Christmas 2010

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

This weekend we went to see the Christmas show at our church, Twin Lakes Church. It was phenomenal! They did 10 productions of the show and from what I understnad, each one was packed out! (You should check out some clips of the show over the last couple of years on youtube...it is that good!) Anyhow, during the show, there was a rendition of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and while listening to the song, one line of the lyrics struck me. It's a part that you would probably recognize..."O tidings of comfort and joy...comfort and joy...O tidings of comfort and joy."

I was struck by the words because if there were ever a year that I needed to hear "tidings of comfort and joy," it was this year. but I hadn't made any particular connection between our pain from losing Hope and the comfort and joy (which we so desperately needed) given in the birth of Jesus. Clearly, we have looked to God as our comfort, but I hadn't really thought of Christmas as a specific reminder of that. (Yes, it seems obvious, but somehow that's how these things work. )

This reminder was particularly needed, as Christmas is also the time of year that Hope was due to be born. So we've been reminded often of the loss of her life and our pain surrouding her loss, since, had we not lost her, we would have been having a new baby this Christmas.

So, just what were the tidings of comfort and joy? According to the lyrics, the tidings were: "Remember, Christ, our Saviour was born on Christmas day, to save us all from Satan's power when were were gone astray."

I'm glad these words were brought to my attention and I've had some time to think them through. For years to come, when I hear this song, I'll be reminded of this Christmas, of grieving Hope's loss during the Christmas of 2010, and of the reminder of tidings of comfort and joy.

Merry Christmas!

God rest ye merry, gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember, Christ, our saviour

Was born on Christmas day

To save us all from Satan's power

While we were gone astray

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy

O tidings of comfort and joy.

Funny thing Olivia says...

Olivia is talking like crazy these days! She is saying so many funny things that I decided to start recording some of them just so I don't forget them. Here are some of our favorites...

• "Cutie pie" (referring to herself, of course!)
• "Come on" (while holding your hand and taking you where she wants you to go)
  
• "Oh my goodness!"
• "Oh boy."
• "One more time..." (with her index finger int he air)
  
• "I want more olives." (We're pretty sure this was her first four word sentence just a few days ago.)
• "Hey babe!" (This one came from a version of "She'll be coming 'round the mountain" from a Bert and Ernie record Olivia listens to at Miss Lorna's house. Yes, you read that right...they listen to records! Isn't that great!?)
• "Maybe so."
• "Happy Birthday-giving" (This was her version of "Happy Thanksgiving.")

Here are a few others I can't really put in a list format, but they're definitely worth recording:

1. We have good friends who live near us, the Bootz'. We drive by their house every day on the way to and from our house and often we talk about all of the people in their family. Olivia can say all their names...first and last: Amy Bootz, Josh Bootz, Eli Bootz, and Baby Brenden Bootz. Pretty cool.

2. About 3 weeks ago, Olivia was washing her hands and slipped and fell, causing her face to hit the faucet and giving her a pretty good cut just below her eye. It must have made quite the impression her as she is still talking about that boo-boo. It goes something like this: "Washing hands...boom!...waahh...boo-boo." It's truly story-telling at its finest.

3. Today we were driving to a get-together with some friends, and on the way, Juan and I were chatting away. Out of the blue, Olivia said, "Mommy, Daddy...no talking." What?!?

We love this little girl and she is surprising us every day with the things she does...and now even more, the things she says!

Just for fun...some photos from my phone