Finding Room for Jesus by Jim Burns

And Mary gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the Inn. Luke 2:7


I love this story about a second grade boy named Wally. I can’t remember where I got it from but I remember it being told to me that this actually happened in a small town in the Midwest.

Wally was 9 and in second grade. He should have been in 4th grade. Wally wanted to be a shepherd or an angel in the Christmas play but Miss Lumbard assigned him the “important role” of the innkeeper. I think it was because of his size and it had very few lines.

And so it happened that the usual large audience gathered for the town’s yearly extravaganza of beards, crowns, halos and a whole stage full of squeaky voices. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wally. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that from time to time Miss Lumbard had to make sure he didn’t wonder onstage before his cue.

Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the Inn. Joseph knocked on the door. Wally the innkeeper was there waiting.

“What do you want?” demanded Wally, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.

“We seek lodging.” “Seek it elsewhere.” Wally looked straight ahead. “The inn is filled.”

“Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary.”

“There is no room in this inn for you.” Wally looked properly stern.

“Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired.”

Now for the first time the Innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.

“No! Be gone!” the prompter whispered from the wings.

“No!” Wally repeated automatically. “Be gone!”

Joseph placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upon her husband’s shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The Innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however. Wally stood in the doorway, watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears. And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all others.

“Don’t go Joseph,” Wally called out. “Bring Mary back.” And Wally’s face grew into a bright smile. “You can have my room.”

This season let’s make room for the Reason we celebrate Christmas.

Christmas Thank You Notes

Please and thank you, some essential words in life! Its very important that I teach the kids (their parents have as well, I just mean with me) the importance of thanking people for gifts, gestures, and time. With that said, here is our Christmas thank you card. Like Matthew's birthday card, I made them on the computer and the kids signed them. We are sending them to all the relatives who came and brought gifts and to those who sent them in the mail. Also, Santa will receive one at the North Pole for his great gifts of Samantha and a Hot Wheels race track!

Meet Samantha

Aliya, Samantha, and Coconut the dog

To: Tosha

Wode you plese brash Samtas hare tks

I came home to this note, and Samantha, sitting on my bed. I love reading her notes and trying to decipher the words. They've got a certain sweetness and innocence about them that I find heartwarming. :)

Aliya has been attached at the hip with Samantha since Christmas. She changes her into her nightgown each night, sleeps with her, feeds her, plays with her, and has introduced her to everyone she sees. Her dad says he hasn't ever seen her like this with a doll.

I came back on Sunday and she was eager to start discussing our date to the AG store. I figured why wait, so I asked if she wanted to go that afternoon. She smiled from ear to ear and said, "Hmmmm, let me think about that. YES!"

Let me back track quickly, and make a confession. :) I, too, was the lucky recipient of an American Girl doll for Christmas. I got Kit, the girl representing the 1930s. (The American Girl historical characters inhabit stories set during important times in America’s past. http://www.americangirl.com/) Kit grew up during the Great Depression and her stories are fascinating, with great lessons for children. I got a stand for my Kit doll and someday my daughter will appreciate her to the full extent! Now, since I have outed myself as the proud owner of Kit Kitteridge and maybe some of her accessories, you'll appreciate Aliya and my date to the AG store. Aliya was so excited that I got Kit and she wanted me to bring her on our date. I opted to bring her in the car, but not into the store. I had to explain that my Kit is just for looks, not for me to play with. (I know, I know. How boring for a 6 year old who doesn't consider her Samantha a doll, but a new best friend?!)

We went to the store with somewhat of an agenda. Samantha needed a wire hair brush. Her hair was tangled- frizzy-a mess and she is hardly a week old people! Again, I saved parents money by convincing Aliya that I could do Samantha's hair, she didn't really need the store to do it. She graciously accepted and we moved on to bigger and better things, like Samantha's winter coat or the back to school set. However, she had conferenced with her mom before we left and her mom said she could get one thing besides the brush. She kept going back and forth between the two. Once at the store, she found out they no longer had Samantha coats, so she opted to get Coconut the dog. Yes, the dog, not the much talked about back to school set! I tried to reason with her, but once she decided on it, there was no changing her mind.

On the way home we stopped to get a bite to eat. Aliya said, "Tarsha this is more like a date too, because we went somewhere AND got something to eat!" I'm glad I filled all the criteria for a date! :)

I had a wonderful Christmas spent with all the little ones I love. After all, when your a single adult, Christmas is ALL about the little ones! It started VERY early, at 4:50am at Tanya's house. Hannah and Drew were first to open their gifts and it was exciting to watch. By 6am, I had showered and was on my way to Tricia's house to watch Isaac and Liam open theirs. Again, it was very fun to watch the process and excitement! I needed a nap, so I slept a couple of hours before going to see the other special little man in my life, Damon! He wasn't as impressed with opening gifts, but I did get him to fall asleep in my arms!

Dear God,

Thank you for sending your son to Earth to live among us. How selfless you were to make your entrance in a manger, to a poor unwed mother. Thank you for revealing yourself in such a manner, so helpless and unobtrusive. Please help the little people in my life to know Christmas for the true meaning, your birthday. Help me to be a significant part of that Lord, as I want them to know its not about a man in a red suit giving toy gifts, but a baby born to give us everlasting gifts.

Thank you for an adventurous 2008 and all the opportunities I capitalized on. Thank you for my family and their health. Thank you for my friends and my job. Thank you for the obstacles I overcame this year and the lessons I learned. Please lead me into 2009 and keep me centered. You know my heart Lord, and I long to please you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

All kinds of adventures...

Matthew would like a basketball hoop and hot wheels track.

Aliya REALLY wants a Samantha American Girl Doll.
Decorating 1 of the 4 Christmas trees.

Last week we decorated for Christmas, a lot. The house seems to be transformed more and more each day. The kids wrote letters to Santa and I delivered them to him myself last weekend when I went to the North Pole. Annie (Mom) thought that was the fastest and most efficient way to get the letter to Santa. I agreed and it was my pleasure to bring him their letters :)

Have I mentioned I love my job? I actually got a nap on Monday with Matthew! He was tired after his snack and said he wanted to rest. I got my crocheting and went to lay with him. After some squirming and chatting, he fell asleep. I was on the edge of the bed, because everytime I would move to get a little space, he would move closer. I decided I did not have adequate space to crochet any longer, so I stopped and cuddled a full cuddle. Well, I woke up over an hour later, in the same position -almost falling of the bed with the little man thisclose. He went on to sleep almost another hour.

During a conversation in the car last week, Aliya mentioned "Mommy said Jesus was God, and Daddy said God was Jesus. Its really confusing to me." I couldn't help but add my two cents. "Well actually He is three in one Aliya, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

Matthew piped in with his 4 year old knowledge to set us both straight. "God is Jesus' father and Jesus is God's son Aliya!" Out of the mouth of babes!

I was reading to the kids last night and Matt was sitting on my lap. He wanted to pretend I was the mom and he was the baby Grinch. This turned into the whole 'when are you going to get married and be a mom' conversation. I asked them if I could ask Santa for a husband and if they thought I could ask him for a baby as well?! Matthew said I could marry him, which is a new thing, because just last week they had me marrying Jack, the 12 year old boy who lives next door. Aliya says she is going to marry Robbie, Jack's 7 year old brother, and Matthew said he is going to marry Samantha, their 10 year old sister. Oh to be 6 or 4 again, their world is so small and simple!

So, the American Girl doll Samantha is sitting in my closet! She came earlier than expected and will indeed make one little girl VERY happy in 14 days. Aliya talks about when Santa brings her, not if he brings her. She asked me if we could go to the American Girl store after Christmas to get her some more clothes. Samantha will need more clothes than just the ones she comes in after all. Oh boy, I can hardly wait!

I took the kids Christmas shopping for their gifts. We had already discussed that I would bring them shopping, they would pick out things they liked, and I would buy it. However, I would bring the gift to Guatemala to give to a child that lives at the dump. I will take a picture of the child who gets it, if possible, so the kids can see their gift making someone else happy. I explained that God likes it when we give things to others and that we have a lot, while others don't have anything. It was so precious to see these kids picking out things they wanted, knowing they weren't actually going to be able to keep it. Aliya picked out Tinkerbell and Hannah Montana stuff and Matthew picked out balls and dinosaur stuff. I hope that this is only the beginning of their philanthropic side :)

I was woken up at 5am this morning by being sat on. Peter was away last night and Annie left at 4am to go to Texas for a conference, so I was the go to girl this morning. We talked about this for 2 days, so both kids would feel comfortable knowing mommy and daddy weren't going to be here, and they could come down to my room. Aliya jumped at the opportunity and climbed right on me bright and early. It took me a second to realize what was happening, then I just moved over, made space and we both went back to sleep. Again, I had a little face thisclose to mine and I got kicked a few times, but nothing to worry about.

I am headed to New York City this weekend to see it in all its Christmas glory! It has been something I have wanted to do for a long time. Tracy, Ben, my best friend Allison and my traveling companion Mike are all coming. I hope to get lots of pictures!

My Adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express!

When it seems the magic slipped away...

We find it all again on Christmas Day.

Believe in what your heart is saying,

Hear the melody that's playing,

There's no time to waste,

There so much to celebrate.

Believe in what you feel inside,

Give your dreams the wings to fly.

You have everything you need, if you just believe.

~Believe, Josh Groban

My nephew Drew... he used his imagination and had a great time!

Tanya, Ryan, Hannah and Drew

Tracy and Ben Trina and Rob
Tricia, Issac and Matt (Liam (1) is missing)

Hannah and I

The ConductorThe Assistant Conductor...he punched the kids names in their tickets!

We had cookies and hot cocoa, saw Santa and used our imaginations! I gave Santa the notes Matthew and Aliya wrote for him, (more on that later) and even sat on St. Nick's lap myself! Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Polar Express and A Gingerbread House!

I made hot cocoa, gave the kids a candy cane and let them watch Polar Express. The whole entire movie, not just 30 minutes either! We have talked about my train ride this weekend to the North Pole on the Polar Express, and I wanted them to see the movie. Aliya grinned saying, "Are you REALLY going? Will you take a picture of the elves for me?" Matthew piped in with "I REALLY want to go to the North Pole." I explained that because the North Pole (aka Portland, Maine, but they don't need to know that part) is so far away, I think their parents would like to go there with them. They proceeded to have a conversation about when the best time to go was. "Not summertime because Santa is on vacation then. I think Christmastime is the best. Yeah, Christmastime. We had better go soon!" This from Miss Aliya :-)

I found the recordable ornament I was looking for as a Christmas gift from the kids to their parents. The kids sang a song and signed off with their names...so precious! The ornament has a small frame in it as well, so Matt and I went to Walmart to pick up the picture today. While we were there, he spied with his little eye (we play this game often) a gingerbread kit! I got it and we made plans to build it after dinner. It was so funny to watch the dynamics of gingerbread house making. Aliya was doing it in full Aliya fashion, very creative, eating one candy for every one she put on the house, and licking her finger tips OFTEN! Matthew on the other hand, was all business. He got upset when she didn't follow the picture on the box. "Its not like that Aliyaaaa. Those go there!" I had to explain (while laughing) that it was their gingerbread house and they could do it anyway they wanted, it didn't have to match the one on the box. I also had to tell him that eating some of the candy and licking the icing was part of the fun too. I got his little grin (like the time at Friendly's when we got our food and ice cream at the same time!) and he ate a piece of candy!

On a side note, Aliya got some icing in her hair, the hair around her face to be exact. When she couldn't get it out herself, she opted to CUT it out. She came to me (after) and said "You know how when you have a bad knot in your hair and you can't get it out, you have to cut it out?" It was 7:15pm and I was holding Matthew, who was sleeping, so I just sat there kind of numb. I was trying to decide if I wanted to laugh or start worrying about what her mom was going to say when she got home (anytime now).

"Did you cut your hair?" Holding back a laugh and hoping she didn't, because I couldn't see it.

"I did but you can't tell and no one will notice and its alright!" Clearly trying to make light of the situation.

"Aliya, Tarsha could have helped you get it out, you didn't need to cut it. You are not in trouble but we have to tell Mommy when she gets home so we can decide what to do."

"Well Tarsha, I am the one that did it so its only fair I tell her OK? OK Tarsha?"

"Yes Aliya, you can explain it to her." And she did, the same way she did to me. Of course, her mom was planning on taking some Christmas pictures this weekend. Its not really that bad, but she does have half bangs now.

Dear God,

Thank you for blessing me with this job, these children and in this location. Thank you for my family, my friends, and the obstacles I face and learn from daily. Thank you for the opportunity to go to Guatemala and serve your people there. I feel very fortunate this holiday season when I think of all the people who have lost loved ones, a home, or a job this year. I am reminded of how blessed I am to have my health, my people, my job and a safe place I can call home. Please be with those individuals Lord, those families that are struggling as we celebrate Jesus' birth once again. Please grant them a sense of peace during this holiday season and may others give so they may receive. Help us to remember that He is the reason for the season and that giving is too. Be with me Lord, as I head to Guatemala and see some of the saddest sites I have ever seen. Prepare me and my heart for your purposes Lord. Please keep my family and friends safe, happy and remembering the reason for the season.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Breaking the Rules

"I can't tell anyone her name, its one of the rules. My teacher said. And I never break the rules. Brief pause... We'll sometimes, but not this time." (Aliya referring to her Advent Friend)

"I broke the rules once. At Friendly's."

"Matthew, you can't break rules at Friendly's. They don't have rules cause their FRIENDLY!"

Right back at her. "Well once when I went with Tarsha we got our lunch and our ice cream AT THE SAME TIME!"

This is the conversation I heard on the way home from school today. I would have to agree with Aliya and say I never break the rules either. Or maybe I'll agree with Matthew that it has only happened once. That one time at Friendly's of course! :)

It was nice to see the kids today. Matthew wanted me to help decorate the house (the entire house that is) for Christmas. We read some Christmas stories and I told him I was going to the North Pole this weekend on the Polar Express. "I'm gonna tell my mom I wanna go. I'll be right back. I'm gonna tell daddy right now." He heads down stairs and says "Dad, Tarsha is going to the North Pole on a train ride this weekend, can we go?" I didn't hear Dad's response, but Matt came up and said " I'll see if mom wants to go and then we can go to the North Pole." We went to the mall to shop for their parents. I want to buy them an ornament the kids can record a song on or say something cute into, that they'll have forever. We didn't find an ornament, but we did take my absolute favorite kind of pictures! I love these booths, and have since I saw Beaches with Bette Midler, back in the day. I have them with my sisters, friends, boyfriends, and even had one scheduled for that wedding I planned. Someday! And now, I also have one with my little prince!

I must have felt reminiscent today because I bought the Let's Go Fishin' game at KB Toys. I saw it and remember fighting, I mean playing it, with my sisters. Remember this Tricia and Trina?!

Aliya was also happy to see me when I picked her up from school. She ran and jumped right into my arms. We were right back at it after our 5 day hiatus. We've got Polar Express to watch this week and a gingerbread house to make sometime in the next few weeks!