What a beautiful song "In the Bleak Midwinter" is. There's three verses that are usually not sung - maybe because they're a little too religiousy? - but nonetheless the last verse is still my favorite. It's so easy for me to think about all the ways I'm not measuring up. Sometimes it smacks more than just a little bit if I think about all the ways that what I'm giving isn't good enough. But I'm giving God my heart and my life and I'm not trying to be someone else and see, that's all He wants anyways. My life, my talents, my trials, my joys, my heart - that's much more valuable to Jesus than a sacrificial lamb or a box filled with gold. Whew.
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Of course I picked a Christmas carol because we are still in the octave of Christmas (eight days beginning with the 25th that are all celebrated by the Church with as much gusto as Christmas itself), which is within the 12 days of Christmas (the 26th - Jan 6th, aka Epiphany or the day the Magi brought the gifts).
Today is five golden rings.
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I've never cared for the song "The 12 Days of Christmas."
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All I wanted was a cute picture of my Christmas-best-wearin' kiddos in front of the tree. This was maybe as good as it got.
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Hey, here's some really good news: I'm 20 weeks pregnant and I've only gained 4lbs. That's pretty daw-gone good for me. My total weight gain goal is 15-20lbs for the pregnancy and I'm thinking that if I can get through Christmas and only gain one pound and be pregnant, well I have a very good chance of meeting that goal.
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Other really good news:
Today I mark 5 years of being married to the best man evah!
My husband is awesome and I love him so much. Yay us!
Also, December, after Christmas, is the best time to have a Catholic wedding. The Church is decorated beautifully and so you save all kinds of money. We plugged in the lights on the trees that were up, called it good, and received one compliment after another.
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Special prayer request:
My friend Alicia is asking for prayers for a friend and the friend's babies.
Triplets Ryan, Norah, and Lucas were born at 24 weeks and are now in the NICU. Please pray for their health, their mom who is recovering, and all the people who love them and are very worried.
Thank you for praying!
7 comments:
5- 4lbs! Holy cow! That is fantastic for a normal time of the year but during the holidays! Wow!
6- Congrats! Happy Anniversary! :)
7- Prayers!
Happy New Year!
as the mom of a preemie, i have a special place in my heart for babies like norah, ryan, and lucas. praying...
Hey Bonnie... I've never loved the 12 Days of Christmas either, but this article may have changed my mind... http://jeffcavins.com/home/2011/12/26/the-meaning-of-the-12-days-of-christmas-song.html
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your beautiful family!
Diana
Wow! Congratulations on your pregnancy! I was a big-weight-gainer--big baby--haver, and can't even imagine how other women are not, I nonetheless wish you much success with your goal! Blessings in your brand new year!
Thank you for all the prayers! :) Special thanks to Bonnie for posting the request. :)
Kelly, I have been a massive weight gainer with my first pregnancies, and then the emotional eating I did in the NICU was really bad. I have to gain less than 20lbs because I'm so overweight.
And I'm also hoping to never have a 10lb baby again. That was hard.
Love the series of pics in front of the tree :) Sometimes it just doesn't come together, does it?
And we're almost due date buddies! Well, okay...5 weeks off. You'll get to hold your bundle before I do, but we'll be pregnant for a good while together. Yay!
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