Merry Christmas!

This Christmas is far from the usual.

Dave's brother and family couldn't make the trip like they do every year to all be together for Christmas.  Sydney can't be that far away from home and probably isn't feeling up to it much anyway. 

We were hoping to make it there before she goes in for her bone marrow transplant (2 perfect matches were found by the way!) on Janary 6.   But wouldn't ya know, after someone being constantly sick for 6 weeks straight, we got a week break and then it's all started again.  So coughs, runny noses, fevers and more yucky viral stuff is keeping us home. 

And it's also keeping my parents from coming to our house.  No one wants to be around the sickies.

It's all a little discouraging.  But we're trying to find the joy in it.  

While our day with Dave's family was shortened quite a bit to avoid being around each other for too long, we did still get to celebrate with them, which almost didn't happen at all.  We still started our morning out at Drubers, even if it was just us and not our usual 3 table crowd.   This afternoon we put Gavin down for nap, and then Dave and I, and the big kids snuck away for the 2pm Christmas Eve service at our church that we've never made it to before because we usually go to Dave's parents' church service.  The 2pm service was small.  It was quiet and peaceful.  The exact intimacy I was looking for in the midst of all the other stuff going on. 

It was such a wonderful time to stop and refocus my heart and worship.

Tomorrow we'll find the blessings in our very first Christmas Day just the 5 of us. We'll do Christmas with my parents as soon as we are all better.  At this rate, that may be April. 

While this Christmas looks a lot different to us than any other in the past, the celebration itself doesn't change. 

Love came down at Christmas.  To a stable, one of the lowliest places on earth.  To the darkness and emptiness of this world.  To let it be known that He is with us.  Immanuel.  God with us.  He is with us in our trials, in our days, in our nights, in our darkness, in our triumphs. He is not a God who governs from afar.  He is with us.  He came down to restore our brokeness, and the hopelessness...and bring us back to Him.  To offer us a gift that would secure our place in heaven for eternity.  While, yes Christmas is about The Baby...I pray that you can see past the baby...to the cross.  That rugged cross that was your cross too.  That's why He he came down. 

To dwell among us and prove to us the depths of his love.

Merry Christmas to you!

Love,  the Balzers