Breath of Heaven

My name is Lauren. I am married to Joshua and have two “bonus daughters,” Madison and Emma. I have been a member of Good Shepherd Catholic Community for 4 years and am involved in the Flock, a Small Church Community, CRHP Team 3, and the music ministry. (You may have seen me recently as a cantor for the 11 and 4 o’clock services.)

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up playing piano, singing songs with my sisters, and listening to a very eclectic collection of music with my parents. To me, Christmas and music go hand-in-hand. As a child, I always looked forward to the day after Thanksgiving when we would pull out all the Christmas CDs and fill our house with joyous music. My two older sisters and I would create musical shows in which we would dance around and sing carols while my mom played the piano and my dad played guitar. It was such a treat to perform as a family for our grandparents and relatives, and I will cherish those memories forever. Songs like “The Little Drummer Boy,” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” or anything from John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together were some of our family favorites. (Seriously, if you haven’t heard their version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” you are missing out!)

As I grew up and my faith walk matured, I began to really focus on the meanings and lyrics of some Christmas songs. Suddenly the words to “Oh Holy Night” could bring tears to my eyes thinking of God’s revealing promise in the birth of our Savior.

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

‘Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth.”

These words humble me to the core. I think about a world in turmoil patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for the birth of a child who will come to save the world and wash away our sins.

And then I think about Mary; a fourteen-year-old girl who said yes to God. This humble, immaculate, graceful girl agreed to fulfill a promise.

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

As much as I try to imagine what it must have been like to be in Mary’s place when the angel of the Lord appeared to her, I simply cannot. I cannot imagine how scary it must have been to face Joseph, her parents, or her family. I cannot imagine how scary it must have been to journey to Bethlehem, a place without family or a familiar face, and give birth to the most Holy Child. Yet Mary completely trusted God by saying yes to His will for her.

Luke 1:38

“And Mary said, ‘Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’”

I can’t help but wonder: was Mary scared of what was being asked of her? How did she feel about taking on such an amazing and critical role? Did she know the importance of her role in Jesus’s life?

Whatever the answers to the questions, I feel Mary is such a strong, graceful, faithful woman, and one I hope to model my life after. My love for our Most Blessed Mother and my longing to live my life as she lived hers is exactly why “Breath of Heaven” is my favorite Christmas carol of all time. I cannot hear the song without it stirring my soul and bringing tears of joy to my eyes. I feel that the song truly expresses what Mary must have been feeling throughout her life; from the time the angel appeared before her until her assumption into Heaven.

“But I offer all I am

For the mercy of Your plan”

My hope for you is that this song will touch your life this Christmas season as it has touched mine. May God bless and keep you always…. and may you always find the strength to say yes to God’s will for you, just as our Most Holy Mother was able to do.

The Gift of Time

Who doesn’t feel the time crunch this time of year?  So many things demand our time: holiday parties for school, church groups, employers; shopping; baking; cleaning for relatives to visit or packing to travel to see family; keeping family traditions alive and starting new ones—shall I go on?  Yikes.  It wears me out just to think about it!  So when someone mentions the idea of spending time at a nursing home, shopping for a gift for an angel from the angel tree, volunteering at a homeless shelter, spending extra time in daily prayer, or committing to an hour of Eucharistic Adoration, it probably puts you over the edge, huh? 

 

Do you remember the Gospel reading a few weeks ago about the widow who gave 2 coins amidst the wealthy who were giving so much more?  Jesus called his disciples to him and pointed her out, saying she had given more than the wealthy because she gave from what little she had. Well, what if we think about our time as the 2 coins the widow was holding out?  We don’t have much extra time this month.  So, if we spend even a small amount of it in service to others or in prayer, Jesus will treasure our gift of time; perhaps the most precious commodity during this Advent season!

 

Abbie is a happy wife and mother who is busy trying to practice what she just preached!

Advent Traditions

As parents of four small children, my husband Ryan and I learned very quickly that starting family traditions can go one of two ways.....fun and chaotic, or just chaotic. Images in our heads of our children sitting around creating the perfect Advent wreath translated into a scene from a horror movie as someone grabs the wrong end of a glue gun, someone knocks over the glitter and someone else is eating the candles, while mommy huddles in the corner thinking “why do I do this to myself?”

After several years of “failed” expectations, I learned quickly that the problem was not my children being out of control and wild. It was us (Ryan and I) having unrealistic expectations for creating that perfect kodak moment. Looking back at pictures from when the kids were “really” little, my favorite moments are not the ones that look perfect. My favorite moments are the ones where glitter is everywhere, a kid has wax in his teeth and our wreath is less than perfect. Some how along the way, even though we stumble through, get sidetracked and desperately try to avoid ER trips, our kids “get it”. While we may not do EVERY craft Mom pins on Pinterest, those we do are done with few expectations and LOTS of laughter; all the while stressing the story of Jesus and his birth. Here are a few that we have incorporated into our celebration of the birth of Jesus:

Making a wreath

Good Shepherd has provided a wonderful opportunity for families to come together and make a wreath that can be enjoyed for years to come. There is also a book called Advent Begins at Home . I use this every night during advent. It is full of prayers, crafts and ideas for things to do as a family.

Sing

We are always singing songs about christmas during the advent season. We have a song book and our oldest is very good about finding the Christmas songs and leading the younger children.

Attend a concert

We have been attending the Good Shepherd Choir Concert for years and the children look forward to it every year. They even believe that some of the singers are famous because of how beautiful their voices are.

Adopt an Angel

We save our change in a jar throughout the year and with the money we adopt a family. We also go through our things and donate what we don’t use to charity. There is a fantastic book by Dave Ramsey for kids that speaks to the spirit of giving called The Big Birthday Surprise. It really drives home the act of giving in a way the kids understand.

Advent Calendar

This is a great way to focus on Jesus during the Christmas season. This, for us, is not the commercialized calendar that you see in the store.  While those are great, the Advent Begins at Home book provides a daily activity for you to do as a family or individually. Each day provides an opportunity to do something for someone or reflect on what Christmas means to you. For example, my kids’ favorite activities are the ones that have them draw a picture.

Of course these activities are not all perfectly played out.  The effort is there and the kids look forward to them every year. While in the trenches of parenthood these opportunities of sharing and talking about our faith really make the days of tantrums and tears all worth while. I leave you with my favorite “Kodak moment” and yes this went on the Easter card......

                

Bio-
My name is Leslie. My husband Ryan and I are high school sweethearts from Colleyville. I went through RCIA at Good Shepherd in 2003. Ryan and I were married at Good Shepherd in 2004 and have four children, Cameron (7), Riley (5), Bradford (3) and Elijah (1).