12.25.13 - A Different Kind of Christmas

The day has come and gone, and we've had a very nice Christmas day.  It was different this year, for sure.  It was just the six of us today, for the first time ever, and it made the entire day seem a little strange.  Nobody surprised us with a knock on the door this year and as much as we all tried to guard our hearts and feelings from the wishing and hoping someone from home would miraculously show up, I could tell all day that everyone was looking for any clue that some big surprise might be in store.

Not this year though, and that's ok.  It just made this Christmas something new and different.  Today,

we all experienced how blessed we are to live in a culture and age where despite thousands of miles of space between us, our family could leverage iPhones and webcams to share family time opening presents and just visiting.  Blessed to have little nephews who get excited at the sound of an excited aunt's voice and face when they see her on the TV screen and hear her voice through the speakers. Blessed that the same aunt can see and hear that excitement in their faces and voices.  Blessed that cousins and friends can compare Christmas gifts and even play new video games with each other from thousands of miles away.  Blessed that we have these resources that can help keep us close despite the physical distance between us.

So, instead of spending my day buried in sadness that we were away from our extended family this holiday season, I spent it thankful that we've been given the ability to stay connected and continue to grow in our relationships as a family, stretched far and wide.