Treasures in the Heart

Each Christmas Day, as I've told you, I light the advent candles at our dinner and leave them burning down the rest of the day. There's something so quiet and beautiful about this simple tradition of mine. As this winter day of inner warmth dims into darkness, the candles we've used to anticipate the day are allowed a long, steady death. I love to watch them glimmer in the dusk. It's so hard to blow out the last one, after evening has long come and the great day is done.

Philip left this morning, back to Chattanooga, and in some ways my Christmas is over now. I've so looked forward to having them all with us this year -- what a precious gift! I want to remember and treasure this time in my heart. More than ever I see how they are growing and leaving us, little by little, as they should. More than ever I remember when they were small. If I could just have them all small again for one little hour, for one hug, for one look at a sleepy baby head.

God guide them all. How can they ever know how precious they are to me?