Everyday Miracles

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Christmas has always been about family and traditions for as long as I can remember. We always made lutefisk, lefse, krumkake, rosettes, rommegrot, sandbakkels,and spritz during the month of December and to tell the truth I never really appreciated these oldies because they were so time consuming to make and seemed to be gone so quickly because they were delicious! It is no wonder that I make some of these each year with my own kiddos. Spritz are the easiest, rommegrot is the most fattening but oh so wonderful, sandbakkels will have to wait until the girls are older.

This year our adventure is lefse. Tonight at 9:50 I finished ricing the potatoes and now they just need to cool until tomorrow when we can embark on our adventure of rolling and cooking them. I say adventure because another tradition we have is bringing my nephew back with us for a week between Christmas and New Years. This year the joy has been doubled because we have both my 9 and 12 year old nephews and tripled because tonight my brother came. Let the good times roll! ;)

We always went to church during the candle-light service on Christmas Eve so you can imagine my heartbreak when I had to miss it because we started to alternate Eve and Day when we got married. It's amazing how much we associate Christmas with the traditions we have as families. These traditions don't make Christmas special but they do add to the essence of the miracle that Christmas embodies. We are back on Christmas Eve with my family every year because it is our time with my nephews because they will now be spending Christmas Day with their mom.

I guess that's where the miracle comes in this year. I have never seen my brother and nephews calm, relaxed, and laughable as much as I have this year. To be honest I was a little hesitant to experience the "joys" associated with Christmas this year but it's not been half bad. I guess that we all have to overcome our preconceived notions and free ourselves for the real miracles of the season! How grateful I am that I do not know the plans God has for me!

Dear Heavenly Father, please encourage us to look for miracles of all sizes during the coming year. Encourage our minds and hearts to be open for your plan and not ours. Your love is great and your power has no limits.