A Baby Changes Everything

This is one of my favorite new Christmas songs. Last Sunday our church had it Christmas musical/drama. The very last scene was Mary and Joseph in the stable cuddling and loving on Jesus. The "Mary" was a dear friend of ours, a girl that has just completed her first year of college. She was holding that baby so tender and the "Joseph" was lovingly stroking the baby and gazing into Mary's eyes. (They are very good actors.) "Mary's" older sister has recently gotten engaged and as they were singing, my mind went back to when we had all first met. Suddenly, as I was having heart-palpitations that this "Mary" really could, in fact, be a mother. My mind instantly heard the Faith Hill song "A Baby Changes Everything." Ryan and I were young (by today's standard) when Emily was born. Clueless does not even begin to say how we felt. We were far from home, didn't know anyone with kids, all our friends were as clueless as we were. I had read every volume/magazine available on child-rearing. I didn't want to get this wrong. Imagine the pressure Mary felt. She was a very young girl, had a confused husband (who wouldn't be), had to leave home, couldn't even find a place to rest yet she was called to be the mother of the babe that would change the world forever. I cannot begin to imagine the feelings of doubt and inadequacies she must have felt. How in the world could you mother a sinless baby when our own sins are so great? Luckily for us, Joseph and Mary stepped up the the plate and completed the task they were called to do. "My whole life was turned around I was lost but now I'm found A Baby changes everything." Amen, sister!

Christmas Cards

I got our very first Christmas card in the mail today. I didn't have the "normal" response - I cried. Then, I felt foolish and decided to get to the bottom of the matter. I didn't cry because I didn't like the person (I do very much), I didn't cry because it wasn't a nice card, it wasn't because I stayed up too late working on co-op/teacher gifts, it wasn't because my house is a wreck, it wasn't because my bathroom is so crowded by dirty clothes that you cannot see the floor. I cried because I have been slowly coming to the realization that I am not sending Christmas cards this year. In 1999 a friend of ours (an artist friend) sent out cards drawn by her kids. I was captivated. So, from 1999 - 2008 that is what we did. All of my kids (from birth on) has some sort of representation on the card. Last year, however, the card took a different turn. You see, we are not artists. My older two did not wish to have their artwork on display for all the world to see. So, my younger two did the drawing and my older two did the pennmenship. It just wasn't the same. In fact, we were even told that their decision was selfish and vain for with holding the joy our Christmas card brought. Well, I disagree.

I have wrestled with this the past few weeks and have not gotten a solution until today. Some years, we have done the card, the letter AND the picture (I know I am an over-acheiver). My motto is if you can't do something well (or the way I want it done) don't do it at all. So, for this year, this is where our Christmas card is falling.

Last night, while working on my stuff for co-op, I had to go into the "December" folder. There in a separate file were all of our cards - 1999 - 2008. I sat and marveled at each one and thought about how that card came to be. The reason I cried, I realize, is because it is the end of an era. We had a decade long run of our beloved Christmas cards. The kids used to joke that I was going to make them come home from college in time to work on our Christmas card. Yet, in a blink, that time has come.

So, Merry Christmas from the Nemitz Family.