40 Days until Christmas

So today I realized that it is only 40 days until Christmas.
And next week is Thanksgiving Day, already! My goodness!

I think it's time to get into the holiday spirit, ready or not, to begin to prepare for this joyous time of year with great anticipation and expectancy!

I haven't felt nearly as ready for the holidays this year. It's been a tumultuous year in many ways, at least since the accident in May. Our family has been displaced from a 'home' and even still are only in a temporary rented home.

As we look forward over the coming month there is much to look forward to, to anticipate. Many changes are ahead. Good changes. Many decisions, much work, and the ever present unknowns.

One thing I am learning, however, is that there are things more important than 'things' and that sometimes the intangible is more to be desired than the touchable.

There will always be an array of issues that could tend to shake my peace and threaten to rob some measure of joy. But absolutely nothing is worth trading these gifts; gifts that God wants to daily give to me....nothing should take these away. I choose peace and I choose joy and I am grateful!

So, in that spirit of thankfulness and gratitude, let the holiday season begin!

Why wait? Let the preparation begin in my heart. May each of the 40 days ahead be a celebration of the gifts God gives to us every day....Joy. Peace. Hope. Love. Life. Abundant Life...to name a few.