reading, organizing, shopping, momming too close to the sun. Home is wherever the Army sends us.
Merry Christmas from the Howell family!
I am so grateful for each and every one of you.. I mean that with all of my heart.
Merry Christmas.
xo
p.s. i want to say thank you to the amazing geraly sy for designing our card. she’s fabulous.
there is some good. some good news.
our friend richard has been freed in syria.
i’ve been so worried for him. you see,he’s genuine.
when i think of him, i think of his eagerness. his earnestness. and he has a bit of what i’ve always seen as vulnerability.
that’s not a bad thing. he’s a good guy.
one of the good guys. and wouldn’t you agree that our world needs the good guys right now?
and speaking of the good guys, i’m tossing around some ideas with friends.
ideas of how the crafting world can help the good people of newtown.
please check back y’all.
and…welcome home richard. we need you around.you make the world a better place.
xoxo
there is so much i could say and so much i don’t know how to say.
what happened to those precious babies in connecticut makes me sob.
it makes me want to scream until i have no voice left.
it makes me want to whisper this is bullshit.over and over and over and over and over. WHY?
it makes me wonder if there is any good left in this world (even though i know there is).
it makes me get down on my knees and pray until there is no prayer left in me.
i was the first one in harper’s carpool line yesterday. i held sadie in my lap all the way through the line as tears dripped down my face. i wanted my girls with me and i wanted them home.
part of me feels that i will never let them leave this home again (even though i know that’s not reasonable).
schools
movie theaters
malls.
it’s everywhere. hatred. voilence. fear.
those parents. those students. those teachers and administrators. the citizens of that sweet little town. right before christmas? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD?
i can’t take it. it is agonizing. and wrong. and evil.
but i believe that there is light. that there is good. this prayer from max lucado says it better than i ever could.
i wanted to share it with all of you.
sending you love,comfort,light,hugs,and hope.
s
Dear Jesus,
It’s a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I
have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.
The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear
threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push
away from annihilation?
Your world seems a bit darker this
Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The
shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your
first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph
needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod’s jealousy. Dark
with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.
Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom
into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.
Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won’t you enter
ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a
star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.
This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.
Hopefully,
Your Children
okay. this one’s actually not wordless(ish) at all. even by my standards. but here goes.
this image might seem simple. nothing extraordinary. the girls climbing on j while he plays a game with harper.
but to me? it is extraordinary. and it brings tears to my eyes.
because (for six months now) we have been together. every day, every night. we wake up together, fall asleep together.
pray together,eat together,laugh together,
get sick of each other TOGETHER.
it’s a luxury. one that i’m not getting used to (because that’s dangerous and is bound to lead to heartbreak)
but one that i’m savoring. the way i savor a delicous piece of chocolate. holding on to the sweetness for as long as possible.
i am NOT taking it for granted. this year, these memories, will get me through many lonely days and nights down the line.
i will hold on to his smile when he walks in the door each day (at a NORMAL hour…early even!)
i will hold on to the shrieks of “DADDYYYYYYY!” that i get to hear every day.
i will even hold on to the dirty clothes allll over the floor,dang it.
because it’s worth it.
and it’s a gift. i think of all of the beautiful,strong women and mothers i know who lost their brave husbands.
i think of their children. and how for them there is no more together. not until eternity when they will be with their soldier again.
how can i possibly not realize what a treasure this is?
it’s so sweet.
this year we are together.
thank you Lord. how could i ask for more?
xoxo
I love living in New England this time of year.
It’s just magical. Don’t get me wrong…Christmas was magical when I lived in the South,too.
But there’s just something about Rhode Island in December.
Autumn flew by in a windy,leaf-filled gust. I didn’t get to do half of what I wanted to do.
It’s a shame we only have one year here. I love it so and there’s so much more I want to experience.
I feel like I’m trying to cram everything in and I’m missing so much!
Because of that I’m determined to really experience the holiday season here.
This is what Newport looks like in December:
a pretty little (and old) town by the sea…covered in twinkle lights. It’s lovely to witness.
There are wonderful traditions here. Last week Santa came down our street on a float pulled by the Fire Department.
Down at the Yachting Center they make an ice skating rink for the season:
And we attended the Newport Christmas Tree Lighting there last night:
Afterwards we wandered down the street to look at lights and get some coffee/hot chocolate.
We saw a bar bouncer Santa on the sidewalk and thought he was HILARIOUS.
He was clearly wearing the worst costume ever, with the fakest beard ever known to man.
I told him “you sit on a throne of LIES” and he laughed himself into a coughing fit and told me “AWESOME reference”.
side note: i am NOT wearing white hammer pants here. those are baby blankets.bahaha!
And then we climbed in the car and went to look at the Christmas house…it’s famous for having a CRAZY amount of lights.
And MAN…though this time in our lives is full of diaper changes,
double fit throwing,
getting frustrated because it takes us SO LONG to leave the house (no matter how early we start),
so much dirty laundry,
a million papers to sign,lunches to make,messes to mop…
it’s also full of so much magic.
trying hard to embrace more of the magic and less of the MESS.
xoxo