BIRTHDAY WISHES!
/Happy Birthday, Annie!
My first blog was posted exactly a year ago today. Where did the time go?
First and foremost, I want to thank all of you who have been so supportive along the way. I couldn't have done it without you.
Second, I've been thinking about all the things that have happened in the last year. Of course, I want to completely obliterate all memory of the shingles and my excellent falling adventure with my granddaughter, Rose.
But otherwise, I've had lots of ordinary moments that have made life extraordinary. Duncan's and my visit to the rum shack in Barbados. My sisters' weekend when we watched old movies from our childhood.
But Annie's birthday isn't the important one this time of year.
Duncan and I set up our outdoor nativity set a few days ago, and we only got one sour look from a neighbor. It's the 3rd set we've owned in our 34 years of marriage. One melted in our attic during a particularly hot summer. We lost St. Joseph's head on another.
Our current, nativity, however, has a particular hold on my heart. A few years ago, I let my goddaughter keep baby Jesus during the entire month of December. She slept with him every night. Unfortunately, like St. Joseph before him, Jesus lost his head at some point during the sleepover.
On Christmas Eve, when my goddaughter went to place baby Jesus in the manger, I noticed a gaping hole in his throat.
That's why he's now known as "tracheotomy Jesus."
He makes things even more special when we gather around the nativity, in the blistering cold, and sing Silent Night. He reminds us that nothing in life is perfect. And that's OK.
This Christmas, let the imperfections shine through. Focus on the important things, like family and friends. Embrace the people around the tree, not the things under it.
And more than ever, live purposefully, with wild abandon, and deliberate joy.
Merry Christmas. XOXO. Annie
