Finding Normal

There is a banana bread in the oven and the house smells wonderfully yummy, that's Christmas normal. Eric is just beside himself waiting for Santa to deliver on that x-box 360, that's another Christmas normal. I have shopping left to do and, of all places, the overcrowded Walmart...another Christmas normal. Chris is doing econ research, that's a Christmas/EVERYDAY normal. Emily is cleaning her room because friends are coming on Friday, another Christmas normal. AND...after a 2:45 pm appointment today...we are done with radiation...and, dare I say it, we are looking at some more just plain NORMAL.

Dr. Mehta, the radiation oncologist, told us yesterday that they had been able to focus the beam so precisely that they were able to deliver the dosage in five treatments, finishing today, instead of the ten we had previously thought. And we're looking now at a Christmas Eve of our version of normal, breakfast, last minute errands, a nice flank steak meal and church at 7:00 pm.

Normal has never looked so good!! Yet, as soon as I say that, I realize that God is God and His normal never changes, not when we are sick, not when we are stressed, not when we get so busy for life that we don't spend much time with Him...His normal is constant and life giving and unconditional and grace filled and perfect. Sometimes we work so hard to find OUR normal we forget His normal is there all the time. The real normal is in staying in relationship with Him, both as individuals and as a family. We get scared and stressed and worried and overwhelmed and yet we never lose HIS normal. And once again it's Christmas, and this loving and wonderful God invites us into relationship with Him through His Son, who really does get what we feel.

Sometimes daily bread is just taking hold of God's normal and remembering it's our gift, it's free and it's all we need. Claim your daily bread!!

Grace for your journey,
Leigh