I am so grateful for the Christmas Season. I was so excited when I found out the children had an entire two weeks before Christmas at home. I love celebrating the birth of the Savior. It is truly a magical time. Our home feels more peaceful as we hustle and bustle to get ready for Christmas Day. We break out bright Christmas puzzles and Christmas movies. Pandora plays all types of Christmas music from Fred Astaire to Jack Jackson.... we love it all. My Handsome Husband added a new tradition this year. We had our first designated baking day. We spent all day making several different Christmas cookies and candies. It was so delightful and delicious..,,,we had to taste it all to make sure it is okay to pass on. We had fun with the other traditions that we do each year too. It was so fun to have everybody at home without work schedules, school schedules, activities, and most of all NO HOMEWORK!
Christmas is a season of miracles. I am so grateful for the miracles that my family and I have been blessed with during this Christmas season. I haven't been able to find sufficient words to explain just how my grateful heart feels.
On an evening close to Christmas, Lindsey and Olivia were working on a puzzle, Brock and Handsome Husband were downstairs lifting weights and Reid and I were deciding on a movie. I believe Elf won again. Reid and were all cozy and ready for the movie to start. As Buddy the Elf started his trek to New York City and said goodbye to Mr. Norwall, our doorbell rang. The quite house was surprised and all of the children ran to the door. After the door was opened, we found a beautiful yellow metal basket. As we unwrapped the yellow basket we found all things our family loves. We found adorable head beanies which we have loved wearing. We found Alex & Ani bracelets that made hearts happy. We found itunes gift cards, movie certificates, and a gift card to a very fun restaurant. A toy for Reid that he adores. We also found a ham, beautiful potatoes and fresh green beans. Our Christmas dinner was delivered right on our doorstep. As I do every year, I had worn myself out. Oh how I wish I wouldn't tire so easily. This gift on a cold winter night so close to Christmas day reminded me that we are not only loved and watched over by people who love us, but by our Heavenly Father who shows his love through others hands. Thank you to the hands who reminded my of what Christmas really means.
As if that was not enough, I was blessed with another Christmas miracle. As she usually does, my mom asked everybody for their Christmas lists. Handsome Husband has an amazing Christmas list.....three pages of what he wants for Christmas. His # 1 wish is always a cure for cancer. I'm right there with you Handsome. This year I thought I would put some wishful dreamy items on my list as well. I wanted a new wig and had been talking about having tatooed eyebrows. I have been stenciling on eyebrows for a long time. I knew I would have to wait to get a wig and figured that tatooed eyebrows were just a dream.
It was getting close to Christmas and I was running around and clicking Amazon purchase buttons trying to get everything wrapped up before my excited children were out of school. My sweet mom would say, let me come help you. She had been traveling and working hard, as usual, and I would just smile and say "I'm sure you are just as busy as I am getting all your shopping done. I would talk to my siblings about what they were getting for others and they all had it all done. I remember thinking, wow! My amazing mom and siblings were on the ball this year with their Christmas shopping. Little did I know, they were not shopping at all. During Thanksgiving, when we were all together in a beautiful Park City home, she came up with the most tender and sweet idea. She and my siblings and a very special mother-in-law of my little brother Greg, decided to not buy gifts for each other for Christmas. Their plan was that they were going to all buy me a beautiful wig and tatooed eyebrows. I never did catch on that they weren't shopping for each other. Everyone seemed busy in the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmas.
It was our year to spend Christmas with Handsome Husband's family. We had our Christmas Day with our little family. It was a relaxing day and a few of us enjoyed a Christmas slumber which is also known as a nap. On Saturday, we spent the morning and afternoon with family in Logan.
After spending time in Logan on Saturday, we drove to Herriman that evening. On Sunday my mom was having a Christmas Dinner for all my family. She said that it was time to open presents. I assumed that they all opened their gifts on Christmas Day as their were just our presents under her beautiful flocked tree with green and red shiny ornaments on it. The children opened their gifts. They opened fun cozy minky blankets that matched each of their personalities. Handsome was then given his gift. He opened noise blocking headphones. He could now travel to and from work without be woken up by snoring form other passengers. What a delight! Then came my present...... I opened a beautiful Christmas card that was attached to the lovely wrapped box. I was reminded that I was strong, that I was beautiful, and an example, but most of all I was loved by all of them. My heart stopped and tears began to flow as I read the card feeling all the love they had for me. I opened the box and inside was the wig I had been looking at for months, and a beautiful homemade poster telling me that I was getting tattooed eyebrows. They sacrificed their gifts to purchase these "wished" for items for me. I had no words. Thank you did not seem enough. My heart was so tender and tears kept flowing. They all said it was the best Christmas ever for them. It reminded me of the Savior and his sacrifice for all of us. What an amazing family I have. As they were preparing Christmas, they were doing as the Savior would do. The understood the true meaning of Christmas. It isn't about all the gifts, It is about the celebration of the Saviors birth. What an example they are to me. I am so Grateful for their sacrifice. For giving me the opportunity to feel their love and the support that they all give me as I continue my cancer journey.
Last week, I went to get my eyebrows tatooed. I was a little nervous. A tatoo.... I didn't know what to expect. Their was a lovely, beautiful girl that came out of a little room that put some numbing cream on my eyebrows and I felt peace. I didn't know that her appointment after me had been cancelled. She was halfway done tatooing my eyebrows and asked me a simple question. I answered and she asked if I would like tatooed eyeliner or lips. She wanted to give me another service for free. Again, I started tearing up and felt like thank you was not enough. She spent four precious hours with me tatooing my eyebrows and eyeliner. A sweet angel I had never spoke to or knew.
My heart is full of gratitude to those who made so many Christmas miracles happen. This little thing called cancer is not easy. It makes me tired, and sad that I cannot do all that I want to do in a day. But as this Christmas season came and went, I could feel the love from our Heavenly Father. He knows all of us and even knows what our trial in this life. He puts people in our lives to be his hands.
I was also reminded how much the Savior sacrificed for us. My family is the perfect example of being willing to sacrifice on my behalf. I can feel their love. I still do not have adequate words of thankfulness, but every time I look in the mirror and see my beautiful eyebrows and walk out of the house with my "only in my dreams" wig on, I will feel their love all around me. Their support and their hearts will always be with me.
