Christmas Goals

November first, for me at least, starts the Christmas Season. That doesn't mean decorations go up, but it means I get to mentally prepare for Thanksgiving (which I love more and more) and Christmas (which I love the most), and all the excitement and coziness that goes with both.

This year, however, November 1st sort of popped up, as I'm sure it did with the rest of you, and it has now dawned on me that I haven't been relishing in the first Christmas commercials and decorations in Stop&Shop. I think this isn't just due to how crazy things have been lately, but because of the significance of them all. Whilst sipping tea and talking with Clare last night about her going back to Brooklyn and St. Agnes, and all that entails, and the planning I need to do for Kenya, I finally FINALLY realized just how much is going on in our family right now. I mean not just the obvious things. Clare was in the hospital and I am going to Kenya but also, Annie and Frank moved in and then are moving out and are having their third baby, Martha is itching for a baby of her own (hear that, Chad?), Catherine is getting MARRIED, lest we forget, Aloise is graduating college, Mary and Cyrus' families both just had their third babies, and the Captain has finally retired and is home with Ma for good.

Of course with the size of our family it is expected to have so much activity, but not really. I don't think anyone has begun to fully process what happened last month or why it happened or what we're supposed to be taking from it, but I do think there is some significance to it all happening during this season. What a wonderful time to reflect and be surrounded with family. While I still plan on diving right into Burl Ives and sugar cookies as soon as Thanksgiving passes, I'm also so looking forward to a peaceful December to pray and meditate over all that is happening and all that is good. And also to thank God, so so much, for what He has given us.

My goals for the next month and a half are to do the above, way more often than I do now, and to really celebrate the season. Which means good meals and discussions, and gratitude upon gratitude for the Lord and all of our family and friends who prayed so hard for us. How humbled and lucky are we.

How about everyone else?

Charles Gnarls

Why haven't we done this sooner? Upload your videos to YouTube and post them!

YouTube puts a limit of 100 MB per video, so most likely you'll have to condense them first, like I had to. Here's a link with directions using iMovie on a Mac. How to reduce an video file on a Mac.

And here's one for PCs, though I admit I haven't read through the whole page. How to reduce a video file on a PC.