ah, food

I must confess...I've been a Scrooge...

For the first time, the entire season could come and go and I wouldn't mind. (Some of you know how I've been "bah humbugging" Christmas music and I make no apologies coz so much of it truly stinks.) And I've concluded that my lack of enthusiasm is all because this is the first time in my life that Christmas isn't a big break from something such as school or work or some major stress factor. When I realized that, I realized that for many years, I've been caught up in the gift giving (not a bad thing necessarily) and the vegetating (also not necessarily a bad thing) but I've lost the focus on Jesus. (Don't worry, I don't wish to dive into all the brouhaha�love that word�concerning the Conservative Christians and their war on commercialism, etc.)

Yesterday, my pastor said some things that helped me figure out what to do with my Scroogeness. He preached on having the "mind of Christ" and asking ourselves how Christmas will change our tomorrows. He said that we've got to live as if we believe that our world is in need of a Savior. I'm presently clutching those concepts, taking seriously the notion that this season often passes with nothing more than an extra few pounds gained and a lot of money spent. But Jesus was born so that whether or not I sing Christmas songs, I have the opportunity to be reborn. THAT is beautiful reality, one I wish to spend more time pondering and allowing to impact my existence.

Today is a lovely day, not because of the great food I anticipate (my dad's going to make fried dumplings and I'm baking a few apple cobblers to give away...YUMMY), but because I've finally realized what matters most. It's meaningful to me, it's life changing for me.

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year! I pray that you take in all the blessings of today and the days to come. Thanks for being part of my world J

Love you,
Michaela L.