Huish Herd

The Arrival of the Shepherds, by Henri Lerolle

I totally ripped this lovely depiction of the nativity from the website, "Chocolate on my Cranium". She is the one who led me to the "Connections" site by Donna B. Nielsen, who is sharing her presentation from the 2006 Education week.

I think the reason this touched me so is because I just woke from one of my many mini naps to total silence. I couldn't even here the fridge running. The dogs were all snuggled up to me under the quilt, Chip on my tummy, all 8 lbs. of her. When I opened my eyes and was swept back to a wonderful, peaceful Christmas Eve quite a few years ago, by the tree with its lights.

By our third Christmas, we were living up in northern AZ. Jon had been disappointed that he didn't have a full 20 years in law enforcement/search & rescue. When we arrived up there, he discovered that the coverage was alarmingly thin for so many square miles, so off he went volunteering part time. Of course there were officers who had not been home on Christmas Eve for a very long time, so with my "blessing", he would cover for them and let them have that special time with their families.

Over the years I had mixed feelings, knowing that there was plenty of intoxicating celebrations and families trying to mend fences going on. I would go about business, praying for his safe return to our home. I had to keep going along with it, too many grateful officers and wives would thank me every year for my sacrifice. Jon would stand by looking like, "What's the big deal?" Such a sweet, clueless man :-0

Finally . . . . he had in the twenty years and and announced that he would be home for Christmas! He was completely puzzled at my excitement . . . . . ;-D We went through all of the usual traditions, didn't have to hurry so Daddy could leave, so pleasant. Got the assembling finished, together, and then leaned back against the couch, snuggling. Kind of under the Christmas tree . . . . just relaxing and watching the lights twinkling. That was when I fully realized what this special gift of giving should be. Our gift was to the many families he enabled to be together. His gift was wanting to reach out to his fellow man and teaching our children to give from the heart, not what money could buy.

A few years later, poor Jon over heard me telling someone how I used to cry my eyes out every year because I was lonely. Oops! I guess I still hadn't told him, my other gift, at least for a few years, a mind free of worries about home while he was out. He thought he had married a much nicer person than he had. Oh well, just one more bubble of his that got burst!

Funny little side note: The next year we had spent too much money on kids or whatever, didn't have much left for each other. I decided to give him 1/4 of the big old garage for his radio, reloading stuff & whatever else he wanted to putter with. I had to do it after he had gone to bed, so . . . . . . I spiked his punch that night with NyQuil so he would sleep soundly. It was a loooooong time before he found out about that one!! It worked so well . . . . I was able to build shelves on the walls and everything! the kids and I did have a time getting him to wake up the next morning he does think however . . . . oops, again?!? He tried to look stern when I did tell him but then admitted that his mom had a bottle in their medicine cabinet labeled: For Christmas Eve Jitters" It was Benadryl. Ah for the good old days!

I'm fully awake now, time to go and destroy all the peace and quiet in my kitchen so there will be cookie dough ready when the boy monkeys come over later!!