Christmas

I found out 2 days before Christmas that even though I ordered it at the beginning of November, the big gift Joshua wanted this year was back-ordered until February! I was in angst about it. Would he understand? He has been trying so hard to be good, to prove that he is responsible enough for this gift. What would this tell him? I talked to him on Christmas Eve and explained that ultimately we are not good so we can get something. We are good because we love Jesus and that's what He wants. Nevertheless, he went to bed bouncing around the bed, excited about the possibility of what he would find under the tree...

The next morning I saw an interesting evolvement of expression from "Oh. I didn't get it," to "It's alright." A little while later he sat in my lap with a sweet smile on his face and said "I see I didn't get what I wanted but it's ok." And he gave me a big hug.

Daddy to the rescue! Greg sat down with Josh and explained to him that he had proved lately to be responsible for his gift and that he was very proud of him. He further explained that he was getting his gift - it would just be a little late - and then he brought out the backup -- a super cool remote control 4x4 truck. Joshua could not have been a happier kid!! Whew. I'm actually glad it worked out the way it did, otherwise I would have missed out on a treasure: the opportunity to teach a Truth for life, my son's acceptance of it, and the blessing that followed.

 

From Grandpa and Gram Josh got an actual working model engine! He and Daddy had a blast working on this all the rest of the morning.

 

The finished product:

 

We topped off a really wonderful Christmastime by spending the weekend at Greg's parents. We always have so much fun with everyone there. It's a very warm and homey place to be.

 

See?