It’s Christmas morning. Almost 7am. When I was a little girl, I was always the first one up. I’d get out of bed at 3 or 4 in the morning and then make as much “accidental” noise as humanly possible until the rest of my family would finally relent and join me. I remember those long hours spent in the dark in front of the Christmas tree, overflowing with anticipation to discover what my gifts would be. For whatever reason, I STILL wake up before everyone else and have to sit here and wait for them to get up. I don’t understand their lack of passion and excitement. 

My kids do have one thing I never had when I was a kid – the knowledge of the reason for this glorious day. Here’s a quote from today’s reading from The Greatest Gift that I really like because it reminds me of those mornings of waiting for presents.

“This day, this night–This is the time of awed silence.

Now a thousand trees dance with light.

Now, a thousand thousand gifts carry love.

Now, at the foot of every tree, we are all recipients of grace.

Christ, who called all things into being, gives you sun and moon and stars, the earth under you and the sky over you, and this ocean of air for every breath that fills every lung of every living thing -to you, to you, to you! We live in an ocean of grace. Gifts are our air.”

Now I wait for Him. I receive His grace. In so many ways, those innocent early little girl longings taught me how to realize that I’ve already received the greatest gift.