Merry Christmas and thank you, Jesus!

Merry Christmas!  It doesn't look too Christmasy around here - we've had rain and warmer-than-normal temperatures all week.  But I guess that's not what Christmas is about anyway.  

A few years ago I was moved to tears as I sang the song What Child Is This?  The verse that says, "Why lies He in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?  Good Christians, fear, for sinners here the silent Word is pleading."   It's easy to sing these carols in their old English and not even think what they're saying.   Here's my translation:  "Why is God lying here in this low class barn among the animals?  You'd better watch it, you self-righteous religious people, because He is here silently pleading for the sins of the whole world." 

Now a few pictures from my week thus far.  As I said, Bjorn and his dad came on Sunday.  Kris had been at a medical conference in NYC the weekend before and then had spent the week with Bjorn at Fred and Deb's.  We ate Sunday lunch at Texas Roadhouse, then came here for the rest of the day.  Kris is also a huge football fan (no surprise that Bjorn wanted to come over here to play American football), so the guys watched a lot of football.  We had a light meal in the evening and spent some time singing at the piano.  Kris is a fantastic pianist.

Monday morning we said our goodbyes and they headed for the JFK airport to fly back to Sweden.  Bjorn will be home for the holidays, then come back for the rest of his senior year at Manheim Central.

Miki and I messaged each other after they left, then I went about my day's work at Anthony and Lori's.  I cried a lot as I worked that day.  Because of distance, I had never completely grieved Kris and Miki's divorce.   But I did grieve that day.  So many "if only's".  But God's grace finds us even in the "what if's", and it indeed has.  And I'm thankful.

The amount of work I had this week to prepare for Christmas Eve services was CRAZY!  I decided that the combination of church secretary and church music director had to be about the worst right before Christmas.  Then I was reminded of UPS and FED EX drivers, and decided they probably had it worse, haha!  But I did get everything done (with a few short nights)  and we had two glorious Christmas Eve services last evening - one at 6:30 and the other at 9:00.  I'm so thankful for the EXCELLENT musicians I have at both churches.

At the end of my very long day at the church office on Tuesday I was rewarded with some FaceTime with Sophie as she unwrapped a package that had come in the mail (yea, USPS!!)  Is this not the sweetest picture??

That's Dick and me back there on their Apple TV, haha!   Yesterday Sophie texted me this picture of Louise in one of her other dresses I had sent along.

And now I need to get some food prep done.  Anthony is smoking a turkey today for our dinner.  I'm going to try some new recipes since there will be less of us.  Jeremy and Mike will be coming up from DC today and we'll have dinner here with them and Anthony, Lori, and Austin.  Tomorrow will be a true vacation day, even for Dick.

Then on Saturday we all be driving down to the Messiah Village Chapel in Grantham for a memorial service for my niece Lori.  All of the Peifer family will be there, and I can hardly wait.

We'll spend the night in Lancaster County and on Sunday our family will descend upon Sam and Jenn's wonderfully spacious home for our annual fondue.   That will indeed be the highlight of our Christmas season.  I was telling Bjorn that I was sorry he would not be here for it, since it was his mom who got us started on this tradition many years ago.  He said, "Yeah, I'm sure I'll be having fondue too."  I forgot that Miki has also kept this tradition all through the years!  How fun is that?

Again - Merry Christmas and thank you, Jesus!