To Be Full [Christmas Eve]

Sometimes you're having such a fantastic time with friends that you don't take a single photo to commemorate the occasion. Sometimes life is so wonderfully busy that you ignore every signal your body is sending telling you to slow down. 

The past two days of my life have been full -  full of glorious time spent with family and friends ... baking, playing games, eating, worshiping, singing, having great conversations, and watching Christmas movies. A Christmas Pageant, Interpretive Movement Ministry, Church Choir, and more filled up our Fourth Sunday of Advent worship and cleaning and baking filled the rest of the day.

Christmas Eve welcomed friends to our house for brunch and exchanging of Christmas Angel and other gifts. A quick afternoon nap snuck itself into my day before we headed to Christmas Eve worship. 

By the time worship was done, my body was as well. Arriving home, I stumbled to my bed that my husband had lovingly prepared for me. Heat on my back, ice on my head and neck, I slipped in and out of a pained sleep while attempting to watch a video. Full from  a delicious dinner in bed, I sank back into my pillows to watch more Christmas movies. 

The past two days of my life have been full - of wonder and love and making memories and goodness ... and of agony. I pushed myself too far. I did too much. My love for doing all the Christmas things overrode my mindfulness in balancing activity and self care. There were more important things than the pain. 

Thank God tomorrow, Christmas Day, will be a day of relative rest. We will have a nice, easy breakfast, open gifts, and head to my parents' house midday to eat lasagna and have a laid back family Christmas. I may be in pain, but nothing can get in the way of this holy celebration of God's greatest gift.

From Heaven's height to manger low
There is no distance the Prince of Peace won't go
From manger low to Calvary's hill
When your pain runs deep, His love runs deeper still
He has always loved you, child
And He always will  

(Somewhere In Your Silent Night, Casting Crowns) 

Our ADVENTures are over ... now to see what the Christmas season brings...