Peppermint Holly: Night Twenty Four

Then there came a time when the Shelf Elf put me to shame...

Instead of a cute little note card, Peppermint Holly decided that her actions needed a bigger explanation and left a whole letter for the kids.

"My Dear Hardy Friends,

As I prepare to travel with Santa tonight, I wanted to make sure I took the chance to really ponder on the true meaning of Christmas.

I borrowed your mom's scriptures and read the real Christmas story last night while it was quiet and I really had time to ponder. The story is found in Luke.

I've been thinking a lot about Joseph and the kind of man he really must've been to care for Mary during pregnancy and to help raise Jesus. Neither one could've been easy. He must've been a very special man.

I hope you will each take time to read the real Christmas Story and ponder what you read. It's the real reason we celebrate the season and there's a reason it's so very special."

                        

                                                                                                                                 Peppermint Holly

I found it interesting that Peppermint Holly's focus was on Joseph. I've always admired him. My thoughts, however, have been with Mary this holiday season. I fully admit that it's most likely due to the fact that I am round with child as well.

I've only been 'really' pregnant around Christmas time one other time and that was with Shaylyn. But at that point in my life, I wasn't too much of a thinker. Things were just how they were and that was that. At this point in my life, I spend a lot of time thinking about different things. And particularly at this point my thought are on my baby and this pregnancy.

While overall and compared to most, this pregnancy hasn't been difficult - it has been for me. It's drained most any energy I have and any random, stupid issue that happens with pregnancy - I've had. But, I have a soft, warm bed to spend all day in and in a warm house. I have kids around me that can grab things when I need something and a husband who really lets me get away with a lot.

Mary's life wasn't so easy. I can't imagine riding on a donkey miles away to a new city. Even the car annoys me at times. Then they find out the only place they can stay is in a place where you keep animals, ugh. The smell alone would be hard enough to handle. Poor Mary has to deliver this baby in such a cold, uninviting environment and yet she still does so without complaint.

I can see so many reasons why God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. A lot of us tend to yeild to the natural man and complain about things we don't think are right or complain when we think life hasn't been fair to us.

Thinking of Mary, I want to make a better effort to be what the Lord would like me to be. To complain less about frivolous things. To try to be the person that the Lord knows I can be. It'll take a lot of work, but things that are worth it always do.