Miracles

There's a CVS commercial out on t.v. right now that I positively despise. It is animated with pretty pictures of trees and birds and flowers and children. It also has a song playing along with the animation that sounds really pretty if you just listen to the music, but the words absolutely burn me up. They say, "It's just an ordinary miracle..." I don't believe that any miracle is ordinary. That's what makes it a miracle, right?


I have been inspired and touched by so many little things today-each one a miracle in and of itself. I make a habit of reflecting on my day each evening, and tonight I was surprised at all the things that blessed my heart. Most of them seem small, but to me they were just the miracles I needed to witness at just the right time. And, some of them happen every day, but there was just something about today...

• Strangers: A friend of mine from high school, Katie (her blog is linked to mine, The Green Family), wrote a beautiful blog entry about a couple she is friends with who just took in a 12 year old girl in desperate need of a good home. This couple is a year younger than I am and has taken on a huge responsibility in the name of doing what is right by God and by that little girl. I don't even know this couple, but I am blessed beyond measure by what they've done. Jesus said, "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me" (Matthew 18:5). They are a miracle...


• Julie: Many of you are familiar with my wonderful friend Julie. She has always been like an older sister to me, and I respect her beyond measure. I talked with her today, much like most days, but this time I hung up the phone in complete awe. Julie became a mom in February to one of the world's most precious babies (my husband, in fact, is her biggest fan), and I always knew she would be an awesome mother. Listening to her today, I realized that her sense of humor and her ability to slow down and appreciate the little moments in life truly make her a mother worth admiring. She has boundless energy and a passion for others that is inspiring. In short, I find her remarkable quite often, but her fabulousness was brought to my attention in a unique way today. She is a miracle...


• Joy: I couldn't have hand-picked a better friend than Joy. It's by God's grace that she is in my life, and I thank Him daily for her. Joy will celebrate her little girl's first birthday tomorrow. I think I might be even more excited than she is! It is amazing to look back over this last year and watch my best friend become a mother and raise a child. She has done so well, and I hope she can celebrate tomorrow with her own private party. Several years ago, in the midst of college life, I could never have imagined us with children, and here we are. God really does time our lives perfectly in accordance with His plan, and Joy is another example of that perfect timing. She works hard, she supports a very busy husband, and she loves that little girl more than anything. She is a miracle...


• Sarah: I met Sarah at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year when I began teaching at Greenacres Middle School. The entire road I traveled to that job was laid in stone by the hands of God (that's a whole book in and of itself), and meeting Sarah was a big part of that plan. I knew ahead of time that she was a well-respected teacher, and I was scared that I wouldn't measure up to the standards she had set. When the principal told me that she was going to put my classroom right next to Sarah's, I panicked. I didn't want our relationship to be too forced, and I didn't want Sarah to see me as this new teacher nuisance. I quickly put aside all that uneasiness because I found a friend that I will cherish for all of my life. Honestly, we are probably the least likely of friends, but I swear she is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. She single-handedly took care of me while Danny was in Iraq. I know I would have never made it through that period of time without her being a part of my life on a daily basis. Now that we are so far apart, it really feels like a piece of my heart is missing. We talk often, and if I weren't so pregnant I'd be on the road to visit her, but it's not the same as being in the classroom next door day in and day out. She is a miracle...


• My in-laws: I have the world's best in-laws. They are the most giving people I have ever met in my entire life. If they love you, you know it, and I think that is the best thing about them. They care about their children and their grandchildren so much and it is so obvious in so many ways. I remember when they came to visit us in July, Danny received an award at work while they were in town. Papa Joe copied the award and must have shown it to every person in Milledgeville, Georgia. And, when I began my journey into a teaching career, I don't think Papa Joe told me he was proud of me less than 852 times. Mama Janet is just as wonderful. She will bend over backwards to help anyone. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and she always cries when she leaves us. It's nice to know that we bless her life a fraction of the amount in which she blesses ours. I adore them. They are a vision of what marriage and family should be. They are a miracle...


• My husband: If you know my husband, you know I am lucky. There is no way I ever could have landed him without the Lord's help. He is more than I could have ever asked for and more than I deserve. I wouldn't have been able to dream him up in my wildest dreams. We do have our moments (as do we all), but I never forget how special he is. He was able to come home early today, so we got to spend a little extra time together. We are both realizing that the baby is going to change our lives in a major way, and we are kind of mourning the loss of our marriage as it is now. We know we will be blessed by Tyler's arrival into our family, but we will never be just us again. So, we are eating up this time with each other as much as we can. I love how Danny is so compassionate towards everyone. I don't think he has an enemy in this entire world. And, he just tickles me with our dog, Daisy. Those two are peas in a pod. I know that Daisy would kick me out of the house if she could just so she could have her daddy all to herself. They are so sweet together, and it blesses my heart. I don't have enough eloquent words to sew together to express how much I love and cherish Danny, but I hope I convey my feelings to him often enough. He's a miracle...

These are only a handful of the miracles I witnessed today, and these only represent this one day. So many people have blessed my life in so many ways, it would be impossible to list them all here. I am fortunate to have so many wonderful people in my life, and I hope we can all stop to honor those who touch our hearts in such significant ways.

See, I believe that there are no "ordinary miracles."

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Tonight, Danny and I went into the Hallmark Store at the mall to add two animals to our Willow Tree Nativity. One hundred dollars later, we had quite a bit more than we intented to buy. As you can see, we added an angel, an angel stand, an ox, a goat, and a set of stars. We will continue to collect pieces in the years to come, but I think it looks pretty good as it is this year! Thanks to Mama Janet and Papa Joe for starting this collection for us four years ago.

One of my favorite childhood Christmas memories involved leaving cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeer on Christmas Eve. I saw this "Cookies for Santa" plate several weeks ago and told Danny that I wanted to get it for Tyler but that I would wait until after Christmas when I could get it on sale. Well, he bought it for me tonight just in case they were all gone after Christmas, and he found the reindeer treats bowl that I hadn't seen before. I am SO excited to have these pieces and to start this tradition with our son in the years to come.

Our first family ornament. These represent The Legend of the Candy Cane that talks about the candy maker who originated this candy. The red is for Christ's blood, the white is for his purity, the shape is like a shepherd's staff, turn it upside down and it's a 'j' for Jesus...I thought it was a neat idea, and we think it looks fabulous as the only ornament on our yet-to-be-finished Christmas tree!