Where has the time gone?

Can you believe that Christmas is just 17 days away?  Where has this year gone?  When I was a little girl wishing I could be a grown up, my mama would tell me to stop wishing my life away.  As a child it seems to take forever to get from one milestone to another, doesn't it?  What a difference it makes when you are an adult!!  As an adult in our twenties and thirties, we seem to think that we have forever to live.  In our forties, we begin to see that we may not live forever, but we still have a lifetime ahead of us.  Now, in my fifties...just barely (*smiles*)...I definitely see what my mama was saying those many years ago. 

We are only young once...just a few short years.  Once we pass our childhood, we are an adult for the remainder of our years on this earth.  I truly wish we could embrace our childhood when we are in the midst of it.  But, I guess that's just not the way God intended.  I will say I am so very thankful to have had amazing parents and grandparents to help me enjoy my childhood. 

Yes, I love Christmas.  I love that it stands for my Savior's birth.  I love that when someone says Christmas, I always think of family.  I love that I was able to raise my children knowing that Santa isn't Christmas but that God loved us so much He gave us a very special Gift in the form of His Son!  I love the lights and sounds of Christmas.  I love that during this season many people seem to be a little more friendly. 

There is one thing that I wish about Christmas...I wish that the world would stop making it all about giving the biggest and the best and the most expensive.  Why can't we just stop and take a few minutes to give of ourselves?  Showing the love of Christ to those around us is what Christmas is.  It's not about making sure that we spend ourselves into debt so far that it takes till next Christmas to pay it off.  Gift giving should be about the love in our heart and the desire to share God with those we love. 

I encourage you, to take a break from the hustle and bustle of this holiday season.  Instead of 'spending' so much money and time trying to find that perfect gift...why not give of yourself?  So many people would rather have YOU than a gift that you give them.  I know my parents would love to have 'TIME' with their grandkids and great-grandkids more than anything else!  I would love to have 'TIME' with my kids and grandkids...no gift can compare to TIME! 

Yes, today, I can honestly say I am thankful for TIME!  Time that God has given me on this earth...time that I have to spend with my parents...time that I have to spend with my husband...time that I have to spend with my friends...time...yes, that is one of the most precious of all gifts.  How can you give a gift of time, today?

Have a blessed week,