Jonathots Daily Blog
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My Christmas morning:
- Four tiny little ones
- One twelve-year-old
- A teenager
- Eighteen adults
- And six dogs marauding about, sniffing at presents.
It was all held in a lovely, but somewhat square-footage-impaired house in East Nashville.
Although most people consider Christmas to be a holiday season which they either enjoy or complain about trying to get through, I contend that Christmas is a microcosm of life as it should be. It’s a collision of giving and receiving, organizing and finding yourself surprised by a slip-up, and having a crunch of humanity around you which requires you to be open-minded and willing to adapt.
For instance, in the course of our morning, well over a hundred presents were opened.
Also, one of the young men decided to use it as an occasion to propose marriage to his girlfriend–an amazing precedent.
And there were moments of silliness followed by junctures of tenderness, concluding with decisions to stay energetic enough to survive the gauntlet.
The adults made themselves flexible to appreciate toys opened by Santa believers and the subtleties of certain gifts which needed to be explained because they only had significance to the recipient.
Then, in the midst of the festivities and the brunch following, we discovered that one of the guests just lost his grandma. She had passed away in her sleep.
Quiet–and amazing it was how quickly it settled on the room, even among the children. A time to feel and consider the magnitude of such a departure.
Tears.
Gentleness.
Allowing ourselves to transition from one emotion to another without trauma or drama, to return to eating and enjoying one another as life insisted on pushing forward. I heard one person declare the day a “miracle,” but actually, it’s the way our lives are meant to be lived: in abundance.
Abundant opportunities
Abundant problems
Abundant relationships
Abundant attempts
Abundant failures
Abundant successes
And abundant gratitude
The good news is that Christmas is a time for abundance.
The better news is that the baby in the manger came to give us life, and it more abundantly.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
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Mr. Kringle’s Tales …26 Stories ‘Til Christmas
An advent calendar of stories, designed to enchant readers of all ages
“Quite literally the best Christmas stories I have ever read.” — Arthur Holland, Shelby, North Carolina
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Jonathots Daily Blog 