All the Christmas Miracles

Last weekend we went to Gardner Village to let the girls pick an ornament from the Christmas shop and look around at all the fun decorations. There will be a picture heavy post later detailing our adventures there, but that is not this post.

While there, I talked for a few minutes to a woman with 7 children who told me that her little four year old girl somehow got the idea that Christmas lights are called Christmas miracles, so every night as the drive around they hear a perpetual and joyous cry of, "Look, a Christmas Miracle! Over there- another Christmas miracle! There are so many miracles over there!"

I have been thinking about that idea a lot since then.

Seeing miracles. Everywhere.

Because they are there. Everywhere.

Far more common than strings of Christmas lights, loads more beautiful, and they tend to happen all year round whether we are grateful enough to see them as such or not.

Over the last few weeks I have been privvy to many amazing Christmas miracles.

One of my sisters-in-law has been faced with an enormous challenge, and has been overwhelmingly patient, spiritual, and downright inspiring. She has been openly cognizant of all of her blessings, and even tends to turn the downsides of her situation into positive ideas. She is amazing, and I see her endurance and infectious good will as a miracle in my life.

My best friend had her baby 8 weeks early due to complications from pre-eclampsia. She and the baby are doing amazing. Ele will probably get to go home within the next week. She was never on oxygen, and has been gaining at least 2 ounces daily since her birth. My friend has been able to nurse without any problems which is not only the best thing for her little trooper, but is also quite rare for the situation. Miracles have abounded in her life in the last month, and I have been blessed to witness them.

A dear friend of mine just learned she is expecting. Her individual situation over the last few years made this quite the glorious surprise. I am not exagerating when I say I cried big soppy tears all over the dang place when I heard. A Christmas miracle for sure.

Jack has been sleeping through the night. Every night. I put him down at 10:00 now whether he is asleep or not, cover him in his fluffy froggy blanket, kiss his chubby little cheeks, and walk away. He goes right to sleep every time and doesn't wake up until at least 6:00 the next morning. I have no idea what triggered this change, but it is incredible. By far the best Christmas present I could imagine from my little one.

A friend from my ward just learned that she is expecting a little girl. She has three other boys that were all conceived after many expensive fertility treatments. After being sick for 3 weeks, she chose to go to the doctor to figure out what was wrong. There was nothing wrong except that she was 3 1/2 months pregnant with a little girl. Many grateful tears were shed as she related the news at our book club meeting. Miracle? I would say so.

There were some high-school friends of mine involved in a car accident recently. Nobody was injured. The car was totalled, and the troopers who wrote up the incident said he had never seen a car roll so severely without any bodily car done to the passengers. Amazing. Miraculous even.


There are more. So many more.

Pondering about and writing these things down has made me so happy and grateful and of other gushy happy-like emotional terms.

I guess sometimes it is good to step back and just see all the many miracles around us.

I am grateful for that sweet woman who shared her little anecdote with a stranger, because now I can't see any Christmas lights without thinking of all the miracles in my life, and that change of perspective has brought a deeper meaning and a heightened sense of love to this season for me.