Book Club Time!

It's time to discuss "The Christmas Box".

Brief Synopsis for those who have not read this book - A young family which is struggling to get by financially answers an ad for a live-in family to cook and do lawn work for an elderly lady. After they settle in, the father begins to have strange dreams in which he envisions a stone angel. As he becomes swamped with his work and his duties as the family's provider, the dream haunts him more often. When the older lady finds out that she is dying, she determines to impress upon the young father the importance of not letting work get in the way of family time together with his wife and young daughter. Very brief, but you kind of get the gist :).

There is a definite lesson to be taken from this short story - Never take any moment for granted. Savor each person in your life, each and every day. This really hits home for me right now.

I have always loved small children. I never wanted to do anything else except have lots of little ones and spend my day playing games, reading books, and makings lots of great crafts with my kids. After Brennan was born, I embraced this dream wholeheartedly. When Nicholas joined us, I remember sitting on the floor with the two of them, living the moment. I remember nothing but the joy.

Something has happened over the past few years. Life has intervened more often. I have found myself "getting through" the boys' routine, but for what? Nothing too worthwhile. It was such a subtle transition in my mind that I hardly realized that it had taken place.

The lesson from reading this book has brought my altered priorities into the light in a very real way. I suddenly realize that my guys are growing up all too fast. I have spent the last week attempting to get back to "savoring each moment" (Hence the light blogging :) ). When they go out to play, I normally would get on the computer. The past few days I have joined them outside instead. I have refused to answer the phone for large parts of the day. The TV has been on less and we have been reading lots of books.

To top it all off (sometimes God is really trying to get a message into my head!), Brennan's Religion lesson today tied into this topic beautifully. It was the story of Jesus and the Children. In closing, the book stated "We should also have special care for children and love them as Jesus loved them". What a difficult challenge for moms each day! Yes, it is easy for me to say that there is housework that has to be done and meals to cook. These reasons are all true, and it might be necessary to reject a child's request for a book or help at a particular moment. But often times I find myself merely using those words as an excuse. It comes back to saying "yes" whenever you possibly can to a child's request, especially when it is a very real need for attention, for love. To respond to them just as Jesus would have.

This week has been fantastic. I feel like I have reconnected with each of my boys (all 4 of them). This has been my gift from reading "The Christmas Box". I truly hope that I don't forget this important lesson again!

Nutmeg has her incredibly insightful thoughts as well. Emily also has her post up too! Celeste has a fantastic post up - Thanks!

Anyone else?