Nana Holds from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Powe

Thanks so much for joining me for a little coffee break today and more of Nana Holds. Grab your coffee and come on in. It’s Christmas time at the Lepins’!

Ah, Christmastime, so different this year with a little one in the house. I am giggling inside as I remember me being the early one up instead of Bryden. I couldn’t wait to see his little face when he saw the presents under the Christmas tree. George and I waited, and waited, and waited. But we made good use of the waiting time, sharing gifts we had for each other, until finally, he was awake.

His daddy brought him downstairs and his big brown eyes got bigger. Oh, the excitement of a child that causes him or her to do things without any sort of inhibition. So refreshing and one of the most precious gifts for me to just watch, observe, from the outside in. If I could describe it in words, I guess I’d have to say it’s like watching a beautiful picture come to life, a whole new perspective on being a child, getting to be a child.

What a gift and as long as I am one of his guardians, I will guard that privilege with all my might, to allow him to be that child as long as he possibly can without the world and all its harshness crushing his little spirit. Oops, I’m jumping ahead to where I am now in my heart but back then, I was simply in a state of marveling his childlike spirit, almost as if in awe but not really able to comprehend all that I am able to now that more of the pieces of the puzzle have been added to this true story.

Christmas joy

As we watched his enthusiasm spark over the smallest of gifts, like a pair of Angry Bird pajamas, a beautiful truth came to light: it wasn’t so much the gift itself as it was the gifting. He was so excited to be receiving the gift, and all the

oh, the joy of a child!

unconditional attention. I remember thinking before Christmas how much my whole perception about Christmas and gifts had changed over the years. I used to think that I had to get my son something really big, super special, and I each year I would try to outdo myself. That gets so stinking exhausting. When George and I shopped for Bryden, we didn’t agonize over the fact that we didn’t buy him some special gift from “Santa,” some toy that he didn’t need. We kept it simple and we couldn’t wait to see his reaction to the gifts we had chosen.

There is such beauty in simplicity and Bryden reiterated that truth for me then and continues to do so now.

Join me tomorrow for more of Nana Holds.

Evinda