Simplicity

It is the last day of November.  How that happened, I will never know.  It seems like just yesterday I was having a freak out about Little going to Kindergarten.  I look back and see a blur of the starting of school, football, and the ending of my college (the second time around).

I'm glad when I look back and see that we've made it through some crazy schedules and tough events.  I'm sad that I am looking back and more than half the year is gone.

For the past couple of days I've been feeling heavy.  Not weight heavy (well a little), but just heavy.  Like there is a giant burden on my shoulders.  I can't even tell you what it is or what it pertains to specifically.  I just feel that it's there.  I don't want to start our holiday season feeling like this.  So when I got home from school today, I decided to spend a little time trying to figure it out.

We are so blessed.  We fall on tough times every now and again, but nothing we can't handle.  Our kids are healthy and happy (for the most part).  We have a roof over our heads and food on our table.  We have clothes, coats, shoes, and all the necessities we could ask for.  We  have more than enough in the electronic department.  We have communication devices and friends and family to communicate with.

So what's missing?

Simplicity.  After spending a little quiet time with God, I went and got out our old family albums.  Yes...albums.  Some of them are poor quality scrapbooks, and some are just picture albums.  I started skimming pictures of Christmas past.  It was just what I needed.  I looked at pictures of Big when he was just a little thing.  We had been married for just a year.  We had a house that was just right for the three of us.  We had a dog, a Christmas tree, two cars, two jobs, a baby, and love.  It seemed so simple but, life was crazy in it's own way.

I then moved on to the pictures of Christmas with the four of us.  We had a new home, a Christmas tree, a mini-van, a lively 3 year old, an almost 1 year old, still  had our dog, and we had love.  It seemed so simple but, life was crazy in it's own way.

I found the pictures of the first Christmas when we had Little.  We were dealing with a brand new, unexpected baby.  Coach was coaching high school basketball, Big was 7, Middle was almost 5, we had another new mini-van, still had our old, faithful dog, and we had love.  Our schedules were busy, but we played in the snow, spent time with our family, and knew how to love.  It seemed so simple but, life was still crazy in it's own way.

In looking through the pictures, I found what I was looking for.  I found the simplicity of our past.  We had struggles then too.  We had cranky babies and sleepless nights.  We had car trouble and financial issues from time to time.  But we found a way to celebrate the simple things through the craziness.

Life is always crazy.  It is full of ups and downs.  The holidays do a good job of bringing those things to light too.  We have memories of both good and bad.  We miss those who aren't with us, and we celebrate those who are.  We learn about the Christmas story and we bask in what make the holidays special to us.

This next month, I challenge you and myself to find the simplicity in a crazy time and a crazy life.  Someday I'll look back on this time in our lives and be so grateful for the simple things in a crazy life.  We are all rolled up in basketball schedules, the end of school, and life as we know it.  We have Christmas cards to prepare, presents to wrap, meals to prepare, etc.  We have a CRAZY schedule.  But sitting here looking at the tree...I am finding it simple to deal.  Having the right attitude and a good batch of cookie dough is the half the battle.  :)

Have a blessed day!
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