tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760019096917551156.post7791784429646689103..comments2012-01-03T20:32:20.335-08:00Melinda Lancasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16873665368965381446noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760019096917551156.post-5360303607726579622009-12-27T04:31:32.954-08:002009-12-27T04:31:32.954-08:00Wonderful blog! I have to be honest that I was really excited about celebrating Christmas this year because last year some health issues dealing with my eyes hit me hard and the whole month of December was filled with pain and went by in a blur! But I realized one thing during that time....Christmas still came! Even though I celebrate Christmas for the real reason , that being the birth of Jesus as my Savior, I sometimes can get caught up with decorating and cooking and making sure everything goes just right, or with traveling to see family. But when I couldn&#39;t decorate or anything last year, I started out being depressed! God reminded me that I could still celebrate Him in my heart and life, like I do everyday, since I have a close relationship with Him! I didn&#39;t have to have decorations, etc. This year, I was excited to be able to decorate but made sure I didn&#39;t take the focus off of the WHY I celebrate in the first place and my Nativities that I have collected found an extra special place this year! The day after Christmas, I was starting to feel a little let down. I was tired because my energy levels were not that great to begin with; finances made it impossible to give the kind of gifts I would have liked to give to those I wanted to give gifts to! So I was only able to give gifts to the few children in my family that were still small. I questioned God, asking why our finances were so meager when others seemed to have much more and God reminded me that it isn&#39;t the size or expense of the gift, it is the quality of gift that mattered. Also, that it was better to have little and be in HIS presence than to have alot and not know Him at all! I am so much more blessed than many other people in this big world! I had the good health to help at my church this past week to give out Christmas food packages to those who wouldn&#39;t have it otherwise. I was blessed! I got to spend Christmas with some family that I hadn&#39;t done so with for about 30 years and had a great time! I was blessed! As I go into the new year, I will keep my focus on celebrating Jesus everyday! I am blessed!<br />love ya Sis!karenhttp://www.facebook.com/#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1848831821noreply@blogger.com