Happy Birthday Holidays....It IS A Good Life!!!

Yesterday was a....bitter/sweet....day!
It was our family Brittney’s 19th birthday.
Britt and Ashley arrived at our house along with.....18 mo. old Joshua smiling from ear to ear with a soft fuzzy athletic sweatshirt on.
Ashley has just celebrated her 21st birthday and is in her 3rd year of college.
Both young ladies are dazzling in their looks and apparel.
Brittney, being a natural blonde with creamy ivory skin and dark haired Ashley whose perfect beauty makes you hold your breath when you look at her...both are EXTRAordinary. The Miracle of their looks is that the inside of each is more beautiful than the outside of their appearance.
These young ladies know.....L O V E.
They love their families.......and GOD!
Since we have the custom of lighting The Advent of Christ candles in our home, we also did this yesterday with the girls and 3rd yr. college student Matthew and Lynn..

Let me briefly explain the meaning of this ritual if you are not familiar
with it...
ADVENT means COMING...the Coming of Christ.
This was foretold.... prophesied....in the Old Testament and in the New Testament you will find reference to His coming....again.
It is an old custom and is started....four Sundays before Christmas....
A Family table is set with a wreath of greens or round candleholder that holds 4 candles with an additional larger white candle placed in the center of the wreath.
One candle is lighted the first Sunday (the Prophecy Candle) by the youngest child and left burning during the meal. That candle is relit the next Sunday plus an additional candle (the Bethlehem Candle) lighted by the oldest child. This is done each Sunday in Advent for the Shepherds and Angles Candle. Appropriate devotional is read and a simple family prayer is given. Then on Christmas Day....before anything is done.....the Center white Candle is lighted, others extinguished, to represent the coming of Christ, the Light of the World.
Each member gives a family prayer and then we sing....Joy To The World together.....
It is after this that our Christmas day begins.....For Jesus IS the Reason for the Season....and yes, we do bake him a Birthday Cake too....

Back to yesterday.....Brittney relit the Prophecy Candle and expressed her love and prayers. She had us all crying with her obvious caring and communicating that love to all of us....and God. Next Ashley relit the Bethlehem Candle and briefly stated her love and blessings for the New Year. Then Matthew lit the Shepherds Candle....and said nothing.
With all these crying females...what could he say?
His tender hugs said it all....
We broke out in song....Joy To The World....and Joshua was clapping his hands as he does at all “Birthday Parties”.

Later as we were talking, Ashley and Brittney were ‘lamenting’ the 'loves of their lives' that they thought ...did not value.....their love
There is a Scripture that speaks of this when St. Paul was speaking to the Church of Corinth and said,
2 Corn. 6:12&13 LB........”Any coldness between us is not because any lack of Love on my part......BUT BECAUSE YOUR LOVE IS TOO SMALL TO TAKE MY L OVE IN....Open your hearts! Return our Love!”

Bitter/sweet Love.....we all experience it to some degree at any given time in our lives.
This is the Season of Love.....and Forgiveness.
Feel Free.....to do both.....freely.
In HIS Love.
Amen