The day AFTER Christmas

Ah, the day after Christmas and all through the yard rain drops fell with the weight of little boys and girls all over our area.

What a wonderful day we had yesterday. Let me count the ways:

We had two wonderful church services. Seriously, the services were great. It truly felt as if families were gathered in the churches. I didn't worry about numbers or the fact I gave our choir director off at one of the services because she has young twins. I didn't worry about who was there and who chose not to come. I merely worshipped and preached as hard and as compassionate and as funny and as loving as I possibly could. I loved and I believe was loved. Church on Christmas is wonderful; it really is.

We had five of the seven grandchildren in our (parsonage) home for the first time. I talked to the other two. It was as close, I guess, as we will come to having everyone in one place at one time. Loud. Too small a house. Loud. And funny. Mary's food was wonderful. Just a great, great day.

Watching son-in-law Blaine fly his helicopter into a tree where it stuck, then all of us trying to throw things at it to knock it down probably was the highlight of the day.

Watching Rocky Organ, a four-year-old comic, act as an injured sheep at Saturday night's children's Christmas play, was the highlight of the weekend.

I guess what I'm trying to write for all to read is the fact that peace and good will to all persons begins in families, branches into the churches, leaks out into strangers homes and we wind up with a dreary, cloud-covered, wet day that is still warm and cuddly for all. Love is about a child, a child we've never held nor ever will but a child all the same. That child, this Jesus, makes life wonderful for all of us, no matter our circumstances, if we but all it.

Today, the day after Christmas, I could write about soldiers being shot at homecoming parties or seven killed in Fort Worth shooting or any number of terrible, sad, awful events that happened on Christmas Day around the globe. Heck, I could even write about our microwave which with a cloud of deep smoke and one last deep breath stopped working while the bacon was beginning to cook today.

Instead, though, I'll think about Gavin eating bacon that I managed to cook properly for him (not hard, but soft he says) and I'll think about those great moments with Emma and I'll think about talking to Parker on the phone and even listening to Livy as she tried to talk to me and I'll think about Karli and Mia opening presents and I'll even think about Gabe playing UNO with Mawmaw while I played Dinosaur with Gavin (I got to be the one who chews, Gavin said). I'll think about the good that came because Jesus came and I'll let the bad just sit there and wash away with the winter rain.

It's the day after Christmas and all through the house all sorts of creatures were stirring with the exception of mice who would be insane to trying to move in our house what with all the cats and dogs and kids.