I had a hard day at school yesterday. The kids seemed a bit "blah" and when I heard one boy say that his mom was too lazy to cook a turkey, my "happy-0-meter" experienced a marked drop. A sweet girl said that they didn't do anything on Thanksgiving, so she cleaned her room. These little reminders register with me. I must treat the holidays with care and not assume the eighth graders are filled with glee. After a long sleep, I'm pumped up again! I do have a long day today though - parent/student/Mrs. M book club at Borders tonight - so I decided to make myself a nice little festive breakfast. I think preparing my heart for Christmas is going to have to be deliberate, so I don't get bogged down by the hectic pace of teaching. I keep thinking I'll get used to it (it has been five years now) but I'm still not used to leaving my house in the morning. Sigh.
Bill and I did light the Advent candle, read Mary's prayer, and pray together on Sunday evening. I DID read the first chapter of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to him. It was LOVELY! I'm sure I'll feel all Christmas happy when I'm at Borders tonight because the smell of books always lifts my spirits!
I hope you'll have a little Christmas for yourself today. Maybe you could simply light a candle and whisper a prayer. You might want to make a snowflake and hang it on your bedroom window. I bought myself three bars of chocolate last night and made sure to say VERY passionate "yummmmms" as I ate some on the way home from the grocery store. The sweetest little word treasure? Reading this:
"The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light . . . "
Isaiah 9:2
