Monday, December 17, 2007

COLLIN MEETS SANTA


Today Collin got to sit on Santa's lap for the first time. He was not very excited at first but eventually he warmed up. What a fun experience watching all the parents make fools of themselves to get their kids to smile-then it's YOUR TURN!! HAHAHA Merry Christmas!!!
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More Christmas thoughts

Since I have pretty much done everything I said I would never do I might as well keep up the trend. We were not going to buy much for Collin this Christmas because we still have gifts in boxes that we were going to wrap and put under the tree and maybe even wrap some of his current toys. He's a baby, he wouldn't know we were re-gifting. He really doesn't NEED anything. And, more importantly, we are running out of space!

But...sometimes I go shopping and I see something that I know he would just LOVE! So I've picked up a few things here and there. Today I started organizing the gifts and found that I have gone slightly overboard. Is this how kids get spoiled? Is it wrong to want to give your child everything? I mean, he could have one toy and he would be perfectly happy. I don't mean to be sappy but I remember being in Guatemala and seeing poverty like we can't even imagine here. I remember coming home and the excess and importance we place on "meaningless stuff" kind of disgusted me. But here I am, doing it, and doing it well. I don't know what to say...Merry Christmas?
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Guatoberfest Cruise 2009

My soapbox about the Advent Conspiracy

I came across this video on another blog. I have to admit I only looked at it for entertainment value. I assumed with a title like that, it had to be some wacko conspiracy theory and who doesn't need a good laugh. Suprisingly enough it really touched me and made me think. It didn't grab my interest because of it's religious value, because that's not really my thing. I am not the type of person that flaunts religion or believes in pushing your beliefs onto others. It touched me because of it's human value and because it shows me how quickly I forget.

When we were in Guatemala it was truly a life changing experience for a myriad of reasons, only one of which was bringing home a baby! We saw poverty that we could never imagine in this country. I remember thinking when I was there that despite all of the stress of the situation, I was more at peace than I had ever felt in my life. Among other things, there was no pressure to have more...there was nothing to have. People just lived their lives. Families worked together, lived together in cramped housing-if they had a roof over their heads at all-and they were happy! We were forced to enjoy eachother without our "creature comforts" and I loved it. I now remember hoping that once we got home, I would never lose that idea that we don't really need much at all. I realized our society makes us think we need more but we really don't. And after watching the video it makes me realize that I have failed miserably.


I had made up my mind that in order to honor my new found attitude and our sons heritage, we would sponsor a Guatemalan family every year so that they could have food and heat and their children could go to school-things we take for granted on a daily basis. For some reason I can never seem to find the money to do that- BUT- I can find the money to buy coffee every day, sometimes several times a day, Collin will see a room full of gifts on Christmas morning, I can go out to eat, I can do whatever I want for the most part. My priorities have gone right back to where they were before I experienced Guatemala and it makes me sad. That is the reason that I am posting the video in a permenant spot on the blog, so that I am constantly reminded, not only during Christmas but all year to give PRESENCE to my friends and family not PRESENTS and to give back to something that I feel very strongly about. I don't write this to push Guatemalan charity or any charity but to encourage anyone reading this to slow down and take a look at your life and see what means the most to you and see where it takes you.

Advent Conspiracy