Tree Trimming Fun…2016

My mom came to the Mole on a plane with my brother Janeil last week! I was so excited to show him everything. He’s not been here since we moved onto the campus. The roads are blocked but the airstrip still works! He was only here for a few hours but we got my mom the whole week!

With all the flooding – we’ve had to clean-up all our storage depots. SO many things ruined. 🙁 Everyone knows I’m a huge lover of Christmas. Some of my best childhood memories are wrapped around this time of year.

This year we will be decorating the courtyard with even more lights than the year before! The orphans & the townspeople have already asked when will we start putting up the pretty displays?  I love to watch the eyes of the little children sparkle as we stomp out the darkness in our corner of the Mole.

Since we had to bring everything out to clean through it anyways – and with momma here – – we decided to decorate our tree! The kids are getting older now – they don’t break nearly as many ornaments as they used to. I seriously would cry just about every year as another precious ornament/memory would crash to the floor.

This year it wasn’t the kids causing all the commotion….. those stinking rats got into our stuff. Between the rats & the flooding – we had to throw away tubs and tubs worth of decorations and Christmas lights.  This is just a small example of what they did to about 40 ornaments 🙁

After we decorated the tree my mom made her famous homemade sugar cookies! I remember making them with her every year when I was little.  We are trying to carry on that same tradition with our kids too. They LOVE to bake with nana!

It might seem a little silly to decorate for Christmas with all the drama happening outside our home…. but my kids need something else to think about besides the mud and the rain.  I too need some light in the darkness right now. Granted I stare at the lights on the tree and cry as I reminisce of past Christmases…but I count those moments as sweet treasures to my soul.

There’s something to be said about making your home –  a home…..and allowing yourself the chance to breathe…. giving yourself permission not to think about the all the demands outside the door… if only for a few moments…..