Christmas rush to Christmas hush- Mary and pondering

All the events leading and during the time of Christ's birth were both exciting, troublesome, and horrific.  Heaven opened up and sent God's son. There were angels filling the sky and appearing personally to Joseph, Mary, and the Shepherds. There was an amazing star. There were three wise men bringing very expensive gifts to the Christ Child. There were a herd of shepherds who wanted to see. The stable was crowded and stinky and animals were all around. Some say the animals may have talked that night. The bothersome journey to Bethlehem was long and hard especially with a pregnant woman.A jealous King Herod murdered all babies two years and under to eliminate the threat of the King of Kings . All a part of God's plan of how things should be for the coming of a Savior.

Mary had her hush when she treasured up all of these things and pondered them in her heart. It says this twice in Luke. The first one is after the shepherded told people and they were in shear wonderment. Mary treasured these events up and pondered them in her heart. It doesn't say she went and told her best girlfriend. It says she pondered and treasured. The second time it says just about the very same phrase it is after Jesus, as a boy went into the temple to teach and his parents could not find Him. This part is not easily remembered, but Mary again, treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart.

As the earthly Mother of Jesus, perhaps she was writing things down after meditating on them. Perhaps gave Luke some hints as to how to record all of these things so that others even in 2012 might believe. She took time for the hush. The pause and the time of reflection on all that had happened and what it all meant for the world was important.

My real hush comes now the day after Christmas Day. I don't have to really get up and do something out of necessity. There is no deadline or schedule today. I did much forging and creating and just plain work over the past month all for Christmas. I enjoyed it but lost sleep. I have some few hushes and pauses here and there to help slow time down and try to get something new and meaningful out of THIS Christmas. But the activities and even sometimes the "fun" of Christmas diminishes the hush and makes time speed on until next Christmas where you start all over again. So my hush was delayed until now.

During my ponderment I realized, miracles happened this Christmas. Miracles consisting of new developments in my children that I thought would never happen.  The miracle of being in a neighborhood where kids all wanted to partake of a small celebration of the Christ child in the woods. Miracles of a realizing the Savior that was born was born to me. Miracles that this message IS slowly being passed on to my children. It IS sinking in.

During my ponderment, lessons were learned. I realize through the rush that I have no control over time. I can't stop it or even pause it . Yet, I can use my time better so that time is more meaningful making it possibly less rushed. I have taken more time to write and hope to do more. Simply because it helps slow time for me and deepens my pondering time.

I have pondered over and over again the need for a Savior. Come Lord Jesus come! Murdering, a straying away from our faith, a country crumbling, sickness, such a laundry list of sins in this world. Come Lord Jesus come!

So in these last days of this year, I strive for more hush. It seems to me that in these times of pause and meditation on Him that He whispers to us and works in us to move forward more carefully and in a pondering state.

Santa Claus at age Five

When I was five I was afraid of Santa Claus. The beard, the glasses and the big fat body were all real factors. But also who could really tell what he looked like covered in red velvet and white fluff? Santa had a low ho ho ho ho which did not sound jolly. If you asked me at five it sounded more like a barking dog which I was not too found of either.

On this particular Christmas, I was willing to forfeit all my wishes for a cinnamon doll, a purse, and an easy bake oven for nothing but safety from Santa. My request to my mother was to phone Santa and tell him not to come. I can still after 45 years visualize the yellow telephone attached to the wall with the boingy cord attached. She went to the phone and told him the problem. My brothers were so angry with me not even session of name calling would help.

Christmas Eve came and the most beautiful part about it was the Silent Night singing candlelit church. We got home and had some snacks and a night family gathering.  Grandma stayed over at our house and slept on the couch right by the fireplace. I was lying in bed thinking about the prospects of seeing Santa anyway. I could see the living room from my bedroom. I couldn't lay awake very long.

Waking up Christmas morning, I heard two thumps. It was my brothers coming down the hallway to check out the living room then they ran to my room, pounced on me, and said- He came! He came!

At age five, Santa came despite my wish for his absence.  He gave me some of the things I wished for. He came quietly and without me knowing. I had slept all the way through it. Grandma said, he was so quiet, even she didn't here him and she was sleeping right there in the living room.

Year after year, I tell that story to my classroom kids. I've not told it to my own yet. Year after year, I  find that kids can relate to this story. They want Santa to come to their house, but he is a little bit of a scary looking man. What Santa stands for is much stronger than a visit from a man in a suit, with a beard and sometimes glasses! He brings us joy . He is good. He thinks of others before himself. He comes to remind us to believe - have faith.

Too many years later, the lesson of Santa Claus has grown to a larger one. I know what it means to believe in something that you aren't sure about - you don't fully have all the facts. Believing means being satisfied even without the facts. Baby steps to Faith in the One that is Christmas.

And more than ever do we need to believe. So much even in this last year we have seen a real crumbling of our world. The older I get the more sin is abounding around me. I've lost that child like faith and need it back again to be fully satisfied in the Savior that we so desperately need. I am not sure why or how God came fully in a the form of a baby who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Why did He leave all the glories of heaven to come down to the stink of a stable. More and more I need to be satisfied in the One who is more than Santa Claus. He is our Savior. He came even though we may have feared it. He came and will come again even though we don't know when and can't understand how. He is more than the faith and goodness and mystery of Santa. He is our Lord and Savior.

I want Him to come. Come this Christmas in the joy of the life that morning. Come and let us adore You. Come and let us know the same wonder that those who witnessed it live. Come Lord Jesus and enter in again to this weary dark world. Come our Lord and Savior.