Let me be sappy please....

This morning one of my oldest girlfriends and I were emailing back and forth about our kids and Christmas. We had been sharing what our kids will be getting this year and talking about the importance of instilling the true meaning of Christmas in our children. We had been saying it seems that no matter what we get for our kids, it never seems like enough. I am guilty of feeling this way, even though I have learned how to stop buying. Our children are so blessed and have everything they could ever need. My girlfriend said some things to me that just made sense....She writes

.......my thoughts are, you do what you can and our children are so blessed. There is something to be said for living it up and soaking up every experience you can....you never know when circumstances can change. As long as you teach your kids appreciation and have them give back and do volunteer work, always reminding them of those less fortunate, it really isn't spoiling."

Now I know that technically it IS spoiling, but as parents, it's natural for us to want to give the world to our kids. It's hard to help feeling that way. Emma is spoiled. She has every thing and there is nothing she needs. She has too much, but on the flip side of that, she's a very loving child. She is such a nurturer and has always been that way. She wants to hold every baby she can and take care of it. She's most of the time very thoughtful when it comes to others. (I say most of the time because she fights with her cousin like its her sister) She's very thankful for what she has as well.

The other night we went to see my Great Grandma. She is 92 1/2 years old and is close to going home to the Lord. My Grandma had been wanting us to come sing to her, but on this particular visit, this wasn't the plan. We sat around in the kitchen while Emma was in the bedroom with Grandma. She has a baby monitor in her room because she needs someone most of the time, but at some point, you have to leave the room. We could hear Emma talking to Grandma over the baby monitor, and she was so sweet. She kept asking Grandma if she wanted us to come sing to her. A few minutes later, Emma came and got us and said "Go sing!". Thankfully, there was a guitar at my Great Aunt's house, and after a quick tune up, we headed into Grandma's room. James played the guitar, and he and I sang to her. This was very hard for me to do. I seem to be more emotional these days, but in this situation it was especially hard. It was even harder when Emma climbed on the bed behind me, put her arms around my neck, and was singing into my ear "And we cry Holy, Holy, Holy. Is the Lamb". I felt so proud in that moment. It was so precious to me. It was so important to Emma that we should fulfill the wishes of our Grandma. After this, Emma kept telling Grandma that it was ok, and she could close her eyes and get some sleep. My heart swelled so big that night, and I've said all along that one of Emma's God given gifts was a gift of service to others. She really proved herself this night.