My Christmas moment
I took last Friday off to finish my Christmas shopping. It was a desperate attempt to check off my list before things get too "last minute." Thanks to the ice storm and a looming dumping of snow, I had to keep my shopping local. I was hoping for a retreat to big mall in a big city, alas I settled for Target and JC Penneys.
The shopping went okay. I left without a few gifts, so I wanted to hurry home and finish my shopping online. Hurrying home, however, was not what Mother Nature had in mind.
I called my mom, who came out for the weekend to help with the kids while my husband was three hours away making deer sausage. (Did I forgot to rant about this?) She informed me that it was snowing lightly and there was just enough snow to cover the ground. I had a 35 mile trek in front of me, so I thought it would be a quick drive home.
About 10 minutes into my trip, she called again. By this point, I was driving 40 mph and had visibility of about 100 yards. She wanted to tell me that it was snowing quite heavily now.
So, there was nothing I could do except to turn up the defrost and crank up my new Josh Groban Christmas CD and focus on the miles I had to cross. "Ave Maria" was blaring in the car. Big, soft, perfect snowflakes were blanketing the earth. A black coal train was rumbling on the tracks along side the highway. And somewhere, from deep within, Christmas spirit swelled within me. It was a moment so moving only comparable to the spirit swirling at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
It was my Christmas moment. I took it in, breathed deeply, and cried a tear for the Christ child. It's likely the moment won't come again this year. I will be wrestling my children at a 4:00 pm mass on Christmas eve. I doubt I will even hear the stories or be able to hold a hymnal and sing along.
Thank you, Lord, for granting me my Christmas moment...
The shopping went okay. I left without a few gifts, so I wanted to hurry home and finish my shopping online. Hurrying home, however, was not what Mother Nature had in mind.
I called my mom, who came out for the weekend to help with the kids while my husband was three hours away making deer sausage. (Did I forgot to rant about this?) She informed me that it was snowing lightly and there was just enough snow to cover the ground. I had a 35 mile trek in front of me, so I thought it would be a quick drive home.
About 10 minutes into my trip, she called again. By this point, I was driving 40 mph and had visibility of about 100 yards. She wanted to tell me that it was snowing quite heavily now.
So, there was nothing I could do except to turn up the defrost and crank up my new Josh Groban Christmas CD and focus on the miles I had to cross. "Ave Maria" was blaring in the car. Big, soft, perfect snowflakes were blanketing the earth. A black coal train was rumbling on the tracks along side the highway. And somewhere, from deep within, Christmas spirit swelled within me. It was a moment so moving only comparable to the spirit swirling at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
It was my Christmas moment. I took it in, breathed deeply, and cried a tear for the Christ child. It's likely the moment won't come again this year. I will be wrestling my children at a 4:00 pm mass on Christmas eve. I doubt I will even hear the stories or be able to hold a hymnal and sing along.
Thank you, Lord, for granting me my Christmas moment...
Comments