Thursday's Thoughts: Child-like Excitement

Thursday's Thoughts: a taste of what I'm thinking

Snow day!!! There's a beautiful white blanket hugging the ground this morning.  The flakes are still blowing, but I'd say we have between 5 to 6 inches as I write this.  While I'm not quite as excited about snow days as I was growing up (which I for some reason told you about in September), it's still a snow day nonetheless.  I couldn't resist turning on the T.V. for a quick glance at the school closings, just for old times sake.  Seeing the list scroll across the screen just didn't make my heart beast as fast as it used to.  Perhaps the sheer and utter excitement will kick in sometime after that first cup of coffee?

The excitement over Christmas is much the same. The sense of awe, wonder and excitement that surrounds Christmas has diminished over time.  I no longer wake up at an insanely crazy hour of the morning and scamper up the stairs with my eyes popping out of their sockets.  I'm lucky if my eyes are half open and I will not wake you up begging to get started with the day.

Yet I have every reason to be just as excited.  The earth has been wrapped in white just in time for Christmas and we are about to celebrate the most perfect gift of all time.  My excitement over the child in the  manger should be just as sincere as the child-like sense of delight that surrounds snow days and Christmas.  The pure white blanket on the ground should resemble pure, innocent delight wrapping my heart.  Will I ever grasp the magnitude of the gift I've been given?  The fact that God chose to give this gift in the form of a child is perfect reminder of the excitement that surrounds and flows out of every kid.  May the deepening piles of snow also be a soft reminder of the deepening joy of the season.

Food for Thought: "Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind." -Mary Ellen Chase