breathe

With the holiday season upon us, we really don't know if we are coming or going.
Actually, we are mostly going. Going to the store. Going to see friends.
Going for meetings. Going to the store....again. Going to Christmas programs.
Going to teas. Going to church. Going. A. Little. Crazy. Just a little.
And this holiday season doesn't really seem to take into account real life.
I was talking with my friends Paula and Lisa the other day, and we noticed different appliances have decided to go on vacation during the holidays.
Between us we had an unsealed toilet, 2 broken dishwashers,
a washing machine that forgets to drain and a dryer that caught fire.
(helpful hint from Lisa...lint also collects UNDER your dryer...
you need to pull it out and sweep because the heating coil is underneath...
I have never once swept under my dryer....that is cause for concern)
The lack of appliance help seems to up the ante considerably.
My Christmas decorations are sitting on our back patio
and have yet to make it inside the house.
Addison keeps asking me, "Mommy, Christmas come to my house?"
I'm not sure what to tell him. I hope so.
Maybe I should ask him if Christmas coming to his house entails having a tree?
That hasn't made it's way into the house either.
In the mayhem of work and school and added events all normalcy has taken a back seat.
Like schedules and nutrition. After their school performance last night,
the kids were up until 10....their bed time is 8. Crazy.
This morning as I tried to sleep in, I yelled bedside directions to Jack,
"Yes, everyone can have sugar cereal!" Crazy.
In all our cavorting, I haven't made it to the grocery and our fruit consumption is way down.
I have 1 semi-brown lemon in the fruit bowl.
We're talking about a random can of spaghettios for lunch and dinner will be pizza at Jack's friend's birthday party . Crazy.
Let's all say a prayer on behalf of our arteries.
So this week as we gear up for school parties, gift exchanges, visits with friends, Sunday school lessons, cousin time, birthday celebrations, writing deadlines
and trying to figure out a meal plan for next week,
I am going to be remembering to breathe.
Breathing in. Breathing out.
Breathe in.
Christmas is at my house...
Breathe out.
Even when the Christmas decorations are not.
Breathe in.
There is so much to be thankful for...
Breathe out.
Even when I'm washing dishes by hand.
Breathe in.
Loving people counts.
Breathe out.
Everything else is negotiable.
If I can remember the reason for this time of year....
the reason to rejoice and celebrate and hold the people I love close....
that God is with us....than I can breathe.