December 5 - “Our guest designer”

We had an aspiring interior designer assist us in decorating for Christmas this year.  Her name?  Noa.  Yep.  That’s our six-year-old granddaughter.  Back on Thanksgiving when we pulled the decorations down from the attic, the plan was supposed to be to decorate the tree right then.  That, however, did not happen.  Josh and his family had to leave to get back to Waco right after the Turkey Bowl.  Nathan and April had already pulled the tree and got it started, but they also had to move on.  But when her own parents decided it was time they head home as well, Noa was crushed.  Who will help poor old Nana and DadDad decorate their tree? 

Well, that was all Nana needed to hear.  Arrangements were discussed and a new plan was hatched.  Noa would join her Daddy on his way to work and we would pick her up at the post office.  She would then have the whole day to help us get those pesky ornaments on that tree.  And she jumped right in.  Apparently ornaments were her specialty.  She seemed to really enjoy all the history - the stories behind each ornament Nana handed her to hang on the tree - from the first ornament to hang, the nail of Christ, to the ones with her Daddy’s and Uncle’s names on them, to the replacement ornaments we received from special friends in Arlington after Hurricane Ike swept away ours, to the little wooden ones we hand-painted our first year as a married couple.  It was pretty special to watch and listen as Chris imparted all that wisdom.  Noa probably won’t remember much of it, but it made for a great Hallmark moment from my perspective.  She was also a great companion when I had to make a quick trip to the bank and then to WalMart to get my glasses adjusted.  Good having her around.

Speaking of Hallmark, later that evening Chris was working at the table on Bethlehem Market stuff.  I was watching a Hallmark Christmas movie.  Suddenly almost all of the lights on the Christmas tree went out (Our tree, not the Hallmark one).  It took a while, but we tracked it to the last of the leftover strands from years past.  It was a chore, but we got that one removed.  Now we have all new 2019 lights.  Hope they hold out for the rest of the season …

Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Father, thank you for our little designer.  Bless her and give her a great Christmas this year.  Amen.