"Mom, can we keep playing..." BARF

Sunday was a normal night at our house. Tannie went to bed and Paul, Henry and I went downstairs to play Mario on the Wii. We are actually quite good and competitive. It has been our part of our nightly routine for at least a year and we love it.

As normal, when we tell Henry it is time to go to bed he argues with us and usually we give in and play at least one more level. Then we tell him it is time to go to bed again and he argues, which ends in an argument to his bed. And for some reason we still do this every night.

Just as we were about to have our final argument on Sunday Henry said "mom, can we keep playing.." and then it happened. He barfed everywhere. On me, on the couch, on the chair he was sitting on, on the floor, on his toy trains. He barfed and then just stood there in shock.

We have never had "barfy" children. In fact, Henry has never just thrown up since he was a baby. So this was new to all of us. His sickness continued through the night and into the next day and my body decided to join him around 10pm. Luckily we only were sick for about 15 hours and today both seem to be doing fine.

In the midst of all the barf, crying and grossness I started thinking about Christmas and how happy I was that this was hitting us right now and not in a few days.

Then I realized how incredibly lucky we are. How incredibly lucky we are that barf is our biggest worry this holiday season.

At Grace, Nanette has been doing a sermon series on the wonder of Christmas. And how to find the wonder among all the pain and sorrow in the world.

Here is what I have realized. The wonder is there. It is there. It is there even in the darkest night, it is there even in the deepest of hurts and sorrows and it is there even when we feel as though we can't get out of bed and keep going.

God saw our broken world and came to us in the form of a baby. A sweet baby boy that would change our world- that would save us all. This baby took away the darkness, fought for those that were oppressed, offered hope and light to all those suffering and simply loved all of God's people.

There is magic and wonder in Christmas. Even when we feel as though it is impossible to find. Is is there. Even if you don't believe in God, even if you don't believe in the story. the beauty and the wonder of a season of giving and loving others is there. And even if you don't believe, that is God. That is God coming to our world to show us that even when things seem impossible they are possible.

At one point on Sunday night I told Henry how brave he was. He looked at me with the saddest eyes and said "no, mom. no I am not". My heart broke. But later the next day he looked at me and said "wow mom, I was brave. I feel so much better"

The wonder in him. The wonder in all of God's children is what Christmas is about. Find your wonder this Christmas. Find a way to spread the light and love of God to those that need it the most and find a way to simply be present with those you love.

Merry Christmas to you all.