christmasletter

This is a part of the Christmas letter that my sister sent out one year. (Especially
for parents with children) it helps keep some of the little irritations in life in
perspective.

Dear Family,

You know, sometimes the most unlikely things in our lives can turn out to be
blessings. As a mother of five children, there are few things that grate on my nerves
like the sound of 2 or more children crying at the same time. I have always looked
at these times as a low point in my ability as a parent to keep my children happy. I
pray daily for God to help me to be a better mom, and I kind of expected that one
day he would hit me with a bolt of lightning and I would instantly become a super
mom whose children were always happy and well-behaved. But as usual, God had a
completely different idea.

It all started out on a brisk fall morning. The older kids had the day off school, so I
planned to take them all to the pumpkin patch. To the tune of one crying baby, I
backed the car out of the drive way at 9:32 am (only 2 minutes behind!) When I
was a kid, all car trips lasting more than 30 minutes required prayer time - so I
decided that now would be a good time to start this tradition in my own family. As
we neared Gretna, my son pointed out the Holy Family Shrine up on the hill
overlooking the interstate. I had considered that as an additional stop - AFTER the
pumpkin patch and IF we weren't too tired, muddy, etc. But Luke insisted we stop
there first.

Everything about our stop there was so beautiful - the scenery, the peacefulness,
the friendly people and even my children's behavior and appreciation for this spiritual
place. We prayed together for a short while and before we left, one of the
volunteers offered all of the kids a rosary - which they gladly accepted. Then we
went on to the pumpkin patch where we spent a fun-filled afternoon.

On the drive home, the youngest three quickly fell asleep and the older two and I
were having a wonderful discussion about the latest Fantastic Four movie. In a split
second, our conversation was interrupted when a semi-truck heading the opposite
direction turned across our lane. I slammed on the brakes but gasped as I heard a
dull thud and felt the car spin. All I could see was a wall of white air bags - as if
angel wings had gently wrapped our vehicle. The force of the impact left me
breathless and stunned, and I was unable to speak. But soon I heard the most
beautiful sound I have ever heard - all five of my children crying at the same time.
It was a moment that changed my life. For the first time in my life, instead of
cringing when I heard those cries, I found myself thanking God over and over for
that beautiful noise. It meant that everyone was ok. My mind immediately returned
to the prayers for safe travel we had said as we left the driveway and at the shrine.

After several witnesses helped us out of the car, I took a minute to take stock of
my little flock. Sarah was very upset, and I noticed that she had her new rosary in
her hand (She had been holding it when the accident occurred). I told her to just
hold on to it and pray. She told me later what comfort that gave her. After a trip in
the ambulance to the emergency room, we left the hospital with nothing more than
bruises and 4 stitches in Meghan's lip.

Looking back, it makes me chuckle, because God always seems to answer my
prayers in such a profound and unexpected way. I prayed for the ability to deal with
children patiently, but instead, He chose a car accident to teach me the beauty in
those crying voices. Our God is an awesome God!

May you all have a very blessed Christmas and may God's wisdom help you to see
the blessings in your life that are sometimes disguised as trials.

Sandra