So Much

There was no Real World Wednesday yesterday. There were games to play, computers to fix, parents to talk to and Celtics to watch...it will return in full force next week.

Have you ever woken up and suddenly realized how incredibly lucky you are? Sure it might be too cold to even consider leaving the safety of your bed. Or maybe you are irritated with your job. Or you have some other problem.

It's not waking up and realizing that your life is perfect.

It's waking up and realizing what a blessed life you have.

Christmas eve, I awoke early to take WG to the airport (and when I say early, I mean 3:15 a.m.), but I awoke that early after spending the previous day going to church with my boyfriend, playing with a Christmas gift I never imagined he would get me (though I'll admit to fantasizing about getting my beautiful little wii...), visiting with George and Bonnie at the fourth annual festivus (thanks for the yummy tri-tip and the oodles of fun brought courtesy of Apples to Apples. I spent much of the night curled snuggly beside WG. He held on quite tightly, as it occurred to him that he wouldn't see me again for a week. Even in the middle of the night, as I bounced out of bed with a somewhat distubring amount of perkiness, I felt incredibly blessed to have WG in my life, and I spent much of my morning conversation with God thanking him for bringing us together.

Christmas Day, I awoke, as I have every morning since I can remember, to a house filled with love, presents (far too many for any one of us) and my parents. We had our truly traditional morning of cinnamon rolls, opening each gift one by one, a few tears shed in gratitude (though not by me...I'm a cold, cold girl, haha) and then a return to warm beds for a morning nap.

Yesterday, I awoke knowing I would spend the morning helping my mom pick out a new laptop (hers has been driving her mad almost since purchase) and otherwise driving around and having wonderful conversations.

Before I went to sleep last night, I did my little Bible study and read a bit in the book my mom recently purchased for both of us, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. I'd recommend something like this even for those of you who celebrate something other than Christianity.

In a nutshell, this book is about dropping some of the clutter in life. The title is based on the Mary and Martha story in the Bible. Jesus and His boys show up at the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Martha throws a hissy fit and starts running around preparing a feast, while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and simply listens to Him talk. Martha complains that her sister isn't helping with the preparations, and Jesus says, "Mary has chosen the better part." In other words, it's more important to sit and BE with Christ, with your guest, with your family and friends, than to run around proving that you know how to prepare a meal.

I am the queen of running around making sure everyone has enough to eat, enough to drink, that the oven's off (okay, that one's important) and otherwise making my guests feel like they've come over to watch me run around my apartment and not to sit and enjoy an evening together.

The gist of all of this? In the next few days, as I contemplate my resolutions for 2008, I will think about priorities. I will consider whether it matters that I prepare a fancy meal for family or that I simply get to spend an evening with them. I will contemplate all of the priorities in my life and adjust accordingly :).

It's hard for me to express, here or elsewhere, how truly honored I feel to be loved by the people who love me. This year, I have received the best gift of all and that's the feeling of being loved and loving in return.