don't look now......thump...

I have never before said these words...."I'm glad it's over" when I am talking about the Christmas season. But this 2006 Christmas was one I am not soon to forget and in truth I am glad it's over!! Just like all things ....good, bad or ugly....they come to pass and when they are "past" it's much easier looking back than walking "through".

We brought in the new year with some friends up at their cabin. When we left the city I was in a ball of knots, fell asleep about one kilometre away from our house and slept for approx. 45 minutes solid. My poor old body must have to shut down awhile to recuperate and then move on to dealing with the stress. So, after having a much needed "nap" and then staring out the window of our vehicle for 30 minutes I could actually feel the tension leaving my shoulders and neck. slowly. Over the next 48 hours we grazed....yep, grazed.....if we were not at the table eating then we had snacks in front of us .....I feel like a bloated cow at the moment....too many calories, too many carbs.....tooo many...too much....and like a dunce I nibbled and tasted my way through the entire contents. yeash. Whoever invented elastic waistbands and sweatpants....well, God bless 'em. We did get a small amount of exercise, other than the walk to and from the fridge, I mean.....we did go for a nice long hike along the lake edge and along a "bush" track. So, incredible. The walk along the lake edge was funny because as you walked the snow would sometimes sink underfoot, not the ice...the snow. It made for a lot of giggles for me....but then I am amused by simple things sometimes....okay, most times. Anyway, I laughed out loud a few times cause I couldn't contain myself...it was just a moment in time, but for me walking on water and sinking every now and then....just hit me funny. No one else thought it amusing but your truly....yeah, well go figure. I knew there was approx. 18 inches of ice beneath the snow, (our neighbor was a Park Conversation officer and he told us) so I guess there was comfort in the fact that I wasn't going to break through the ice...but the snow just kept letting go ....I suppose you had to be there....but I loved it. The sound of my own feet crunching along the hardened snow, the sparkles EVERYWHERE, the smell of wood burning fireplaces, distant sounds of snowmobiles, the laughter of small kids on sleighs.....yep, it was a moment and you had to be there.....I loved it.....it was a gift for my spirit and I wrapped myself up in the moment of it. ah....peace.

Now back to the routine of life. It's amazing though when you are given a "gift" of beauty and laughter how your soul can reap the benefits so rapidly and feel renewed. Ending 2006 with laughter, relaxation and calmness was a gift and I am thankful. The stress of life, the commotion of living keeps us on a fast track, but there are special moments when the track is given a stop/break/pause and we are shown a gift of love and precious sight that one cannot buy or purchase.....God presents them to us, we just need to stop, view them and digest them.
Gift comes in all shapes and sizes, the best ones are generally free, the most precious ones are always from God.....I just needed the time to stop and witness them.

From my home to yours...."may you witness some of God's precious gifts each day of 2007"