Merry Christmas 2009

I am overwhelmed this Christmas. As I sit and look at the pictures taken over the last few days, I am so blessed. I know so many of the stories that have happened in the lives of my family and friends. What a FAITHFUL God. He gave His son for all these people that have touched my life in such a special way this year. In no way did the Robinsons go without this year, not at all. But there was a whole lot of time and energy put into loving others and trying to show His love to ones that might not see Him in any other way. This is a picture of James, I talked about him in a recent post. Next is Roy, currently in rehab and trying to find his way off living on the streets after 28 years.

We had a Christmas party for the homeless a few days ago. These people have kept me going this last year, given me such hope and encouragement! What a blessing to simply focus on them and being a blessing to them. I look at the pictures and I think about their stories...I'm sure I don't know it all, but what I do know is enough to never run out of reasons to be thankful. Today we shared Christmas with Paul and Gayle, the ones responsible for getting the homeless program started. God really brought our lives together this year, we needed each other. Today was Gayle's first Christmas without her precious mother. I felt it like it was yesterday. The Robinson's always have adopted children. You just never know who will be in our pictures! God just always provides them for us to love on and for them to love on us!

What joy to be able to share this Christmas with such special ones and watch God at work in their lives. And then to see my own family. I KNOW the stories of this year in each precious life. I have just been sitting and studying the pictures, thanking God for each story that has unfolded before our eyes. When I put my head on my pillow tonight I will have a full heart and maybe be thanking Him for the best Christmas ever!

Wealth

Last Friday I went to see Blind Side for the second time. I'm not a good movie watcher, my family has decided. Sitting still for that long is a bit difficult for me, unless I have a book in my hand. Paying $10 for a ticket is enough to bring my life to an end. I cannot STAND to pay that kind of money and have to sit still for two hours. But yes, I have done it twice now, and I would probably do it a third time if asked. Amazing movie. On Saturday morning Cary and I were talking about how wealthy we are. Really. We've seen enough of this world to know how true it is. Our needs have always been met and often we have enough to share with others. Yesterday was a particularly difficult for me. I learned back when I was teaching that there are two kinds of exhaustion. Physical and mental. The physical comes when you teach elementary, the mental when you teach high school. I would give anything for physical instead of mental. Yesterday was more mental and emotional than I've had in a long time, my head was just fried! My first thought was to hide in the closet and try to recover...you may remember that is what my sister and I prefer to do when recovery is necessary! But, it was our night to feed the homeless and I knew that seeing my friends there would bring the perfect healing. I arrived and greeted everyone as I walked by and as soon as I entered the building I was told there was a birthday present for me! I could not imagine who even knew I had a birthday or would have gotten a present for me. Last time I was there, James, a very special friend, had told me it was his birthday that day and I had told him mine was in a few days. James had bought a card, written in it, and enclosed a Hershey Bar and Reese's. I haven't felt so humbled since my first visit to Guatemala. There's just something to be said for sacrifice and the genuine love that it shows. I've never felt so loved. When James came in I embraced him and told him how much his gift meant to me, he was so glad I liked it. I don't eat candy bars normally, but I am going to sit down and ENJOY each bite of these. I think it isn't about the dollar amount on the item, but that it touches the heart of the one receiving it. James is one of our favorites. Several weeks ago he was beat up and taken to the hospital just as we arrived to serve. I found out the next day that he had been admitted into the hospital and we were planning to go and visit him that evening. Before we could get to the hospital, we got word that James had escaped and they were looking for him. I knew he was probably scared because he was not in his usual environment, and probably worried about where the money would come for the hospital bill. Several hours later he was found sleeping on a bench in front of the Salvation and Army. The medical department there kept a close eye one him for a few days until they were sure he was ok. I told him that I was coming to visit him in the hospital and he just couldn't believe I had planned to come. James is also the same one that left me in tears as I read his request written on the Christmas list. He had written that Christmas was about Jesus being born and giving the greatest gift and to please take whatever was to be given to him and find a child in need instead. Wealth. Pass on what you have...we are all wealthy.