C H R I S T M A S!

So this year's Christmas was different.  The whole week prior to it, I have felt nothing but tired and homesick for my kids.  We were doing so many projects trying to spread Christmas cheer not only to our troops but to the local community as well that I actually found myself Tweeting something along the lines of "Christmas blows.  Can't wait for it to be over."  I was tired!  When we weren't actually doing the projects, we were planning more projects and receiving requests for even more!  It was nonstop.  And I wanted to just stop, breathe and be with my kids!  But after we ended Christmas night, I stopped and realized it really wasn't a bad Christmas.  It was different than others, but it wasn't bad at all.

Everywhere I turned, people were talking about what their families were doing back home.  I was surrounded by people who felt the exact same thing I did.  And sharing our stories of our families, we kind of got a little closer.  On Christmas night, all of us watched our clocks anticipating the times when our families would wake up to their Christmas (time zones make things interesting) so that we could make phone calls and get on Skype to be with them.  Passing the time, we played card games and told jokes.

When I finally Skype'd my kids, my eyes swelled with tears of joy.  It could be a heck of a lot worse.  I could have NO internet connection.  I could be unable to make a phone call.  But there I was sitting in front of my computer, watching my kids open their gifts and hearing their squeals and laughter as they showed me their toys.

After I ended our Skype session, I picked up the phone and called my Patrick.  Although I missed him so much, it was wonderful being able to hear his voice and wish him a Merry Christmas thousands of miles away.  He ragged on me for smoking and I ragged on him for his ginormous coffee intake.  We talked about what would we do when I returned.  Not THAT, dirty people!  I've decided to save myself for marriage... and yes I'm serious!  It's one of the things I'm doing to strengthen my relationship with God.  When I return, Patrick's going to help me move into my new home.  And we're going to drink wine and I'm going to cook us a beautiful dinner.  And we're going to cuddle. 

Then, I went to bed at 6 a.m.  Whew!  When I laid in bed, I thought about Christmas.  And I was grateful.  One the holiday that celebrates Christ's birth and our salvation, I got the opportunity to appreciate the little things in life that we all take for granted like the noises our kids make and the work it takes to cook a Christmas meal, serve others by sacrificing my own energy and time to helping them celebrate Christmas, build friendships by being with others who were also missing their families, and appreciate my relationship with a guy who loves me by hearing his voice thousands of miles away. 

So, this year's Christmas was different.  It was special.  And not to mention, I did get gifts!  M and Lynn sent me gifts that told me they loved me and that they knew who I was and what kind of person I am.

I pray you all had such a blessing as I did.  Merry Christmas.