This year has had me thinking a lot about Christmas and what it truly means to celebrate it. Without getting too deep, earlier this year, in the middle of being so ill the first week of March in so many words, I thought that was it for me. Not that I had a chance to do too much thinking, but when the ambulance men are carrying you to the ambulance on a stretcher and everything is blurry around you, you start to imagine a different life, and the things you could do and see and be, to yourself and others. Sometimes it takes something big to happen for us to realise how lucky we are, and how much of a blessing every day is. I guess you could say that was the moment for me that changed my life, even if I hadn't realised. You might be wondering what that has to do with Christmas, but illness can give you an opportunity to look back and reflect, and think forward too.
When you are a child Christmas is such a wonderful and exciting time, but as you get older it seems to get less and less exciting and we lose the true meaning of it all and why Christmas even came to be. After coming to the conclusion over the past few months that really I didn't even think I would be here right now, and in the past eighteen years having been close to what could have been the end, I decided what better time to go back to where it all began, and the main things this time of year is all about. Jesus, family, and thankfulness. Because I have such a lot to be thankful for. If my whole life revolved around just those three things, I would be perfectly happy.
Isaiah 9:6-7
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince Of Peace.
From the start of December onwards I want to focus on these three things, and fix my eyes on what truly matters.
- The story and the birth of my saviour and the incredible gift given to us through his life and death.
- My family and how important it is to have them around, and not taking them for granted when there are so many people without loved ones at Christmas.
- Being thankful for everything I have because someone somewhere is without what I do, and because even though things aren't always perfect, I can find myself content with what I've been given.
So in the next few weeks, alongside my Christmas series featuring classic cakes and gifts to give to your friends and family I am a woman on a mission, to go back to basics and bring back the simple things that make Christmas so special, including things I have never really had a chance to do before, and those that just got lost in the process over the years. I encourage you to join me on my journey as I blog about these things and get back to what its really all about.
Emily X
