Slow Days

Pajama-clad, curled up with kids, computer, and too many words swirling in my head, I wrap myself in the comfort of these slow December days. There's snow and ice outside. My joints cry out at the thought of leaving this cozy, warm sanctuary.  So I stay, wrapped in the warmth of family. 

Days ago, my husband brought downstairs bins and boxes of Christmas decorations. Pulling out only a few items, I had him put them back in the closet. This year we'll keep it simple, concentrating on decorations precious and meaningful. 

Instead of things, we decorate our days with ritual, love, and time spent together. 

We share, again and again, the most sacred of stories - through Bible readings and children's books; through Christmas hymns and seasonal movies centered on the birth of our Savior and the love and joy that we share with others. We adorn our hearts with anticipation as we spiral in towards Christmas Day. 

Today it's candy and movies and snow-play for the kids and reading, reading, reading. It's comfort food and singing and sharing and dreaming. It's cuddles and silliness and just being together. It's all those things that often get overlooked on need-to-get-stuff-done days...while we overlook getting stuff done to accomplish these more important things. We're working on slow and peace and ease and togetherness here. We're making memories and building love. We're sweeping out the cobwebby places in our hearts to prepare them to receive the only Gift that really matters.

Slow days are just what my spirit needs.