The Little Drummer Boy

It's the story of a little drummer boy that tugs at my heart about this time every year.

He was probably not much older than the King of the universe that sat before him, and like Jesus he was a poor boy. A poor boy who had no gift that was fit for a King. But he wanted so badly to present a gift to the Messiah that he asked if he could do the one thing he knew he could do well. The one thing he loved to do. He wanted to give his best to Jesus.

So he played his drum...pa rum pa pa pum... The animals kept time with him... pa rum pa pa pum
pa rum pa pa pum rum pa pa pum...

He played his best for him and then He smiled at him. The King of the universe smiled at him.

Such a simple story about a simple boy who brought such a seemingly simple gift. As simple as it seems to bring our best to the Lord no matter what it is we tend to :
Make excuses... oh this gift isn't fit for a king so I just won't give anything
Get too distracted to even go to see the King... too busy, too tired, too ____________
Worry too much about what others will think
Give half hearted...

Our God, the Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Holy One is worthy of our best gifts no matter how seemingly simple they may be. God sees the heart not the gift itself.

1 Samuel 16:7 and Psalm 139:23-24

Therapy

 I am not sure how many of you have experienced the weeks leading up to the holidays in a classroom setting with precious children who just can't contain their excitement any longer but still have lessons to be learned, seat work to complete, and tests to take, but I assure you it will change your life. You will understand why teachers get 1 week off for Thanksgiving and 2 weeks off for the holidays!

I feel after today (and the potential for more days this week to be like today) I will need some intense therapy during my week off to prepare for the intense weeks of excitement and busy schedules that lead up to the Christmas holidays.

Retail therapy: A must (especially since I have done VERY little of my Christmas shopping.

Message therapy: A girl can dream can't she!

Aromatherapy: Ahh the wonderful smells of the season filling up a cozy home!

Spa therapy: facials, manicures, pedicures, hair cut and style...oh once again I am a dreamer!

Yummy in my tummy therapy: Thanksgiving...YUM!

Cuddle, snuggle therapy: Sweats, big fuzzy socks, a warm blanket, a cuddle buddy (probably Reese the niece:)), fire, a nice warm drink, and a good Christmas movie.

Dance therapy: I have some fun weddings coming up (and some days where I'll be home alone;))

Running therapy: Pounding the pavement is a wonderful way to escape!

If you have any other suggestions for therapy please let me know! I will need every bit I can get;)

Randomness...

So it's been quite awhile!! Since I can't seem to make one cohesive post come together (believe me I have tried multiple times:)), I am just going to throw out some random realizations I have had lately. Maybe it will give me the jumpstart I need to get back in the swing of things...

* Pinterest makes me want to stay home and cook soups and holiday goodies from now until after Christmas and have sweet friends over to share these treats with and play games with and chat about life and watch movies together. It SHOULD make me want to do Christmas bulletin boards and Christmas crafts but that is not the case. Oh help us all when it comes time for me to execute those Christmas crafties:).

*  I have miraculously been quite disciplined in my workouts lately. Unfortunately this makes me ALWAYS hungry!! I am a bit of a bottomless pit;) So needless to say I am now working on being more disciplined in my eating and on being more self-controlled.

* It always amazes me how much I need to practice what I preach. In second grade, students are learning to have self-control, which as #2 states I am currently in need of. Of course, theirs comes more in the area of blurting out, making better choices etc. Then there's "Pay attention" "Watch where you are going" "slow down"which I tell myself these same things after the school day is done.

* The Lord will send you the precious encouraging words you need at just the right time. It of course always seems to be through the most unexpected sources and at the most unexpected times! I have been so blessed to have a couple of these in the past week!

* I ate dinner and a treat and am still hungry...currently practicing that self-control stuff:)

* I have a wedding this coming weekend. I think that means dance party every afternoon to prepare... Song suggestions welcome!