'Twas a near-perfect day weather-wise for touring the Williams-Woodland neighborhood
in nearby Fort Wayne yesterday.
Grand old homes in various stages from gutted to completed
provided us with much inspiration and pleasure.
In spite of many fancy furnishings and beautiful table settings,
scenes such as this simple porch were my favorite sights.
I posted a few photos on Facebook, and someone commented,
Thanks for sharing some pics! I'd have loved to go, but couldn't squeeze it in.
If there's one lesson I think I've learned in my almost-69-years,
it is NOT to try to squeeze the Christmas out of Christmas!
For me, this means a counter-cultural approach to the entire season.
It means sifting through the all the tantalizing events
and selecting only a few of them.
It means limiting obligations.
It means being thoughtful and realistic in gift-giving.
It means slowing down while others rush around me.
It means guarding both the calendar AND my heart.
It means extra time spent reading God's Word and conversation with Him.
It means finding my primary Christmas inspiration and pleasure
from these two sources.
It means being generous and joyful from the inside out--
WITHOUT the squeeze.
Those are such wise words Rebecca and well said!
ReplyDeleteI agree! Trying not to squeeze Christmas out of Christmas.
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to fall into "squeezing" at this time of year. Thanks for the reminder to take care.
ReplyDelete