exercise, and in the car.  I realize that, depending on your stage of life, you may not have as much quiet time as I do right now.  In that case, shorter podcasts might be the way to go.  Most of the ones I listen to range from 20 minutes to roughly an hour.  Sometimes I have to break the longer ones down into two listening sessions.  You can also increase the playback speed of a podcast, which would get you through more episodes in a shorter amount of time.

At the moment, the ten shows listed below are my favorites.  When new episodes show up, I scan the title and description to see if it’s a topic that interests me.  If not, I just delete that episode.  I don’t feel obligated to listen to every single one (nor do I have the time to do that!)  Therefore, I can’t say that I endorse all episodes of any podcasts, but overall, I really enjoy those that I’ve listed.

Here's a list of ten can't-miss podcasts that I'm tuning in to this year

1. The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey.  Jamie seems very relatable and down-to-earth.  She sounds like someone you’d love to have as a friend, and I’m sure she’s lots of fun to hang out with!  She’s also a great interviewer, and usually has guests with interesting stories or helpful information to share.

2. The Big Boo Cast.  This podcast is purely for entertainment purposes!  Melanie and Sophie just make me laugh.  They’re likely to talk about college football, beauty products, fashion, and whatever is currently going on in their lives.  If you’re not sure if you would enjoy their podcast, just check out their blogs at Big Mama and Boo Mama as their podcast is in the same tone as their blogs.  Again, I don’t endorse 100% of the content, but do enjoy their bi-weekly (or so) podcasts.

3. Grit ‘n’ Grace:  Good Girls Breaking Bad Rules.  Amy and Cheri are “recovering perfectionists” who share their struggles and point us to ways we can grow in our faith.  Sometimes they have guests, and other times it’s just the two of them encouraging listeners on a particular topic.

4. Parenting Today’s Teens with Mark Gregston.  This is a one-minute podcast on weekdays, and a half-hour podcast on Saturdays.  I enjoy the practical advice Mark gives; you can tell he’s had a lot of experience dealing with teenagers!

5. Clutter Free Academy with Kathi Lipp.  This one isn’t totally about decluttering your home, though it wouldn’t bother me if it was, as I like being challenged in that area!  Kathi talks with her co-host or other guests about clearing out the clutter in every part of your life, not just in your actual house.

6. Family Life Today.  Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine offer helpful resources and practical ideas for building families.  They cover a wide-range of topics, all geared toward encouraging and equipping Christians in their husband/wife and parent/child relationships.

7. Inspired to Action.  While Kat hasn’t been podcasting as frequently lately, when she does, I enjoy the guests she has.  Kat’s also a good interviewer, and usually highlights content to encourage and inspire moms.

8. The Mom Hour.  Sarah Powers and Meagan Francis co-host this podcast and offer tips and tricks they’ve put into practice in their own lives.  Between the two of them, they have children in nearly every age range, so I like the sensible advice they share.

9. The Dave Ramsey Show.  Dave broadcasts all three hours of his daily show on a podcast.  It’s rare that I get through all three, but I usually listen to at least one hour.  While I’ve read most of his books and know all about the money principles he teaches, I like the daily motivation to stay on track financially.

10. Focus on the Family Daily Broadcast.  I definitely pick and choose episodes here, depending on the topic of the day.  As you’d expect, those that focus on improving your marriage and guests who tackle parenting strategies get listened to regularly.

Bonus podcast:  Christy Wright’s Business Boutique.  If you’re a woman with a hobby you’d like to turn into a business, or if you already have a small business, I think you’ll find Christy’s podcast extremely helpful and inspiring!

If you have a favorite podcast, please let me know in the comments.  I’m always looking for new listening material!

Related posts:
5 Marriage Books Every Wife Should Read
3 Tips for Embracing Your Current Season of Life
My Top 3 Books on Raising Teenagers

A Work in Progress

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Just a quick post to let you know that Girls to Grow is getting a new look!  I’ve made the switch from Blogger to WordPress, and will be having fun (maybe?) tweaking the blog design.  I’ll be able to customize more of the blog’s features in this format.  All I’ve tackled so far is updating the header.  (If you’re reading in a feed reader or by email, you can click here to check it out.)

I hope that the changes result in a better experience when you visit the blog.  In the long run, I want to make it easier for newcomers to navigate the sight by adding more pages and offering better search options.

I’m also using this post as a test run to make sure my emails are going through correctly, so if you see anything strange, please let me know!

In the meantime, here’s the verse I taped to my kitchen cabinet door this week.

“Order my steps in thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” ~Psalm 119:133

Reading through Psalm 119 has been such a blessing as it reminds me how precious and valuable the Word of God is in our lives.

Let me know if you have a verse you’re meditating on this week, and have a great Wednesday!

Top 10 Posts of 2016

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At the end of each year, I like to look back over the past 12 months to see which posts have been the most popular here on the blog.  I’m often surprised because what I think was a great post may not have resonated with many readers, while one that I threw together on a whim may have been a big hit.

Interestingly, most of the top ten this year were published after I cut back to posting just twice a week.  Posting less has allowed me to put more time and effort into my writing.  Also, many of the more recent posts have done well on Pinterest, which drives a lot of traffic to Girls to Grow.

Here are the ten posts that go the most views this past year, in reverse order.

 
10.  What Mary Teaches Me About Praising God.  I read this passage again during the Christmas season.  I always marvel anew at Mary’s faith and trust in God, and how she offered such a beautiful prayer of praise to God, even when she couldn’t have fully understood what He was going to do in her life.

 
9.  7 Ways to Show Love to Your Teenage Daughter.  I need to be reminded of number seven on a daily basis – not only because I need to extend grace to my girls, but because I often need them to extend grace to me (especially after a certain recent Christmas cookie baking incident 😉

 
8.  Holiday Gift Guide for Teenage Girls.  I actually bought the curling iron and wand set for my oldest daughter for Christmas, a cross body bag for my younger daughter’s birthday, and both girls got Bath and Body Works products and new pajama pants.  This list was certainly helpful for me!

 
7.  How To Teach Our Kids to Be Content.  These reminders are for me as much as they are for my children.  It’s a comfort to know that God is going to provide all that we need in 2017.

 
6.  10 Bible Verses for Teens to Memorize.  I’m thinking about taking each of these verses and developing a series of posts on how each verse can be practically applied in the life of a teenager.  Coming in 2017, perhaps??? 🙂

 
5.  7 Promises of God to Carry Me Through the Week.  One of my goals for the coming year is to spend more time meditating on God’s Word.  Taking one promise of God each day, writing it down somewhere (in my journal, on a 3×5 card, on a whiteboard on my refrigerator), and then training myself to read back over it throughout the day would be a great way to meet that goal.

 
4.  5 Christmas Bible Verses to Teach Your Kids.  These verses are simple enough for even beginners to memorize, and teach the basics of the Christmas story.

 
3.  How to Make a Monthly Prayer List for Your Family.  Prayer is the other part of my devotional life that I want to focus on in 2017.  I haven’t been as faithful about writing out requests for my family lately, so I’m planning to get back into the habit next week!  (Check out the free printable in the post if you haven’t already.)

 
2.  A Letter to My Teenage Daughter:  Hold Onto Your Heart.   This one’s a challenge to my girls to save their love for the one that God has for them for a lifetime.

 
And the most viewed post of 2016, from July, with over triple the views of number 2….

1.  10 Prayers to Pray for Your Daughter.  I’m encouraged to know that so many of us realize the importance of praying for our children.  As James says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (5:16)  May we all continue to grow in our prayer life!

 
The most popular post ever on the blog continues to be 10 Bible Verses for Little Ones, which has been viewed almost 29,000 times.

Let me know if you had a favorite out of these top ten, or if there was a different post you enjoyed this past year.  Thanks to each of you for reading here, and I look forward to learning and growing together even more in 2017!

Related posts;
Top 10 Posts of 2015
Top 10 Posts of 2014
Top 10 Posts of 2013

Christmas Video 2016 ~ Christmas Eve Traditions

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My girls had their last day of school yesterday, so we are in full-on Christmas mode now!!  Planning to bake cookies today (we always make a batch of these Chocolate Holiday Bears), and maybe watch a Christmas movie together.

Yesterday I recorded a video and shared my favorite Christmas Eve traditions.  (If you can’t view the video in your e-mail or feed reader, click here to watch it on the blog.)

 
As I mention in the video, I’ll be taking a brief break from blogging to spend time with my family, but I’ll be here next Thursday with a look back at the ten most popular posts from Girls to Grow in 2016.  I’m looking forward to 2017 and all that the Lord has in store!

In the meantime, have a very Merry Christmas!!

” And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” ~Luke 2:10-11

Recipe mentioned in the video:  Potatoes Au Gratin

Related Posts:
Are You Getting What You Want for Christmas?
So This Is Christmas
Do We See Jesus?

Put This Under My Tree, Please

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I want a lot for Christmas this year.

My list is kind of long, but every item is exactly what I would choose if I could have just what I wanted.

 
Give me a box of hugs from my daughters, the surprise kind where they slip up beside me and share a quick squeeze.  Stick in my stocking the quick “I love you’s” I send behind them as they head out the door to school each morning.

You can package together the driving lessons, the pile of basketball uniforms to be washed, and the stack of books to return to the library.

Just a small box will do for the conversations we share about boys – the nice guys, the thoughtful kind.  No need to give that topic too much importance just yet. 😉

All the sounds will need at least three packages. The large one should be the sound of music coming from the piano as my girls practice their Christmas songs.  The sound of my husband coming in the door each evening should be the special box with lots of hearts on it. It’s one of those I look forward to every day.  Those after-school talks on my drives home with my girls will probably need to be squeezed into a pretty big container.

Why the big box of money?  That’s to dole out for lunch money and school fundraisers and youth group activities and Starbucks drinks on a regular day, just because.

The next one I open will have all the smells…bacon ’cause it makes all the breakfasts better, a mixed scent of Bath and Body Works body sprays coming from both girls’ bedrooms, my husband’s new cologne.

There’s an almost empty box since there haven’t been any new hand-crafted ornaments made from hand prints or chip can tops or craft sticks put on my tree in quite awhile.  We’re lacking in the glitter-encrusted, white-glue dripping kind.  Perhaps that season of life has passed us by….

Yes, a second empty box reminds me to check my closet for what might be missing since the last time a daughter borrowed it – the pair of shoes, the sweater, the necklace.

No need to wrap up those lunchboxes…they greet me early every morning as it is.

Bundle up the sound of the four of us talking around the supper table, riding in the car together, singing Christmas carols side by side in church, our relief at another annual family photo session completed.  Tuck in all four of our stockings, currently hung in the living room, anticipating their filling on Christmas Eve.

It’s getting crowded under the tree, but I think there’s room for a few more presents.

Gather the two leftover birthday cakes waiting on the counter, courtesy of two girls born two years and two days apart, early in December.  Those contact cases, bobby pins, and flatirons by the bathroom sink get a box all their own.

Give me that contented feeling of falling into bed beside my husband after another late night of ball games or recitals or concerts.  Let me watch another cheer routine, sit through another piano recital, watch another JV Girls basketball game, enjoy another band number,

Let me drive a daughter to one more party, buy her one more white elephant gift to exchange, pray another prayer perched on the side of her bed before she drifts off to sleep.

Make that final gift a box of tissues, ’cause at this point I’ll be needing them.

The neat thing about this list is that it’s what I already have.  Won’t cost anyone a cent, but will be more treasured than anything that’s frequently deposited on my front porch in a cardboard Amazon box. 🙂

Because these won’t be the gifts of next Christmas.  Those will be different, because it will be 2017, and some things, even slightly, will have changed.  That’s as it should be, and will bring its own joys, as God wills.  But these gifts are the gifts of the present, those to be held close to my heart.

These are the memories my family is making this Christmas season.  Yours are just as precious, because they’re yours, and they may never be the same again.  What’s a memory you want placed under your tree?

Related posts:
Are You Getting What You Want for Christmas?
3 Gifts I Want My Children to Receive This Christmas
To Simplify This Season…Or Not?