Christmas should be every day

It's Christmas Eve and my heart is joy filled with nothing but Jesus coming. Jesus here. I used to rejoice in gifts galore and a tree so beautiful and piled so high with gifts one could barely see the tree. And I do think this is important for the children, the aged, the shut-in, but for me I just want time with Jesus and people I love.
My son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters came last week and we had a great early Christmas for them. I see them so seldom I love their visits! But Bette, my soulfriend and my husband, Jim are having a quiet Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and we are not exchanging gifts.

One of my special people wrote on facebook they wanted to curl up with their birthday boy and spend the day. I think she meant Jesus--although her husband's birthday is also today I believe. But I just thought how appropriate to curl up with Jesus and spend the day.

My neighbor, Robert, had his big cookers going all night long and this morning delivered a hot, completely cooked pork butt--just in time for breakfast. We sliced the tender, juicy roast and made a pan of homefries and biscuits with honey from my son's bee hives--a glorius breakfast and a wonderful, kind, sharing neighbor.

I try to be a good neighbor too. Later today I will deliver one of my homemade wonderful fruitcakes to him. I gave him the recipe several years ago and he loves them, but this Christmas he did not have time to get one started--they each take 30 days to make--so I will surprise him.

Yesterday I took another neighbor to a very, very low cost spay and neuter shelter that is so far into the swamps you'd get lost if you were not familiar with the countryside. He has a totally beautiful Vizla (an Hungarian hunting dog) and she accidentally got out and met an obvious yellow lab last year and produced 3 gorgeous yellow pups instead of her own beautiful red color. But, my neighbor is out of work, times are hard and he has 3 children, his mom and an elderly uncle to help provide for and no money for things like neutering pets. My husband's SCV Camp he attends provided Thanksgiving and Christmas food boxes piled high, and we provided a ham and turkey on Thanksgiving and someone else is providing them for the Christmas boxes. And a woman whose husband is part of the club bought tons of gifts for the 3 children. What a Christmas they will have.

Since the Vizla is currently in season and the male pups are ruining some wonderful peaceful days, my gift was neutering for both. So off we went to the swamps in the early morning and then back to pick them up before 6 p.m. last night. An hours drive both ways, so 4 hours driving all together for this gift. Ahhhh, peace at last for his household. The dogs do not roam and are so loved and cared for and are all house dogs, so the females can be contained for now until they can be fixed, but the boys sure demand attention of a girl in season even if it is their own mom! Morals don't count when it comes to puppy dogs and relatives!

My wonderful adopted daughter (adopted in love, not law) just returned from the Philippines two days ago but she made sure a great gift was sent to me. This gift I will cherish. I grow plants of all kinds, but can't grow roses. I sent her a facebook message about her wonderful roses in her profile photo and told her she was so beautiful she should have a rose named after her. Her name is Liberty. Isn't that an awesome name? Her father was a soldier and fighting for liberty when she was born and so it was a beautiful name. Anyway, she had that photo put on an afghan and sent me a detailed book on growing roses. I told her I have a green thumb on everything else but she has a rose thumb. I lost her for 24 years, but found her on face book. Or rather she found me. My heart sings when I think of her and I am so grateful God reunited us again.

I love to sit in my chair and have coffee in the very early a.m. Coffee provided by my wonderful soul friend, Bette, every day, without fail, it is waiting for me and my special worship CD already turned on for me. And I cover up with my special Christmas blanket right now as the living room is still cold. But beginning tomorrow I shall cover up with my Liberty afghan and smile at her beautiful picture surrounded by roses, and praise God for her.

May you all have a very beautiful tomorrow, Christmas Day.
Happiness is to Know