JUST ONE SMALL CORNER.....

 

©CherieElainePhotography2020

Most of my life looks like this ↑↑↑ right now, 

one small corner of my world 

looks like this. ↓↓↓

©CherieElainePhotography2020

One small corner.....

And I can't help but think about one small corner, thousands of years ago, in a barn.

I am sitting among boxes, some on each side of my desk and another right here on top of it. Not knowing where I will be going two weeks from now does not mean that I won't be, so packing is what I've done. 

I'm proud of emptying shelves that I've borrowed for books, and cabinets getting packed for the big move. I have bruises on my arms, my legs, even on my abdomen, from balancing boxes and things that need moved about to reach the things that have been tucked away for a year. 

I have been grieving the absence of my lovely tree this year thus far. 

Yesterday I decided I needed to remedy that, and quit crying about it. I found my Christmas music and three of my Christmas coffee mugs. I can pack the rest of it away. THIS is all I need for a little bit of joy. 

I shopped early for my kids and grandkids this year. I wanted to gather things while I had the money because I saw the shortfall coming swiftly due to Covid-19. So, yesterday, amongst the mess of moving, I took a break. Under my two foot antique ceramic tree, I gently arranged gifts as I wrapped them. 

SO MUCH JOY. 

My business hasn't flourished much this year. Working full time for another is inevitable. Honestly? I enjoy being a starving artist -- as long as I'm not actually starving. With the move coming swiftly and out of my control, I find peace in my one small corner. 

Jesus. A babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Lying in a manger. In one small corner of a stable. One small corner changed the world. 

I'm so grateful this morning, that He changed mine. And that He chose to remind me of that while enjoying the beauty of my one small corner of Christmas. Gifts. Gentle light. Reminders that it isn't over yet. There are gifts in me He has yet to open. 

When my kids were young, we did a winter closet clean out. They had to choose toys to give away before Christmas. We were dirt poor, but somehow, Christmas was always filled with blessing. So we gave. Not the broken toys. The good stuff that some other kid may never have unless we shared. 

Its getting rid of the old, letting go of the past, and even expectations, that make way for the new. A better something. Something that is growing out of one small corner in the midst of the chaos. Something life-changing. 

This year has been full of emptying closets, and homes, and bedrooms where some of you have given the most precious gifts. Loved ones. Homes. 

I am praying for you this morning. That you will find peace in one small corner of your world. You might have to look for it. It might seem it doesn't exist. But keep looking. You might just discover that YOU are precious gifts. 

I love you.