WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM: Be Still and Know That It's Christmas

     I've seen this deal on one of the networks called "The 25 Days of Christmas" and I thought I would join in with my own twist. Normally the Christmas season is a busy, busy, busy "run around here, gotta get to there" sorta time. But perhaps the powers that be (in this case, God- the only power that be) got our attention without the use of celestial visits from various sorts of angels this year. The thing that has thrown us for a loop is a mean old Grinch virus, the likes of which has caused us to shut down most of our traditions involving gatherings with other human beings. 

     But maybe that part is not totally disastrous. Maybe God is using the Corona Bologna to remind us of something we should be more cognizant of in the first place- something he inspired the author of Psalm 46:10 to share when He advised us to "Be still, and Know that I am God." In that vein, I now present to you my version of " The 25 Days of Christmas: Things We Can Appreciate More If We Will Simply Slow Down and Take Time to Recognize Them and Appreciate Them". Some I've borrowed from other sources, some I've made up on my own. Some apply to everyone and others apply to only a few, but each is a gift and a blessing if we but take the time to receive them. 

So, without further delay, here is the list of stuff we should appreciate, from 1 to 25: 

1. Getting up quickly to use the bathroom in the morning, and then hopping back under the bed covers to the same warm spot.

2. A quiet morning with a silenced cellphone. 

3. Sipping a warm cup of coffee or tea or whatever you drink to warm yourself in the morning. 

4. A brisk morning walk while you breathe in Christmas air. 

5. Listening to the breeze blow through the trees. 

6. A warm shower with a perfect blend of hot and cold water. 

7. Admiring the inside of your home right after you and your wife (mainly her) finish cleaning it up. 

8. When every traffic light you approach on a day is green. 

9. When your favorite Christmas song randomly plays on the radio- even if it's the Twelve Redneck Days of Christmas but especially if it's Do You Hear What I Hear, Joy to the World or Carol of the Bells (courtesy of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra). 

10. When a little kid you see in a store smiles at you and you smile back. 

11. Realizing that you’re in the fastest moving checkout line at the grocery store. 

12. A prolonged hug from someone you love. 

13. Hearing a child laugh uncontrollably. 

14. Laughing at old family photos. 

15. When an online video plays without showing an advertisement first. 

16. When the Christmas tree doesn’t fall over causing ornaments to break when they hit the floor. (Obviously this has happened to the Stroupes on more than one occasion so we used fishing line and tied it to a hook on the ceiling one year and then another year, we filled the stand with grout which also worked but ruined the stand permanently). 

17. A really good pair of socks. 

18. Savoring every page of a really good book. 

19. Having your grown up kids home for the holidays even if they leave clothes lying in the floor and eat all the snacks in the pantry.

20. The smell of a home-cooked meal. 

21. Looking up at the sky on a cool, clear night and seeing nothing but stars, most of which are twinkling. 

22. Knowing deep down you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. 

23. The crackling sound of a fireplace on a chilly winter night. (Gas logs are a close second) 

24. A bed that’s already warm when you get under the covers 

25. When your last thought as you fall asleep on Christmas Night is that God is still in control.