Beverly Joy Roberts

"I don't want that!" I've thought this phase many times after opening a gift on Christmas morning.  All I could think was how I'd be heading back to the store to stand in a return line!   It's bad enough that I didn't get what I wanted, but now I must use my time and energy to return it.  Then adding insult to injury, I don't even get the money back to buy something I want because the store returns the money to the credit card.  Major bummer. Did I mention that gift giving and receiving is my last,  very last , love language?  The cruel joke on me is that I married a #1 Gift Giver!   And, he's sort of a bad gift picker!  Love him! In my mind, I have said many times... Do you even know me AT ALL?   Okay, I may have said that out loud...more than once.  I love that poor, sweet man, who loves to shower gifts on my stone, cold heart. Get ready to gasp, because I'm about to tell you the most horrific Christmas story EVER!  It&#

I love beautifully wrapped presents, but somewhere over the years the practical me stopped buying bows and ribbons.  The main reason for the lack of luster in my Christmas wrappings is because I'm cheap.  That is followed closely by the extra time it takes to tie up and decorate the packages.  And let's not forget, less to clean up which works nicely with my personal life goal of making everything in my life as simple and uncomplicated as possible..for ME! With these three things always before me, the frills were set aside many years ago, for the cheapest and quickest form of wrapping.  Still, I will admit, I do love to see Christmas trees with all those coordinating packages displayed neatly around the bottom of the tree. There really is something to be said about the packaging .  The mystery of a box wrapped in pretty paper draws the eye and creates wonder as to what could be hidden inside.  On Christmas morning, all those beautiful packages are an amazing thing to be

Our 15-month old grandson loves  to be   held .  When he's on the other side of one of the many baby gates in our house, I'll hear a sweet little voice call out to me, "Hi." He will repeat his greeting to me over and over until I connect with him.  Then he will extend his arms to me, and I cannot resist his need  to be held . Reaching over the gate, I swoop him up in my arms and he beams with happiness and a sweet sigh of contentment escapes his lips.  To be perfectly honest, I'm happy too. I think one of the simplest act of love expressed to a child is to hold them.  When they fall, we hold them.  When they cry, we hold them. When they are happy, we hold them.  When they are sad, we hold them.  When they are hurt, we hold them.  Holding the hurting, wounded, sad or even happy child is what a good parent does.  A child knows he is safe when  held  in the arms of his parents. For some people, Christmas can be a stressful,lonely or difficult time.

There isn't really anything new under the sun when it comes to the Christmas Story.  It has been told, retold, turned inside out and upside down! I've heard a load of sermons in my lifetime about everything from the strips of cloth that Mary wrapped the baby Jesus in, to the donkey that brought her to Bethlehem.  (which is actually not in the Biblical version of the Christmas story. LOL) When I was a kid, my least favorite  part of the Christmas story was anything related to the Wise Men.  It's highly unlikely that I ever said these words out loud, but I thought them... AGAIN with the Wise Men .     What do we really know about these three guys... Yes, they were wise.   They were not typical men.  Why? Because they stopped to ask for directions. They brought gifts and smart men do come bearing gifts. They were perceptive.   They would not be circumvented from their purpose or plan.   I guess that would make them goal oriented.  Wait...I like go