Looking Towards a Wonderful Christmas

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I have a lot to say today, and I'm not sure how to say it. I guess I'll start by saying thank you. Thank you to all those who have helped to make this Christmas a better time for our family.

Thank you to the brother in our ward who is letting Steven hang out in his garage, lending his tools and expertise to help Steven make special gifts for the children for Christmas.

Thank you to a young family in our ward - the husband brought us a bag of gifts on Sunday and said his wife wanted to get the kids something for Christmas.

Thank you to the members of our HOA who a few weeks ago gave us a Christmas card filled with cash, which has funded the few gifts Steven and I will be able to give our children this year.

Thank you to the anonymous person who left four bags of gifts on our doorstep sometime between Sunday evening and Monday morning.

Thank you to the boyscout in our ward who's eagle project involved collecting hats for children at a local hospital - and giving us an opportunity to make hats as a service project.

Thank you to those corporations involved in the "Holidays for Kids" activity hosted at the nearby Westin hotel for all the students at my boys school, where the younger ones were able to have their photos taken with Santa and get their faces painted, while the older ones had a dance, and they all got to eat a delicious meal and come home with bags full of books and goodies.

Thank you to our Ward Relief Society who planned our "Breakfast with Santa" this year.

Thank you to local radio stations that play festive holiday music throughout the season.

Thank you to Steven's Mom for the huge box she sent for Christmas. Thank you to my parents for the nativity scene and book they sent. Thank you to my sister Kristy for the package her family sent. Thank you to my sister April for the free Netflix rentals that entertained us a few evenings. Thank you to others who have sent packages and/or Christmas cards.

It's not a thank you, because it was senseless and horrible, and has had me in tears several times over the last several days whenever I think of it, but the horrendous tragedy at the elementary school in CT  has helped me to appreciate my children, and how precious they are to me. It has been a reminder that I need to let them know that I love them every single day. It has helped me to remember what is most important - not the gifts, or the food, or the caroling, or the lights, or the decorations, but the Savior - his atonement, his life, his gift of resurrection, for temple sealings, for the comfort of knowing that families are eternal and that even though we may be separated in this life, we can be together in the eternities.

This hasn't been an easy Christmas season. Still unemployed, Steven has been interviewing with different companies, but at the moment there is only one job that he would really, really like. He had a phone interview with them last week Thursday, but they have yet to set up an in person interview. (He was told that they would contact him sometime this week to set up an interview for the first week in January.) He had an interview with another company this morning, where he was told up front that the company might not exist a month from now.

We have been shown repeatedly that the Lord is watching out for us, that he is providing for our needs, and we really are grateful. It was two years ago that he was laid off from his last real job, and, amazingly, we are still doing okay. We still have our home. We still have a car. We haven't gone hungry. We have clothes to wear. We've learned a lot about the differences between needs and wants. We've learned that the Lord answers prayers in his own time, and we have faith that He will provide an awesome job when the time is right - in his eyes. (In ours, it would have been five months ago - right after Steven graduated with his MBA...)

Again, thank you to everyone for your help and for your prayers. We are going to have a wonderful Christmas!

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