Blogging in the rain

Rain Rain go away, please come back some other day. It is raining , it is pouring the old man is blogging. No, I think it was supposed to be "the old man is snoring". Well, I am neither old nor am I snoring at 12:36 pm. It is supposed to be Christmas day in 3 days and we have a forecast for rain until then. Katy and I spent the entire day yesterday playing Mr and Mrs Claus. I am excited to report that all the creditors got something in their stockings but so did the kids. The last couple of Christmas seasons have been sort of bleak in our house thanks to income issues but thankfully we are able to put something under the tree this year. Don't get me wrong, you do not have to purchase gifts in order to celebrate Christmas. Heck, there are people out there in this world of ours that are not celebrating Christmas. I guess it all depends on your personal tastes and upbringing. As for my family we are aware of the reason for the season. Jesus being born to Mary , wrapped in swaddling clothes and no where to lay him. The nativity scene all reminds us of how important Jesus was and still is to our world. Of course that thought requires a bit of faith and belief that Jesus Christ is more than a mere teacher or prophet. Jesus is the primary reason that we celebrate Christmas in our household in December. It has nothing to do with the tree, ornaments, lights and all the gifts. All of those things are fun things to do and we can enjoy doing them as we enjoy the holiday festivities and being close to loved ones. However that is not what Christmas is all about. To me, Christmas is about reflecting on those things that are most important to me. Yes, I am like most folks in that I find myself getting caught up in the "spirit" of Christmas which is all around us as we run around buying this gift and that gift and listening to Christmas carols playing on the radio. What is important to me is that I am able to enjoy the Christmas season. I can enjoy Christmas because of a God who lives in me through the power of the Holy Spirit and the gift of Grace at Calvary. I can enjoy Christmas because I am in relatively good health and I am not in the hospital. I can enjoy Christmas because I have a family that loves me and I love them and enjoy spending time with them. I can enjoy Christmas because I have good friends that bring quality and quantity to my life and I love being around them as well.
This time of year is always a difficult time of year as we look at the names on the stockings hung near the entertainment center. They are supposed to be hung by the chimney with care in hopes that old Saint Nick will be there. Since we don't have a fireplace the close proximity to the Christmas tree will have to do for now. Our Jessica has long since left this world and is now in heaven. Her stocking still gets hung right along with the rest of them. Our Jessica is our sunshine and will always remain an important part of our family. There are folks all around us that suffer from grief, depression or other things that keep them from having a time of joy during this season. I hope that all of us can be reminded of that and that we can all find a way to reach out to others that are not as fortunate as we are. There are many ways to do this and some are more personal than others. Our church took up an offering and we all brought can good foods and clothes for a family that is located at a homeless shelter here in the low country. Some of you give to the United Way and that organization and others that support it do things like providing a hot meal on Christmas Eve for homeless people who otherwise would not be able to get this. The thought that I am trying to get across here is that we are all connected in some small way whether we believe it or not. No, I am not related to a homeless person and they are not in my immediate family. I could very easily just turn a blind eye to all that I see around me and just be selfish and keep all of my "riches" to myself and hoard them exclusively for my family. Can we individually reach out and help everyone that needs help? Of course not and I am not advocating that if you are having a good Christmas time and buying presents for loved ones that we should feel guilty about not helping all the homeless people. Everyone one of us can and should find a way to connect with one other person or family if we can and do what we can. Whether we are related to them is immaterial. They are fellow human beings that are just like us in that they are trying to scratch out an existance the best way that they know how.
You might be thinking that it is so easy for me to sit here typing these words on my laptop while I am elevated and protected and ignorant of what it is like to be homeless or in prison or sick. For those of you that know the "real" me you know that I was adopted alongside of my sister from an orphanage in Aschofenburg Germany. You know that I have been homeless and spent several days living under a bridge in Houston Texas with three plastic bags that had all of my life's treasures. I spent 45 days in a street rescue mission learning what it is like to have no family , no loved ones to turn to. I know what it is like to sit in a county jail cell in Texas looking down from my confines at people walking around in stifling temperatures wishing and praying that could be me. So, as you see, I have been where most of you would not care to be. Part of the reason of why I was there was my fault and partly because of the environment and situations that I found myself in. The important thing is that I am a better man because of it. When I share these stories with most folks they are amazed at what I have been through and that I can have a positive attitude about life and that I can wear a smile on my face. Most people are amazed that I have a good sense of humor and that I can laugh about most of the junk in my life vs. being angry at the world. My ability to do this has primarily been because of the life changing work that God has done in my life. Jesus changed me from the inside out. Jesus traded out the heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh that enables me to be sensitive and caring about the world and people around me. I am also a better man because of my sweet selfless wife Katy. Over the last 17 years Katy has taught me how to be a real man. A man who loves his family and is not afraid to be committed to her and the children no matter how tough things are. Katy has taught me how to share my things as well as my heart. Katy has shown me that it is possible to not react to the children in anger like my earthly father used to and that I can exercise love and mercy towards them. Katy has taught me that it is ok to spoil the children despite my insatiable desire to teach them how to be tough and to survive in this world. Katy has taught me that it is ok for kids to be kids and that they are going to make noise and mess up the house. Gosh, I guess that is what children do huh? Katy has taught me that while I am very hard on myself and sometimes have a difficult time loving myself that she can overlook my faults and problems and love me despite of me being a scrooge and grouchy sometimes. It has become much easier for me over the years to extend grace and mercy and forgiveness to my wife and children and others because I have watched God and family and friends do the same thing for me even though I don't deserve it.
My hope and prayer is that you and your family and/or friends can find a way to relax and enjoy this Christmas season and that you are doing it for the right reasons. I hope that you are using this time to step back and remove yourself from the mad rush that is all around us and to appreciate and enjoy the simple things in life. I hope that every child gets exactly what their heart desires under the tree. I know that I will enjoy watching my kids as they excitedly rip the wrapping paper off of their presents on Christmas morning.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in 2007 from our family to yours.




James Moffitt
http://www.lightourworld.com
http://moffittjc.blogharbor.com/blog
james.moffitt@comcast.net