God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

I went out his evening, by myself, for a relaxing, testosterone-free, ladies Christmas party with some of the gals from church. I left my three "merry gentlemen" at home. When I returned, Luis was asleep on the bottom bunk, and the boys had beaten me to the door, putting in their snack requests....When I asked why they didn't ask Dad to get it for them, they responded "He said wait for Mom to get home". Ahhh...it was a heavenly three hours, while it lasted...

Let it Flow, Let it Flow, Let it Flow!

Today we finished school relatively early, and I put the finishing touches on my Christmas cards. The weather was so mild that I let the boys go out to play in shorts and t-shirts...definitely not the central New York, cabin-fever winters around here! I was going around, doing some chores, when I peeked out the front door to check on the boys. They were busily playing in the front yard. After a few more minutes, I peeked out again, and saw Joshua and Jonathan huddled in the soccer goal. I called out to them, to make sure everything was alright, and Josh decided to then inform me that his little brother was bleeding. As Jonathan began to walk toward me, I noticed a large, grapefruit sized blood stain on his t-shirt. As he came closer, I noticed that there was also blood on his shorts and hands. Uncle David came into the yard and made a comment about the large quantity of blood. So, I lifted up Jonathan's shirt, and saw that his whole little tummy was stained red...more blood. So, I got him in the house, went to the restroom, and began to strip him down. I wet a wash cloth and started to clean up his once olive, now crimson skin. As I put his clothes to soak in cold water, I tried to find the source of the bleeding. After wiping for a while, I noticed a small, pin-sized cut, just over his lower ribcage. I mean this cut was so small, that I only noticed it because the blood began to flow after I cleaned him. How this tiny opening made such a horrid mess, I'll never know! All I can figure is that there must have been a small vein near the cut, and it just kept pumping out through the path of least resistance...namely, his cut. After about 15 minutes of pressure, I was finally able to get that little pesty cut to stop bleeding. I bandaged him up, and "Shouted" out his clothes. Jonathan later admitted that he picked an old scab, just to see if it would bleed. He is definitely all boy! Just another average, ordinary day at the Parra ranch.

We Wish you a Merry Christmas

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to go Christmas carolling at a nursing home in Fairfax. It ended up just Jonathan and I, along with a great group from our new church (that we just love!). Jonathan was (and still is) in dire need of a haircut, but due to the lack of time, I just wet it, slicked it back and hair sprayed it. (He's three, and gave no protest...miracle!). When we got to the nursing home, one of the ladies from church commented that he looked like a little Eddie Munster...after looking at his little slick hair and sweet face, I had to admit she was right! No matter...he and his little friend J.R. were the stars of the show as they passed out presents to all of the residents that attended our little gathering. Out of my boys, Jonathan is most assuredly the more outgoing one, and he gave handshakes, hugs and a "Merry Christmas" to each of the men and women that he talked to. My heart was really touched as I watched the sweet elderly residents sing along with us to the old familiar Christmas songs. Even though we were only there a short while, I felt like we had touched eternity . I left that center feeling so full, knowing that I had received much more than I could have ever given.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

I was wondering today, just how big (or small) Bethlehem was at the time of Jesus’ birth. Obviously it was small enough, that the many people returning to it, as ordered by Caesar Augustus, filled every inn and vacant spot available. I am sure the homes were bursting at the seams by the sudden influx of visitors. Historians say that the population was somewhere between 300 and 1000 inhabitants when Jesus was born...a far cry from the tens of thousands that it grew to in the twentieth century.

I love to get a glimpse of the mind of God. Isn’t it amazing that God would choose the least likeliest of places to be the setting of the most important birth of all? Think of it...the Jewish scholars of that time were trying to decipher the scriptures, while right there, in the middle of nowhere, God was unfolding it all. The intellects of that day had their minds and hearts so focused on the triumphant entry of a king...one of high loftiness, one of great power and influence, and there, in the little town of Bethlehem, God fulfilled His Word in a way that was so unpretentious, and so incredibly basic, that even the shepherds in the fields nearby knew that something supernatural had taken place. The intellects of our modern world are not much different than those of old. While the technology has changed, the mind set has not. So often we believe God only works on a large scale and, in searching for the "greatness" we trample over the very thing that God has set before us. God still chooses to use Bethlehem as the setting in which to fulfill His will. My Bethlehem has a population of four. My sphere of influence, with God’s guidance, is endless.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

It may be 70+ degrees outside, and I may even have broken a sweat sweeping leaves off the steps of our house yesterday, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she??