Merry Christmas!

Howdy from Hattiesburg, Mississippi! I jetted down here to spend a few days with Mom, Dad, and Meemaw, as well as to see Granny, other relatives, and friends on Christmas day. It's kind of weird this year, being the only kid at home. My sister Alice and brother-in-law Sean ended up spending a special Christmas alone together in Bali, my brother Kevin and sister-in-law Natalie couldn't get away from obligations where they live in Dallas, and all that was left was me, still fairly unattached and able to get away from Denver without feeling like I'm abandoning anyone and thus feeling relatively unguilty.

So, yeah, it's strange being the only kid at home. I always love coming home to family--God has blessed our family with a very close relationship and no lack of craziness or goofiness in our fun times together as a family. Especially in that past few years, God has been reconnecting and renewing our love for one another, grounded in Christ Jesus, from whom flows love like that of no other.

Here are some impressions from this trip to Mississippi--

--It's still humid here! Despite the altitude difference from Denver, it's still harder to breathe because of all the water in the air!
--It's SO awesome to go into a restaurant and order sweet tea and NOT have the server point to the sugar sitting on the table. They KNOW how to make sweet tea here, and they serve it everywhere! Praise God!
--They don't call Coke "pop" here. And neither did I until I moved to Denver...what is wrong with me!? I got some weird stares from my family the other day...
--Everyone here says "Merry Christmas" without shame and with sincere smiles. None of this "Happy Holidays" crap. Don't even get me started on that. If it weren't for Christ, this would just be another hopeless time of year, nothing special...
--Hushpuppies are a staple food, and I missed them very much in the Mile-High city! Oh, and greasy fried food is always in here, year round.

And one more thing I noticed: you know you've been gone a long time when you no longer recognize people in the mall or in Walmart, especially a couple days before Christmas. I remember a couple of years ago, I wouldn't be able to shop anywhere this time of year without running into at least 10 people I knew...and this time around I made it all the way through Super Walmart without meeting a soul I know. Where did everybody go?! I guess all the people I graduated from high school and/or college with have moved on...Yeah, it's almost depressing...

Praise the Lord for those few connections He gives you, those "random" meetings with brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage you, challenge you, inspire you, recharge you...remind you that He is sovereign in all relationships and allows them to ebb and flow according to His eternal purposes. Thank You, Lord.

Happy Birthday, Jesus! You are the BEST!