Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

Archives for December 2013

is justice worth it?

 
 
A friend sent this video and I watched and cried. Listening to these words that echo the cry of my heart reminded me that I am not alone in this fight.
 
The fight for justice is long and hard and can feel defeating. But, it is worth it. It is worth every tear of thanksgiving and joy in the mountain-top moments and worth every tear of sorrow during the long walk through the valley.
 
I will never stop fighting. Never. No matter how many days are spent praying, emailing, writing, calling, pleading…No matter how weary I am from the fight. I will never stop fighting. Our daughter is WORTH it.  

Advent begins.

We had a wonderful family Thanksgiving and have enjoyed the long weekend together making memories. I have so many photos to share…someday, hopefully soon, I will have my computer back and I can finally get caught up on photos!

In the meantime, I thought I’d share a couple of new Christmas / Advent traditions that we will be trying out this year.

First, I’m excited to start a Jesse Tree tradition. I have seen so many versions of this tree and decided to go with this printable ornament and scripture reference version. {I just looked and it’s on sale right now for $1.25!!}

What is the Jesse Tree?

The Jesse tree represents Jesus’ family tree. The name is taken from Isaiah 11:1, in which Jesus is referred to as a shoot coming up from the stump of Jesse, the father of David. The ornaments on the Jesse tree tell of Jesus’ ancestors, and of the events leading to Jesus’ birth. {source}

OUT OF THE STUMP OF DAVID’S FAMILY WILL GROW A SHOOT — YES, A BRANCH BEARING FRUIT FROM THE OLD ROOT…
IN THAT DAY THE HEIR TO DAVID’S THRONE WILL BE A BANNER OF SALVATION TO ALL THE WORLD. THE NATIONS WILL RALLY TO HIM,
AND THE LAND WHERE HE LIVES WILL BE A GLORIOUS PLACE. {Isaiah 11:1,10}

I’m also reading Ann Voskamp’s “The Greatest Gift” – which is essentially a Jesse Tree Advent devotional. For the whole family Jesse Tree, we are using the Jesus Storybook Bible to tell the stories that correlate with each day’s ornament…a little more appropriate for two 3-year olds. 🙂

We are also going to put a spin on the Elf on the Shelf tradition. I love, love, love the alternative idea of “kindness elves“… read about it HERE on the Imagination Tree blog.

I just love this idea because the whole elf-is-watching thing is creepy and counter to the true celebration of Christmas – Love. Grace. Forgiveness. Hope.

This “kindness elf” will likely make his appearance in the morning… I just need to get myself in gear to come up with some ideas. Would love to hear any ideas from anyone else doing something similar!

I hope you all are having a peaceful, hope-filled first day of Advent. I’m off to make some apple cider and decorate our tree. I can hear the boys jumping on their beds upstairs instead of napping, so I think it’s time to bring down the lights and get started.

Blessings to you all!