The Most Wonderfull (Awful) Time of the Year

Finally sent all my packages off with the husband to ship, and I'm taking a few minutes for a quick vent session blog post. Because I cannot afford therapy.

Up until this week, I really was enJOYing the season. However, this week was a blur. Did I shower? Not sure, and I certainly didn't sleep or eat much. I had originally planned to ship my gifts off on Wednesday. Problem was, I hadn't bought all the gifts that I needed to send at that point.

Thursday rolls around, and I buy what I need and plan to wrap it ALL that night. But it's pretty hard to wrap gifts with NO tape. I have no tape because I have scissor-stealing minions, who don't bother to TELL me when they use THE LAST OF THE TAPE!!!

Friday, I get ready to take the kids to school. My son is still wearing pajama pants at 8:00 in the morning. Why isn't he dressed for school? Because his jeans were in the washing machine, despite the fact that I had asked him if his pants were put in the dryer at like 7:00. My almost 11-year-old daughter, who is usually very resourceful and will put the clothes in the dryer if she needs pants, is wearing the DIRTY pants she had on the day before. Seriously? What did I do to deserve this?

So after loosing all my Christmas joy, yelling at my kids, making them both cry, and dropping them off at school an hour late (yes, I felt like the worst mom in the whole entire world), I go to Walgreens to buy tape....and a few more gifts. Get home and sit down to start wrapping and my alarm goes off. It's time to get the children from school. Yes. I have an alarm for that.

I spent the afternoon and late into the evening wrapping gifts and packing (cramming) them into the Priority Mail boxes I had previously picked up from the post office. (I felt really good about that proactive move too.) Went to bed when I just couldn't hold my head up any longer. But. I only had 3 of 7 boxes ready to go.

Saturday, this morning, I spent another 5 hours getting gifts - the thoughtful ones that I started working on a month ago but never finished - ready to go in the mail. I begged my husband to take the packages to the Post Office for me, because I still have brushed my teeth and am in my pajamas. He agreed. Hallelujah! The packages are all ready and the Christmas joy is starting to return, even though my living room looks like this:

But then. He starts YELLING AT ME! Actually, he may have just been talking, and it might have been me who started yelling. But he was saying the boxes needed to be put in bags so he could carry them, and that he won't make it to the PO in time, because I WAITED TO THE LAST MINUTE.

I'm sorry. WHAT?! Ummm...DO NOT EVEN! I think I have been baking and making gifts, and decorating, and shopping online and in ACTUAL STORES, and recording every purchase on a SPREADSHEET so I don't go over budget, for the past 3 WEEKS. I picked out all the gifts. I wrapped all the gifts. Including HIS own sister's presents. I have not gone to bed before midnight all week long. Wait. I lied a bit. He bought 2 of the gifts. Online. And it was MY gift idea for our children. Easy.

But before you think I am calling my husband lazy or something, let me say he is wonderful and helpful. He went grocery shopping after working a long day last night and didn't get home until 8:00 pm. He did the dishes when I asked him to this morning, since we had no clean ones. He made me breakfast and coffee - without me asking. He is Sweet and Helpful. He will be making Christmas dinner. Love him for those things and so much more.

However, when it comes to Christmas presents, it's all on me. Every year. I wrap every gift by myself and usually late into the night. I go to the stores and stand in the lines at the PO to ship several boxes, which no one put into bags so that I could carry them easily. So, when my husband dared to say one package might not make it, because I could not fit it into a bag, I kind of lost it. I YELLED, "It better make it!!!" loud enough for all the neighbors to hear and slammed the door. Then mumbled a few curse words under my breath. Hey, I never said I was perfect.

Shipping packages is the most awful part of this wonderful time of the year for me. I love to give. I really, really do. I enjoy making or picking out gifts for my family and friends. I even enjoy wrapping them up into pretty presents. BUT. The whole gifting thing isn't really what Christmas is about, and when it takes up so much of our attention and time and stresses us out, it makes me wonder, is it all really worth it? Right now I just want to get back to focusing on baby Jesus. Back to singing "Holy Night" and "Come Let Us Adore Him" in a darkened sanctuary, illuminated with candles, where I can sense Jesus. For me, Christmas is feeling the presence of God, alive, among us, and the whole shipping presents thing typically steals any such feeling from me. Glad it's done. Hopefully. Not sure, since my husband hasn't come back yet. Maybe he is returning my presents.

Wishing you and your family Christmas Joy and Presence.

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas,

Ashley

Jesus was NOT a Republican

He wasn't. And he wasn't a democrat either. How do I know this? Because Jesus wasn't an American. Why am I pointing out this VERY obvious fact? Because it seems that Christians often forget that Jesus was apolitical. In fact, he didn't care who was running the government. He didn't concern himself with borders or tax laws or who had the majority in Congress. He didn't care who was in charge of the country, because He was too busy campaigning for the One who created the world. He wasn't too concerned with who sat on the throne or in the oval office.

Truth: Political affiliation does not guarantee or deny entrance into heaven.

This is a time in America when our political parties have become increasingly polarized and prejudiced. The attitude of our political system is like that of a spoiled teenager: embarrassing and childish. I even find myself increasingly embarrassed by Christians. Yes. Christians - those who add to the tension and division by trying to link and legitimize their politics with their religion. Christians who assume that anyone who sits on the left can't possibly be a true Christian. I CANNOT stand hearing "the radical Evangelicals on the far right." I guess I would be considered an evangelical Christian; I mean really, all Christians should be evangelical, right? Based on Mark 16:15, which quotes Jesus as saying, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." However, maybe you are not evangelical if your Bible has the "short ending" of Mark? I don't know the historical facts on why some manuscripts of the Bible include the short version and some include the longer ending. . . But I digress. My point is that Christian does not equal Republican nor does it equal crazy, radical extremist. I am a Bible thumping Christian, but politically, I am not radical, nor do I sit on the far right of many issues. And, Democrat does not equal demon. All democratic policies are not evil nor are the people who hold them.

Jesus did not sit on the right or the left. He hung in the middle.

But, for a moment, let's pretend that Jesus was American, and he was headed down to the local school or Veteran's Lodge to vote. How would HE vote on certain issues? WWJD? Let's not guess at this. Let's not assume that what we (politically) believe is what Christ actually taught. Let's use scriptural evidence to draw our conclusions by looking at he top political issues right now. 

Immigration. God addresses the plight of immigrants in the Bible as early as Exodus 22:21 "You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt."

In response to the question, "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" (Matthew 22:36), "Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." (Matthew 37-40)

Love your neighbor as yourself. 

But where should we draw the neighborly line? 

As a child, I often wondered why I am ME. I mean why was I born in Jacksonville, FL to Bob and Diane Boyer and not to people in a different country? Am I the only one who has crazy thoughts like this?

I headed into the world in a military hospital as an American citizen - a white child in a Christian, middle class family, who never had a need that wasn't met. I had a father and a mother. I never went hungry. When I was sick, my mother took me to the doctor. I had more than enough dolls to play with, a swimming pool, and a big backyard. I received a decent, public education. I was given a scholarship to a private university. But why? Why me? Was I more deserving of a privileged American life than any other child?

Why wasn't I born a beautiful Ethiopian with HIV?

Photo credit: DAI

Or to a migrant worker, struggling to carry me along with all her possessions? 

Photo via Express.co.uk

Or as this daughter, who was shot for her determination to get an education?

Who is my neighbor? Where exactly do you draw the border on caring for another human being? Why is it so easy for Christian Republicans to support missionaries, organize fundraisers to send their kids to Haiti, or donate funds to Help the Children; yet so hard for them to accept immigration policies to help the children of immigrants in our country. Why do we have an US / THEM mentality? Did Christ not heal the Gentile as well as the Jew? "Jesus asked, 'Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?'. . ."Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!'" (Matthew 12:48-50).

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not suggesting that we open our borders for all to enter. We DO need to be selective of who it is we welcome into our country. Immigrants should be coming to the USA for the right reasons and through the correct channels. They should abide by our laws and pay taxes. However, the channels should be welcoming, kind, and NOT corrupt. And the spoiled citizens of America should not want to shut out our neighbors because they might take "our" jobs. Because THEY are our brothers and sisters and neighbors. They are fellow HUMANS, and Christ died for them too.

To Be Continued. . .

P.S. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, not an elephant. Just stating facts.

Love,

Ashley in the Middle

Joshua 1:7 "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do." Come join me in the middle. Let's do the work and spread the word of Christ. Leave the corrupt political parties to themselves and think with the mind of Christ, not the mind of a Democrat or a Republican or a Tea Partier. Do your own research on the issues that you care about; don't blindly follow and share the view of political or even Christian organizations.