You might be a military wife at Christmas if....

Today is the last day of the Christmas blog carnival at Wives of Faith!

I have really enjoy this week of blogging, reading the other posts and 'meeting and getting to know the other ladies'. I hope this is the start of me continuing to blog and getting out of my own little pity party!

You might be a military wife at Christmas if....

You spend many Christmases away from your hometown.

You have a poinsetta as a tree because you moved into your apartment 2 weeks before Christmas for your first PCS and the apartment complex gave you the plant as a gift.

You decorate a Christmas tree with a patriotic theme.

Your kids wants a pink camouflage stocking because it reminds them of their daddy.

You see more green than red because of all the uniforms you see.

You purchase Daddy's presents early so you can mail them to make sure he gets them in time for Christmas.

You cry at songs like "I'll be home for Christmas" or "Sending you a little Christmas".

You have a houseful of single soldiers and married soldiers over for dinner because they too can't go home for the holiday and you LOVE it!

You are praying the holidays hurry up and get here and over with because it marks the half way point of deployment!

You are secretly a little anxious of how you all will do without Daddy here for Christmas! :(


This has been so much fun and encouraging. I pray everyone will have a bless Merry Christmas especially to all our soldiers serving oversea and their families!

Merry Christmas!

Perspective

I am enjoying the Christmas Blog Carnival over at Wives of Faith

Day 4 of the carnival is titled Best non material Christmas gift ever. For me this gift would be perspective. I pray and hope I can put into words what I am thinking.
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Our first Christmas together at a new duty stationed thousands of miles away from my family, I learned not all people celebrate like me. I learned to see our life together is what we make of it. Whether we live in my hometown or miles away with the military.

An earlier Christmas, I was a collage student living at home and my mother had had a heart attack. As we were preparing dinner, my father received a call to come to the hospital as soon as possible. We dropped everything and rushed to my mother. I am so thankful she survived and actually lived 10 more years. But I learned it didn't matter to me if Christmas dinner was cooked or if you got presents.

This Christmas is our first Christmas with my hubby not here at home. I really don't know what it will look like or how the girls will be but I know we will be fine. I know in the long range outlook, this is just a tiny speck.

My perspective is ever changing and hopefully for the good.

Favorite Christmas Memory

I am participating in a blog carnival over at Wives of Faith

Today's topic is Favorite Christmas Memory.

I really have struggled with this one not because I had awful memories but I just can't remember a lot of details.
I remember one Christmas we (2 boys and 2 girls) all got bikes for Christmas. That was special because we really didn't have a lot of money growing up. I also remember any presents we got were never wrapped but in a neat little pile but we always new which pile was ours.

But there is one Christmas that stands out. I think I was about 8 or 10. My older sister and I both got a dress made by my grandmother. This was in the 70's and the dresses were long all the way to the ground with a ruffle on the bottom. I loved it and I felt so pretty in it. We were so excited. I remember we put our dresses on and ran down the street to show our friends. While we showed off our presents, we asked them what they got. I remember the look on their faces as they told us they only got a lip gloss from Avon. I felt so sad that day for them, I will never forget that!

Maybe not a typical favorite memory ones thinks about but one that stays with me even now. I pray I will never forget this memory and what I learned from it that Christmas day.

"It's a Wonderful Life"

Christmas movies, I love them. I could watch them all year long and sometimes I do.
But my all time favorite Christmas movie is 'It's a Wonderful Life'. It is actually my favorite movie of all time!

George Bailey! What a man!! I love his servant's heart and his sacrifices for others!

George wanted to go to school, travel to foreign lands and see different things but God had other plans. (now I know the movie really doesn't speak much about God) When his father passed away, in order for the family business (the Building and Loan) not being taken over by the town's scrooge (old man Potter), George had to stay in town and run the business. Something he did not want to do but did anyway! He had to give up his dreams...dreams of travel, school and a life far from Bedford Falls.


But what a life it is!

George doesn't even realize how wonderful his life is until one fateful Christmas Eve. Feeling hopeless and despondent, George contemplates suicide but his guardian angel Clarence intervenes. Clarence decides to give George a gift. A very rare gift! The gift to see what the world would be like if he did not exist.

I think this is an awesome gift, very valuable almost priceless. To be able to see how much you matter to those around you, how your life changes the course of everyone you touch, how valuable you are! I think most people would love to know how much they matter to those around them.

I love how in this movie, the good guy wins!!! I love how George sees how life is worth living, how blessed he is, how wonderful he has it.

I think this is an attitude we all need to be reminded of sometimes especially me, especially tonight.

Tonight is our last night together for a while. My hubby returns to his duty station overseas tomorrow.

Even though I know a rough good-bye is coming, we have a blessed life. We have a wonderful life. It is not perfect but it is wonderful nonetheless.

(click below)

 WOF Christmas Tour 2011