Happy New Year :)

Well, this is my first post of the new year! We have been very busy, and I have been able to only peek at my friend's posts here and there. I sure miss my bloggy friends.

Christmas was beautiful. As mentioned before, we put our tree up when we remembered that Brian's Marines were coming over Christmas Day to eat. They had attended church with us the day before, and we did not want to cause confusion to those who were not saved...by not having the tree up. I had mixed feelings as we put it up...those of thankfulness that we felt obedient in just going with the Lord's guidance...and clarity. We were not worshiping or centering our celebration on a tree, but the glow on the kid's faces as they shared in the tradition of decorating a tree (lol it was pretty bare except for lights)but, it was neat because I found some ornaments made of straw and scarlet colored twine. The symbolism which I did not recognize until afterwards is precious to me. Our Lord was born in a manger of wood probably filled with straw/hay and the children's gifts laid under the tree...flowing out from it. Our Lord's love flows out to us in the most precious gift of His life ...He hung on a "tree" and poured out His perfect blood to cover our sins. We wanted our celebration to be God-centered this year..more so than it has been in the past, and I believe the Lord helped us in a tremendous way as we genuinely sought to do it His way. I am so glad we waited and did not put it up with guilt attached as we were seeking His guidance...wanting to continue to be good witnesses to my husband's Marines made the "right" decision very clear. Thank you Lord for a beautiful time of remembrance and symbolism.