Happy Birthday to Brenda, Matt's mom!
We're pretty much over our colds...but Judah now has pink eye. So he's on eye drops every four hours for the next week -- lemme tell ya. If you've never tried to get eye drops into both eyes of a 19 month old, you've never really lived! :-P Just pray he gets better soon and that no one else in the house will get it.
Matt should be taking off pretty soon for his trans-Pacific flight. He's probably gonna write more on his book, sleep, and take in all the movies they show on those long flights. He'll live Saturday twice, arriving home in MD around 9:30 cst. Only one more week go without my Love...Europe for a month is gonna be a humdinger. I just try to keep perspective by remembering all the soldiers wives who live life without their hubbies for much longer than a month, their hubbies are in peril, and their hubbies miss ALOT more of their kids' lives...some even miss the births of their babies. A month will be hard, but God gives grace to meet the need.
We just watched The Nativity Story. It really is a great movie -- you should rent it! Or just buy it and save yourself several trips to Blockbuster. ;-) I had two deep, amazing thoughts this time around:
1) If we were alive during that time, Herod's soldiers would murder BOTH of my boys because they are both under two. Not only would I grieve loss twice over, I would also grieve being made completely childless. It made me relfect on all those mothers who lost their precious boys because of one man's greed, pride, and fear. So much sorrow surrounds the story of Christ, and yet He came to bear those very same sorrows. I am blessed to have two sons, and I pray even more tonight that they live up to their names -- "Praised Hero of God" and "My God is Yaweh, Exalted and Strong."
2) One of the greatest analogies of Jesus Christ is that He is our Great Shepherd. He came into the world humble and unnoticed, just as shepherds lived their lives. He is a picture of gentle strength as He lovingly guides His Flock.
And who were Baby Jesus' very first visitors?
Humble, lowly shepherds who lived their lives unnoticed lovingly caring for their flocks...until a whole host of
angels gave them notice of a baby who was born to save them, their Messiah and King.
Remember why we celebrate!
