What Christmas week photos didn't show...

** My dear sister, Kristina, waiting bravely through the holiday to have her daughter, Michal, home. Her loss was our gain, though! Michal had been on her way home from college for Christmas break when the Pacific Northwest was shut down by blizzards and ice storms. Her home city's airport closed until after the 25th, just hours before she was to have arrived. Bless her (and her parents' and brothers') heart! So. She flew back east to Minneapolis and Grandma Rosi picked her up and brought her along out to the farm. What a blessing for us! We thoroughly enjoyed having this beautiful young lady in our home. She is truly a rare, sweet, and genuine soul whose very presence is a comfort and joy to the rest of us. She cheerfully pitched in and happily shared in our extended family gathering at our other Grandma and Grandpa's home, as well as all the little traditions of the season here. She is now reunited with her family, and I'm sure they are glorying in every minute of this vacation.

**My dear mother, who came with Michal, and arms full of food, gifts, hugs, games, and classic holiday movies. She is, like her mama before her, grandmotherly, cozy, and a much loved part of our family festivities. We cooked, and baked, and snacked, and sang, and laughed away many an hour--mostly in the kitchen--as usual. There was even a mid-afternoon lull of quiet reading and napping in the living room for some of us...Supper was wild rice soup, thankful prayer, and Christmas eve-ish talk. Afterward, we bundled up and walked out into the [very cold] starry dark to sing carols at the doors of our two nearest neighbors (and kin :-)). Then hot cider and preparations for the following day warmed us up again.

Christmas day brought caramel rolls, bacon, and good coffee, morning chores and food prep for Grandma E.'s house, and Katie, Caleb, and Greta arriving in a blur of sunshiny smiles, greetings and hugs. Then it was over the river and through the woods to Jeff's folks' for lots of good food, presents and fun with Grandma, Grandpa, uncle, auntie, and dear-to-us, out-of-town cousins. Grandma E. outdid herself preparing a feast for such a crowd--and was such a gracious hostess to our expanded household.

Evening found us back home and getting ready for our family's Christmas evening. Jeff fed the cattle their holiday supper while we warmed beef burgundy, tossed a salad, and made eggnog. After the dishes were cleared away, it was time for gift opening. Some of my most treasured memories as mother to these four beautiful people involve these Christmas exchanges. The joy they have in giving to each other and the enormous love among them moves me to tears every time. So I smile and cry over the notes, and poems, simple handmade beauties, and special surprises that they give to one another and to us. It would become a regular sob-fest if we weren't laughing so hard for the rest of the time.

I'm so glad that Mom shared it with us, as she has for many years--and Michal was the perfectly seamless addition. Did you see the picture of my countertop tower of chocolate brown coffee mugs? Love them! Thanks, Mother dear. They've already been used half to death with so many coffee loving friends passing through.

And lest we forget! It was the first year with a grandbaby! (although, this hardly counts as something the photos didn't show. heehee). What a joy she is. Greta unwrapped her little chair and her old Now We Are Six book before being snugged into bed. She wins the prize for being smiley and adorable even after a long and festivity-packed day.

**Gift packages in the mail from far away sisters who know just what makes me smile. I am spoiled and blessed beyond measure to be known and loved and cared for so well. Love you, Karrie. Love you, Tina. (Love you, too, Em. :-) but I got your 'presents' with your 'presence' a couple weeks ago! a double blessing!)

**Sister Emma, celebrating one year of hard but precious days since the hardest Christmas of her life. May God give you many, many more, sis.

**Dad and Sandi, who had us to their house for an earlier Christmas supper and gift exchange, along with the Auntie Em, Uncle Kevin, and the kiddos. The hambone they sent home with us provided a lovely bean soup on Tuesday the 23rd, and my knit vest has kept me warm during many a cold day since. Thank you.

**The efforts [repacking, extra driving, sleep loss(!), etc...] of dear friends from afar who made time to fit us into a Minnesota trip, already packed with other people and places. We're so glad they did! What a joy it was to have 'Little Melissa' bring her new husband to visit here for the first (of many?!) time(s). 'Silver' friendships were clinched (sons-in-law hit it right off!), 'golden' ones deepened and strengthened. God is so good. We fit a very great deal of talking, singing, eating, and laughter into their Sunday to Tuesday visit. My goodness.

**Last, but not least of the un-photographed Christmas realities (at least the ones I'm going to try to write about today ;-)): God's grace and peace, strength and joy in the midst of much necessary hustle and bustle. I continually battle fear that 'this time' I won't have the energy--not just physical, spiritual really--that I need to go forward with all that is required. Or that I'll lose my sense of Jesus, of why I'm doing all this as my slow, methodical, contemplative self is pressed into rush-rush mode. My Father is so faithful, though. His strength was the main thing, not my weakness. As always. Why do I ever doubt? I was truly helped to discipline my tired thoughts by 2 blog posts in particular. This one from Girltalk, and this one from Ann at Holy Experience. Gratefulness. Humility. Dependence. Joy. Good words in season.

Love from here,
Melissa