Mom's Christmas Letter

It started with Mary, so humble and mild
With the heart of a woman and the faith of a child.
She rose above anything she might have feared
To answer, "Amen" when the angel appeared...

And on that first Christmas, in spite of the cold
A sweet newborn baby was all hers to hold
As strangers and shepherds, ignoring their sheep,
Watched while she rocked Little Jesus to sleep.

What joys we can know, what a miracle starts
When we, too, can say "yes" to God in our hearts.

I just love this because my thoughts for this Christmas season, what I thought about a lot during Advent, was saying yes to God.
Yes I will trust you with my job, yes, I finally trusted you with our house. Yes, I will let you guide my children ( boy is that a hard one) and yes, yes, yes to letting you lead me, not the secular world, not my doubts and fear and need to control, but You. I will say Amen - I believe.

Our priest gave us many good sermons but the best was to every night,
"Count your blessings"
"Count your successes"
and ask forgiveness for your sins.

You and your dad are my blessings
and at the end of the day, I may have a couple of successes at work or with my 1st grade religious ed, but you will always be my successes, thanks to God.
My sins, I will keep to myself and God, you know enough of them as it is.

The priest in Arizona also reminded me that as a mother I have 3 gifts.

To pray with all my heart
To love unconditionally with all my heart
and to consecrate each and everyone of you to the heart of Mary.

I know that my job is to pray and I consider myself a prayer warrior
and I love you unconditionally, but as I pointed out to Ryan once, it is a good thing God started you out as babies so I would love you so much before you grew up and made bad choices that drove me nuts and that leads to the 3rd. I Consecrated each and everyone of you to Mary when I realized I had messed up and she being the perfect Mother really needed to take over.

I am so blessed that my parents shared their faith with me and that you, my children, also share that faith.


God is good... and I say

"Amen"