Kristy Cammell The irony isn’t lost on me.
I brush at the hay littered across the living room floor, courtesy of our furry friend’s indoor hutch. Gathering the stray piles of straw from every nook and cranny. Sometimes these gold strands feel like the bane of my existence (does any mama really like anything getting endlessly trekked through her house?).
And yet there’s a bittersweetness. Vivid recollections of our family’s tearstained journey of losing her two companions earlier this year. My kids wanted her inside after that, and my heart agreed. Together, with us. Comforting us, as we comfort her.
So I keep sweeping.
Making a spot for the tree.
Creating space for Christmas.
Preparing Him room?
My mind travels back to that first Christmas. To the straw that lined that first manger. It strikes me as odd that the one thing I’m throwing out to make room, may well have been the resting place of the babe born that night.
What does that say for my priorities? I ponder this as the bristles keep gently scraping the floor.
Clearing up the mess that now reminds me of the reason for the season.
Perhaps it’s okay that we’re still not ready for Christmas here, this Advent season.
As families around us welcome it with delight and celebration, maybe it’s okay that we’re taking a slower route.
That our usual Advent calendar still hasn’t seen the light of day, and perhaps this year it simply won’t.
That our decorations are still sitting in a box, waiting.
Perhaps it’s okay that we’re still not ready.
I leave the remaining hay in a pile in the corner of the room for a moment.
Maybe we’re more ready than we thought, after all.
Maybe it’s inviting Christmas to come in the middle of the mess that has the most meaning of all.
I’ll finish sweeping up that hay. Then there’ll be another lot, and another. But perhaps next time, instead of sighing, I’ll smile. And remember.
It’s not that ironic after all.
It’s the exact reminder my tired heart needs.
Friend, if your heart needed this reminder today too, let me know so that we can take a moment to encourage each other.
And let’s remember this together:
Christmas isn’t about perfection,
it’s about presence.
Stay awesome,
Kristy x
