Merry Christams to all, and to all a good night...

So this is it.
In a few hours it will all be over.
(and really, the kids are in bed or on airplanes, so it's already over!)
It has been quite the holiday season. New eyes this year. So thankful for that.

By making the decision to give a portion of our Christmas away for something greater, we gained so very much. This was not like any other Christmas we have ever had. There were much fewer gifts. A greater focus on the bigger picture. More talk about the true meaning of Christmas. And I would have to say it was an amazing Christmas.

This will forever be the year that our Christmas experienced a flood.
Of water.
Of joy.
Of giving.
The floodgates opened along with our eyes and hearts.
And Christmas will never be the same.

So as we bring in the new year, I pray that it's not only Christmas that will never be the same.
I pray that with our new eyes, we let the joy of giving enter into our everyday life on a new level.
By giving, our blessings have been mulitiplied so many times over.
Last night we sang "O Holy Night" at church. It has always been one of my favorite Christmas carols, but this year it took on a whole new meaning. It touched a part of my heart that it never had before. Proof that I am changed. Thank God for that.
So I leave you with that verse that brought tears to my eyes last night. May this penetrate my heart every day from here on out...
“Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!”