December Fave Five #4

It's Christmas Eve!!

Before we start the celebration, let's take some time to reflect on the past week and list the 5 things that the Lord blessed us with....our favorite things! My faves this week include the gifts that God gives and that we will take to heaven with us:  Music & Dance.....and friendship.....

• CHURCH CHRISTMAS CHOIR:  what a thrill it was to watch our 17 year old worshiping God with her voice.  Our church has a large Christmas Choir each year, and this year there were several senior high teens from the youth group performing.  We are proud of her for keeping up with her homework, club duties, youth group, and the choir rehearsals....and what a wonderful job they did last weekend, making music for our Savior!

•  BALLET BIRTHDAY SURPRISE:  this past Tuesday was my youngest daughter's 12th birthday....yes..she is a Winter Solstice baby.  She had a huge surprise waiting for her at the end of her advanced ballet class.  The instructor informed her that the director of the dance academy had decided she is ready to go "en pointe" (point shoes)!!  This will mean a 3rd ballet class during the week (a private lesson) and this will mean higher tuition and more expensive ballet shoes....apparently point shoes are close to $100 BUT...this is Claire's passion and we believe a true gift from God. And for now, we are able to provide this for her for which I am truly thankful!  So....a special surprise for her birthday...and she is thrilled!! This has been her goal for the last 2 years.....

• CHRISTMAS CONCERT:  Courtney (the 17 yr old) had her Orchestra concert this past Wednesday evening. This was the last concert of the first semester and there were 6 groups performing ( our high school has about 18 performance groups who perform in 4 different concerts per semester...not all at the same time!)  After the 6 groups performed, the Choir and the Orchestra came together to perform Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah.  This was the first time this has ever been done at our high school.  And it's a public school!  It was absolutely breath-taking and at the end several of us couldn't help but shout out "hallelujah, praise God".  We are so blessed to be in a district that still performs real Christmas music and the orchestra and choir teachers are Christians!  (the orchestra teacher also happens to be a personal friend of ours and attends our church).  How awesome this concert was and a perfect way for Courtney to say "Good-bye" to Holiday concerts...she does have a chance to perform in the March concert as well as the Spring concert at the end of the school year but...this was her last Holiday Concert at her high school and it was definitely a "bittersweet" evening.

• LUNCH WITH A BEST FRIEND: my friend Lynn texted me early Thursday morning, to spontaneously invite me to lunch so we could "celebrate" our December birthdays.(we ended up giving each other coffee mugs along with a couple of other special items!)  Although I couldn't stay more than an hour at her house due to other obligations after work, it was such a blessing to leave work, have a delicious hot soup waiting for me with one of my fave flavors of coffee and just talk!  We had so much to catch up on as I hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks.... I've been missing a friend whom I used to love talking with and it seems like there are times I don't have anyone to relate to or with whom I can "go deep" with. So, we try to find those times to really share some of the deeper things and as I've gotten to know her more over the last 2 years, I have found her to be a true friend.  I have been able to pray with her for certain situations in her life and listen to some of her own trials, and we consider our selves to be prayer partners as well as friends. This has always been an important part of our friendship. What a blessing to take some time out in this busy week and just rest and recharge!

My mug from the Got Teens moms...a surprise
organized by Lynn!

The mug I bought Lynn

• QUICK, ENCOURAGING CONVERSATION:  I had a short, but very encouraging (and fun!) conversation with our pastor's wife last Sunday after church. Our pastor was chatting with me and my youngest while my hubby was joking with his wife. We then switched places....  D and I rarely get to talk but when I do talk with her I am always so encouraged by her!  We were chatting about  Christian colleges and the choices our oldest children are making.  Her oldest is one of my daughter's friends and they are thinking of going to the same college...we were sharing about finances and I left feeling very encouraged by certain things we had been chatting about and that I had been anxious about.  I was relieved to know I am not the only mom with some anxiety as to finances and our child at college next year!  We were also rejoicing about how the girls have been offered very good academic scholarships with this college.....but the thing that struck me after the conversation, was that, although I hadn't spoken to her in several weeks, she is a pastor's wife I am comfortable with and who really knows how to converse with everything she's got:  the speaking and the listening.  She has a calm spirit and an encouraging tone.....how I hope and pray I can be that way for some one as well! and we discovered both families love Indian food so we may get together at some point and share a meal together.....I love discovering new things about people and forming friendships.....always a fave with me......

and now...it's time to celebrate the Greatest Gift God could ever give us:  His Son Jesus.  Our Savior....the Everlasting Father, the Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace.  What do you need Him to be for you this Christmas?  Do you need to know the security of a Father's love and feel embraced by Him?  What about comfort or encouragement? Do you need a Counselor who does have all the answers to your issues?  And peace.....don't we all yearn for peace?  Do you need to know the deep, inner peace from the Prince that can deliver it far beyond our understanding??

Touch Him this weekend.  Savor the Savior.........

MERRY CHRISTMAS......