a thousand blue fish

I'm feeling a little teary and my tummy is sore and my nose is leaking.  In 2 days we say goodbye to family and hello to a new life.  I am so excited for the new journey, but my family is so important to me! I am the eldest of 4 children, the almost oldest cousin and niece and in 2 days I say goodbye to them. It was the loveliest Christmas I have experienced in a very long time. It was free from worry and stress and the Grinch was not so grinchy.  The Christmas tree was the prettiest I remember it being.  There weren't as many presents, but there was so much love.  I missed my sister and her little family sooooo much!  We were thankful.  It was a sweet spot, a safe place and my tummy is getting more sore as I write this.  And I'm battling to see the screen as the tears pour down...and my nose is leaking... I am privileged and excited and I am nervous.  And the littlies are a bit unsettled.  Our God is most faithful, most loving, mo...

Ooh its Christmas so very soooon  and I can't wait... to go to Japan!!!!!  I love Christmas  normally, normally I have all these ideas in my somewhat jumbled-mama's head (only a mother will know what it means to have a jumbled head) about the kind of Christmas I want for my family.  And most years I don't get it right, and next year I know I will, but this Christmas all I can think about is... Japan.  And Christmas movies! We watched Polar Express recently, it was a treat for Alexander which went down favorably with me.  And I just loved that the message behind the movie was that the celebration was about the spirit of Christmas not Father Christmas, or the gifts, but friendship and loving one another.  Please don't get me wrong and wonder whether I remember to put Christ in Christmas, I do and I don't.  I so believe we should honor the birth of Christ, but 25 December is a bit off.  But I also believe that it a wonderful time for people to...