As our kids get older, as their work and school schedules get more demanding, and as their family circles expand, it gets hard to find a time to celebrate Christmas together. But somehow we managed, and by Wednesday afternoon, everyone arrived for four days of food, family and fun.
Four days may not seem like much, but it’s enough for me. In fact, for the past two frigid mornings, while I walked by the light of a blue moon, my heart overflowed with gratitude for this oasis of common hours, something I thought would never be part of our family life.
Seven years ago we gave up all hope of gatherings like these. In the course of those seven years I made peace with our family’s reality – yearly visits to the monastery where our son lived and quiet home celebrations with our daughter. By God’s grace I let go of old expectations of a house overflowing with young people and their energy.
Then one year ago, without warning or premonition, everything changed. God restored the expectations we had surrendered to him. Soon, our son and our daughter brought two new young people into the family circle, and they’ve already become dear to us.
Every time we’re together, mindfulness of how much God has restored to us changes the way I think. I am learning to be grateful, not just once in a blue moon, but every day of my life. Instead of worrying about the chaos or the grocery bills, I give thanks for the commotion. Instead of complaining about how quickly the hours fly by, I savor each moment. If we can only be together once in a blue moon, I am grateful for the opportunity. After all, that’s more than I ever expected, more than I imagined or conceived.
So this noisy day I am grateful for a busy house, the dishwasher running almost constantly, Riley the dog, mounds of laundry, and for a three-degrees-above-zero morning walk by the light of a lovely blue moon.
God, make me grateful tomorrow, too, and every day of 2010.
