Every Chance You Get

I was so sad to hear of the passing of Nelson Mandela.  I first learned of him when my dad and I watched the move "Invictus".  I was so inspired by the movie and his story that I continued to do more research and learned more about him.  He was truly a light in the darkness and we can all learn and benefit from the goodness that he brought to the world and left behind for the rest of us.  

17 Days Until Christmas

Happy second week of Advent!

      We went to mass tonight and father talked about the all of the WAITING that you do before Christmas.  Waiting, waiting, waiting.  There is so much waiting done before Christmas and I certainly think that it's the hardest time of year to wait.  There is also so much rushing.  So much rushing that you can't enjoy the waiting! The anticipation is one of the greatest parts of Christmas! Make sure you take the time to slow down and enjoy it.  After all, Christmas only comes once a year.

     Father also talked about all of the good we can do while we're waiting! We're waiting for the coming of baby Jesus, after all, and this waiting period is all about preparing for Him! So every chance you get to do good for another person, do it! Really do it! Really try! Because if you do that, everyday, you could really change the world.  

 We've started our Advent Light 'Em Up Calendar! We've gotten a few "Do a random act of kindness for a family member without them knowing it was you", and "put cookies and a nice note in the mailbox for the mailman". (We love our mailman.)

(If you haven't seen Kid President's YouTube videos before, check them out!)

Today was a really great and busy day.  I saw several things, all small things, that brought me very much joy.  Take a minute look around you and find the small things today.

5 Joyful Things From Today 

1.  Gavin, (a student in my mom and I's CCD class)who did not enjoy coming to class at first, now loves to volunteer for any extra jobs that require a helper, today he helped out his classmates when he finished his work first, and was just happy to be there.

2.  Somebody gave us a candle and it smells really good.

3. While babysitting today the kids and I made cookies and they loved it, so I loved it, so we had a ton of fun.

4. When Emma found Kristi, our elf on the shelf.

5.  Somebody said "Merry Christmas" to me for the first time!

Did you see any joyful things today? I'd love to hear! Leave a comment with them in the comment box below! 

I hope you are all having a Merry Christmas! Check back soon for more!

Rachel Merry