Touching base

(photo is my hat from last year's New Year's Eve party.)
Good morning everyone. Busy, busy, busy around here, thus the lack of update. I am certain I am not alone in that, eh? Christmas was lovely, just lovely. We really scaled back the presents, and increased the festivities, and in my humble opinion, it was a huge success. No stressed out, exhausted moms, no greedy, overwrought children, no worried dad's about January bills. We had time for Royal Hours Christmas Eve, all the children were able to receive the sacrament of Confession that day, and then, later, the Vesperal Christmas Liturgy. The next day, all my family helped me stay away from the sweet stuff (blood sugar issues) by bringing delicious savory foods, and due to a freezer door not being shut tight, we had steak! Yum!!


Now we are preparing for a big party this evening, so we can send off 2008 with a bang, and welcome 2009 with a song. Once this party is over, I'll be able to contemplate a little more the blessings and challenges of this past year, and my hopes and prayers for the New Year. As they all are, this has been quite a year, and while it is easy to remember the difficult parts, I really want to dig deep to find the lesson attached to all the experiences. While events can be discouraging, and offer true heart ache, the real tragedy would be to experience all those, and then miss the blessing that is always attached, if one has eyes to see.

Just now, I was watching out the window and saw my three youngest children walking to the neighbors to play for a while. My eight year old daughter was helping the little two on the icy snow ~ one arm around the six year old, the other holding the four year old's hand. So very sweet, especially considering she wouldn't possibly be able to hold them both up if they slipped, she is a tiny little thing. But the extra stability and confidence she offered was enough, and the compassion and concern was evident, and they arrived without a fall. I feel inspired by my daughter's compassion, to offer stability and confidence when I can, and to receive it when offered to me. How else will I be able to make it through this next year with any hope for joy and peace?

And one last thing. I am approaching week 30 in this pregnancy, and as usual, it seems as if this is as large as I should get. Knowing that this isn't the case, and that there is much largeness ahead is still unbelievable to me, despite this being my eighth pregnancy. However, just the other day, a new friend walked into my house, looked at me and said, "Oh my, aren't you cute! Look at you!" Best remedy ever for feeling largish. Best ever.

So now I am off to take my cute self to the grocery store to prepare for this evening's festivities. Have a festive evening yourselves, and a blessed New Year!