Christmas Miracles!!!

Jeff is in Arizona and we are ONCE AGAIN living apart from each other. But THIS TIME, he TOOK OUR CAR!!! I am stranded, except for the sympathy of my mother who comes to take me out to eat and grocery shopping.  I am having a harder time with it this time around.  Maybe it's the holidays.  On the other hand, he LOVES his new job.  Now, if he could just find a place for us to live.  I have been worrying myself sick about money.  How are we going to pay for the move?  How are we going to pay the bills ONCE we move?  I am losing most of my students, and it will take time to get more.  With Jeff's schedule being all over the place, it makes it hard to get a job for me!  How are we going to afford Christmas this year?

As I watch my friends and family prepare for their Christmases by putting up their trees, and preparing their Black Friday lists, and even making goodies, I look around my empty NON-DECORATED house, and my heart breaks for my boys that are DYING to put up Christmas.  I just can't get to the boxes with the decorations in them!  But at night, we cuddle together, and I read them various Christmas stories while we talk about the true meaning of Christmas, all the while I am hoping that they understand why they each only get 7 little gifts under the tree.

I was feeling very sorry for myself last night as I sat in my bed surrounded by bills and talking to my husband about how we "can't afford anything" when I read a blog from a friend of mine.  This Christmas, she will be spending it with her son at St.Jude's Hospital while he is treated for a tumor on his spine.  I noticed another friend that had just posted pictures on Facebook.  She had a big beautiful smile on her face while she hugged her little girl after her dance recital.  I remembered that she lost her beautiful baby only five months ago or so. Suddenly, my tears changed from sorrow to gratitude. In all my teaching and preaching to my boys about the true meaning of Christmas, I was the one that was missing the message.  I have a beautiful family, and we are all healthy and strong spiritually and physically.

I got out of bed and turned on the Christmas music from my childhood many years ago.  I listened to the crackling music play and yearned for simpler times.  I know it sounds crazy, but somehow, whether Jeff gets to come home this Christmas or not, or whether we find a way to purchase more toys for the boys, or whether we EVER get a tree up, I will not forget this Christmas season.  It will stand as a reminder for me while I am snuggled in bed with sugarplums dancing, wishing for my Christmas Miracles,  others are out there wishing for miracles of their own, and I will stand grateful that I don't have those miracles to wish for.

Merry Christmas to all of my WONDERFUL friends and family!  YOU are my MIRACLE!

Cindy