Christmas, the stomach bug, and a reminder

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! (I'm sure I won't remember to blog on that holiday either!) Hope your days were filled with joy and peace. We had a BUSY Christmas, almost so much that I wasn't able to stop and cherish the true meaning of that day.

We had plans to go see winter lights on Tuesday night, so we packed the kids up and went there.

Then, Wednesday night (Christmas Eve) we packed everyone up again... including dishes and appetizers... and headed down to Shaun's brother's house. Scott and Kerri have 2 little boys that the girls love playing with so they of course had a good time and it was Gabe's very first time at his Aunt and Uncle's house! He did great! It's just a lot of work to get him there... but well worth it!

On Christmas Day, I was up early (but not as early as I had planned because my wonderful dad who often helps with the night shift if we don't have coverage, stayed until almost 6 am! Usually he leaves at 4:30) and we made the girls wait to bring Gabe downstairs, then we opened gifts. It was so wonderful to see Gabe this year on Christmas, because he was 'awake,' moving around, and I am pretty sure he could sense the excitement of the day. Last year, I recall how NOT there Gabe was. He was hardly communicating last year, so it was neat to see the difference a year has made! After we opened gifts as a family, Shaun went up the girls room to put together their brand-new bunk beds! I manned the fort and opened toys and such. Then my parents and sister and brother-in-law came over, we opened even more gifts, and then we packed up again to go to my grandmother's for Christmas dinner. I can't even tell you how tired we were after unloading and unpacking Gabe on Christmas night. It was a lot of work to take all 3 kids out 3 days in a row, to load, unload, load, and unload again! I could ceratinly relate to Ann's post about her Christmas with Jack. It's not as simple as just throwing the kids in the car to go somewhere. :(

But, Christmas night as I was sitting down to finally relax and check some of my favorite blogs, I was given gentle reminder of how much I have to be thankful for. There is a blog that I follow about a little baby boy in my area who passed away this year from a heart condition. His mother writes about the immense struggles she has been dealing with and all of her heart-wrenching feelings... the over arching question of Why??? As I read her entry about Christmas without her son, I had a hard time relating to those feelings she was expressing, trying to wrap my mind around how it must feel to not have your child in your arms anymore, EVER. Then I realized, This could have been me. This could have been my story, I could have written this entry on this Christmas day. He reminded me.

My Gabe was so close to death so many times. Yet, his life was spared. He is here, he is alive, I can feel his touch and smell his breath. I have him to hold in my arms. Oh why did God let Gabe live and others pass into eternity? I will never understand his overwhelming grace and mercy in Gabe's life. Yet also knowing that we have the hope of eternity!! These precious children whom I have known or met these past two year have passed into glory. I can only imagine how much more spectacular their Christmases are than ours. So for now, another Christmas, another New Year, another day with Gabe. These things I don't take for granted.

Finally, not that this matters after the 'sermon' I wrote up there (sorry!), our whole famly has been afflicted with the stomach bug. Don't know from where or when, but it made it's round through Brooke, Shaun, Faith, me, Gabe, and even my mom. Oh and Gabe's nurse too! Stay away from us! Luckily we are all just-about completely well. Just in time for the new year.

I truly wish you all (whoever you are...) a most blessed 2009.