Perfect New Year

This was an imperfect Christmas - and I'm perfectly glad! The guilt I felt for reducing our gifts under the tree to virtually nothing mounted as Christmas Eve neared and my youngest kept glancing in hopes of a late arrival to be discovered under the tree. As I stuffed the handful of tiny gifts into each girls stocking in preparation for Christmas morning, I flip flopped on my minimalistic ideals. Come Christmas morning when one bag with three large papers sticking out the top which represented three days of memories as gifts was the only semblance of holiday cheer awaiting our girls, I second-guessed my desire to do something different.

Chris and I had gone on mission days ahead of time preparing the Memory Gifts. The night before, we assembled 3 large papers to be unwrapped. The first day was a surprise trip to Salzburg where, in my humble opinion, it's always Christmas. In order for them to discover what MEMORY #1 entailed they had to put together a puzzle. We had taken poster-sized paper and written "Salzburg Road Trip: complete with a rental car" in which we cut up into giant puzzle pieces that needed to be assembled to reveal the gift. MEMORY #2 was a trip to a nearby border town in Hungary for a Spa Day! In order for these girls to discover their gift they had to play "Snowman Hangman" on another giant sized paper. Each girl had been scheduled a full-body massage and a pedicure. Then, finally, MEMORY #3 was a treasure hunt. Chris and I wrote a 10 line "riddle". At the end of each line came a clue that sent our girlies on a hunt to find an envelope. Each envelope contained money in which they got to spend during a Family Shopping Day.

During the morning, as the excitement began to build over each "reveal", confirmation came that this was exactly the "perfect" kind of experience I wanted to create for our family. I could go on and on about the specifics of each day: the coffee, the meals, the weather, the things purchased, the things seen but all would pale in comparison to the simple things that were given as hidden gifts among the intended gift. The being together ... all together. The singing of childhood songs during our road trip that flooded all of our minds with memories of long ago when road trips were common and songs learned then had now lodged deep into memory banks that had collected interest too numerous to be counted. The slipping of one hand into another during the day just to say "I love you". The expression of a whispered thank you by a daughter to a parent as we walked together. The exchange of a tearful and grateful glance between my Chris and I as we witnessed the beautiful sounds of girls giggling.

Truly the key to this season was the decision that "perfect" is simply taking in the moment as it comes ... and not trying to push a plan, work an ideal, or force a pretension. Take it in. Take it as it comes. Take it with all it's imperfection. Take it ... just take it ... and be grateful. It proved to be a perfect gift in all simplicity and imperfection.

This Christmas has set me on a course that will be a guiding directive for this New Year. As I said before Christmas:

I'm letting go. I'm trusting the God of the Universe to be the same "perfect" God that He was to virgin Mary to be the same "perfect" God for me. He set events into motion that were "perfect". He made the circumstances "perfect" by His presence. When I choose to invite His presence into every detail of my holiday, every moment becomes put into perspective by a loving God who desires all things for my good, to prosper me - not harm me, to give me hope. When I set aside my fear of what could, should, might be ... "perfect" peace rushes in.

I am not a fortune teller. I have no idea what this year brings. In the mystery of what comes next, I will choose to remain in a place of rest and a place of peace. Things will not be perfect. Things will, however, be in perfect perspective when I choose to invite God into every detail of every day.

Happy New Year ... with new lessons,
Christina