“Behold, the Virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means, ‘God with us.’”-Matthew 1:23

I was five years old when I was asked to play the role of Mary in our small, rural church’s Sunday school Christmas program. The stinky church basement room with the upright piano and the cold, waxed linoleum floor was where I rehearsed the little song I would sing. We spent all day Saturday going over our memorized lines and practicing the many songs. There was an excitement in the air as moms scurried about to keep kids in line and performing perfectly. My Mary costume was a white tunic with a piece a twine tied at my waist, and a blue veil for my head; the veil was my favorite. As I stood in front of the full church, singing a sweet song, it’s as if God was smiling down on me. I felt great peace and thought God must love me to allow me to play Mary. It was the first time I sensed God nearness—Immanuel, God with us.

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:7a

There’s nothing like the beauty of a frosty winter morning. Everything is frozen and still, resting, waiting—waiting for the warmth, waiting for the sun. The frozen vegetation is beautiful and captivating; it’s not striving. It’s simply still.

I’ve never been good at resting. I have ran full-speed ahead since my college days. It’s where I first learned to juggle classes, activities, work in the residents hall and a part-time job. After marriage, I transitioned to the busyness of raising five kids and building healthy churches with my husband. I’ve been in non-stop motion for most of my life. Let’s not get started on the busyness of the Christmas season. I placed unrealistic demands on myself with the shopping, cooking and decorating. The past few years I’ve realized it’s not a healthy way to exist.

“Behold children are a gift of the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 127:3

We marked a major milestone with our five kids as our youngest daughter, Keziah, celebrated her eighteenth birthday last month. Bob and I are shocked our offspring are all adults, as their age range is 18 to 29. We enjoyed a quiet evening at home, just the two of us, as we talked about this phase of parenthood.

When life was full with busy, small children, we looked forward to when they were all grown. Since Bob and I are quite tall, we imagined they would be too. We were correct with our prediction. We ranged from 5’11” to 6’6” and it’s the one notable characteristic of our family .

Last night my hubby says, “I just wish they were all little and I could tuck them into the Suburban.” It’s a funny thought because lest you think our times in the Suburban were peaceful, happy times— they were anything but. Our kids were notoriously, horrible travelers. We were rarely more than an one to two hours car ride from family, but you would have thought it took days to travel . Dramatic plea’s from the backseats and much lamenting were part of each trip. We always had to stop for restroom breaks and let’s not forget the trip home from Mall of America when we all puked. Now we’re living in three different states and five separate cities, where the car trips are extra long.