Oh my heart is bursting tonight... all the way home from family events tonight, my mind has been churning, my emotions a bit sentimental as I reflect on the past year and years. And tonight, after we arrived home, as I helped the girls spread their "reindeer food", the tears started. I looked at Ashley and said, " Ten years from now, when these two girls are off with friends or boy friends, we are going to be crawling up in our chairs feeling lonely!" Finally, after seven almost eight years of mother hood, I am learning what it feels like to want time to stand still!
So tonight, I felt the urge to help remind others that tomorrow as you gather with your families, to let time stand still. To embrace each moment, cherish each second, and let each memory take hold of your heart. Don't look at the clock, don't worry about tomorrow, don't move forward, just sit, grab the hand of those dear, tell the ones you love how much they mean to you, and let time stand still.
I hope tomorrow finds you with the ones you love, I hope it finds you with the things you desire, but more importantly, I hope it finds you in awe of a precious Saviour who came so many years ago in a stable, so ordinary, but yet so extraordinary! No matter where you are, remember God can use anyone, anywhere, to do magnificent things for Him!
Stand in awe of His power. It was just last December, I climbed in my attic, and parted with box after box after box of "baby things." Knowing I was done having kids, having given up on my sister having a child, we cleaned the attic, cleaned out our storage unit and parted ways with all those sweet baby things. And yet this Christmas, as I sit here with tears pouring from my eyes, I am in awe of a God who has made time stand still for my family. For just like so many years ago, as the wise men and shepherds came to stand in awe of an awesome Saviour, I will gather with my family and stand in awe that the same miraculous power that was present so many years ago, is still alive and working right in my own family!
I am not sure what many of you may need this Christmas, but may I remind you of a amazing God who will never forget about you! Just as I can never imagine a Christmas without my girls all tucked in their beds so close to me, I am certain, He can not imagine Heaven without you! Whatever your impossible is this Christmas, whatever you have given up on and let go of, hang on for just a bit longer, I think you might be surprised that your Christmas miracle is just around the corner!
Words could never express my joy this Christmas. For tonight, as I lay my head on my pillow, I stop, let time stand still, and stand in awe of a wonderful Saviour, who still does the impossible! Tonight, for the first time, my sister will tuck her sweet little girl in bed on this Christmas Eve, something that just last year felt impossible. Don't give up, keep reaching, keep believing, because I can personally tell you this Christmas about an extraordinay King who was born so that you and I might live and He is still in the MIRACLE business!
May your Joy be overflowing in the coming year, may God show you the impossible, and may you reach so many others for Him!
Lots of love your way this Christmas!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
JOY!!!!!!
What a Christmas! The last few weeks have been crazy, a bit scary at times, but now with everyone home and resting, it has been a time to reflect on my many blessings. I am so grateful for my family and for the JOY I feel this Christmas! Most of you should recieve our Christmas card in the coming days, my Christmas letter never made it into the cards... But I wanted to share it with many of you who enjoy a "dose" of our CRAZY gang!!! It is fitting that our Christmas photo card says "Joy" - it is exactly how we feel this Christmas! So here is the Alford's Christmas letter 2010!
Well, after taking a break from my Christmas letter last year, I am back, better than ever, ready to have you grabbing your tissues and taking a quick journey with our family as we reflect on 2010. We are real. No jazzed up details to paint the perfect picture, but brutal honesty with details that will have you feeling like you have walked with us through each interesting step or glad you stayed in your own world! We are still crazy, loud at times, and Ashley and I are still trying desperately to figure out this whole parenting thing. So pull up a chair and enjoy the many moments that have brought us such JOY this year!
“Abs“…. Abby has blossomed into a free - spirited five year old with a vivid imagination and a lack of good judgment! Abby finds pleasure in the simple things, never forgets to enjoy the small details, and adds humor to every situation. Her favorite foods are sushi, pinto beans, and raw onions dipped in ranch. Her smile is contagious, her giggles are heart - warming, and her breath is well… toxic! Life is an exciting adventure for Abby with lots of twist and turns that have Ashley and I holding on for dear life!
Haley, on the other hand, is a very disciplined, hard - working 7 year old who is wise beyond her years. Her constant opinion, exhausting drive, and teen like attitude keeps Ashley and I on our toes! She finds joy in knowing she has excelled in every talent and responsibility that God has given her. Her independence and drive makes for sleepless nights and extra tasks, but the joy that comes with knowing she has taken the ordinary to extraordinary is priceless! She will always choose the path less traveled, she
will always climb the highest mountain, and she will always find joy in knowing she has done her best!
Ashley is the same ole Ashley! Despite my constant nagging, he remains true to himself! He still loves fishing, all things UNC, and works hard for his family. He still feels outnumbered in this house full of estrogen and keeps finding new ways to plan more and more fishing trips! I am guessing by the time we hit the puberty years he will be fishing more than he is home! ;)
As for me, my mood changes daily, hourly, minute by minute…. Motherhood is tough, maintaining a cool spirit is exhausting, but the joy I feel when it all comes together is priceless! Being a mom is a difficult balance of so many ingredients, managing different personalities, and helping combine each item to make a perfect family recipe full of JOY!
And there is no way I could end our “year in review” without touching on Adriana Nicole Dove! From the moment I heard my sister’s voice on that mother’s day Sunday announcing her pregnancy, to hearing Adriana’s first cries just days ago, I am overwhelmed with JOY! For that one word, joy, has enormous depth with its true meaning taking hold of my heart this year in the form of a precious miracle named, Adriana! Joy can touch a chord so deep, it can heal a hurt so raw, and it can spread to all around you! I hope this Christmas, you will let JOY take hold of your heart and experience the blessings it brings! Merry Christmas! We love you!
Ashley, Amy, Haley, and Abby
Well, after taking a break from my Christmas letter last year, I am back, better than ever, ready to have you grabbing your tissues and taking a quick journey with our family as we reflect on 2010. We are real. No jazzed up details to paint the perfect picture, but brutal honesty with details that will have you feeling like you have walked with us through each interesting step or glad you stayed in your own world! We are still crazy, loud at times, and Ashley and I are still trying desperately to figure out this whole parenting thing. So pull up a chair and enjoy the many moments that have brought us such JOY this year!
“Abs“…. Abby has blossomed into a free - spirited five year old with a vivid imagination and a lack of good judgment! Abby finds pleasure in the simple things, never forgets to enjoy the small details, and adds humor to every situation. Her favorite foods are sushi, pinto beans, and raw onions dipped in ranch. Her smile is contagious, her giggles are heart - warming, and her breath is well… toxic! Life is an exciting adventure for Abby with lots of twist and turns that have Ashley and I holding on for dear life!
Haley, on the other hand, is a very disciplined, hard - working 7 year old who is wise beyond her years. Her constant opinion, exhausting drive, and teen like attitude keeps Ashley and I on our toes! She finds joy in knowing she has excelled in every talent and responsibility that God has given her. Her independence and drive makes for sleepless nights and extra tasks, but the joy that comes with knowing she has taken the ordinary to extraordinary is priceless! She will always choose the path less traveled, she
will always climb the highest mountain, and she will always find joy in knowing she has done her best!
Ashley is the same ole Ashley! Despite my constant nagging, he remains true to himself! He still loves fishing, all things UNC, and works hard for his family. He still feels outnumbered in this house full of estrogen and keeps finding new ways to plan more and more fishing trips! I am guessing by the time we hit the puberty years he will be fishing more than he is home! ;)
As for me, my mood changes daily, hourly, minute by minute…. Motherhood is tough, maintaining a cool spirit is exhausting, but the joy I feel when it all comes together is priceless! Being a mom is a difficult balance of so many ingredients, managing different personalities, and helping combine each item to make a perfect family recipe full of JOY!
And there is no way I could end our “year in review” without touching on Adriana Nicole Dove! From the moment I heard my sister’s voice on that mother’s day Sunday announcing her pregnancy, to hearing Adriana’s first cries just days ago, I am overwhelmed with JOY! For that one word, joy, has enormous depth with its true meaning taking hold of my heart this year in the form of a precious miracle named, Adriana! Joy can touch a chord so deep, it can heal a hurt so raw, and it can spread to all around you! I hope this Christmas, you will let JOY take hold of your heart and experience the blessings it brings! Merry Christmas! We love you!
Ashley, Amy, Haley, and Abby
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