The grandkids' first Christmas play!

A good luck kiss before their debut

For those of you who read my Facebook posts, you already know I'm dealing with a pretty nasty flare-up of my Epstein Barr Virus Syndrome and fibromyalgia symptoms. Not fun. Despite the pain, I wasn't going to miss church yesterday. After all, it was my grandchildren's debut on stage. And let me tell you, they did not let me down.

Did you ever see a cuter donkey?

Lincoln played the donkey that carried Mary into Bethlehem. He was adorable.

Lincoln with GG community member, Jenn Cormier as Mary

And the lovely little Lady Laura donned wings and a halo and played the Angel Gabriel. 

She couldn't wait to get up on stage. Once there, she boldly said her: lines. Now, keep in mind that she only turned 4 in October. Yet she committed her lines to memory and said them without any hesitation:

"Do not be afraid, the Lord is with you. You are going to have a baby named Jesus, the Son of God."

Laura with GG community member, Jenn Cormier as Mary

I was bursting with pride. After the play, I asked her, "How did you remember your lines?" She replied, "I asked God to help me and then when I had to remember them, He helped me to know what to say." 

She gets it. And that makes me very happy. Good job, Mama Jess. Good job.

After church, Bill and I headed out to Hopewell Township to The Club at Shadow Lake for a Christmas party hosted by my best client. It was quite an impressive affair, with a full buffet of delicious food, an open bar, a quartet adding to the ambiance and a welcoming line of the staff from DiNuzzo Index Advisors all wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas," except their Jewish clients, who were warmly wished a "Happy Hanukkah." There was none of that "Happy Holidays" nonsense. It's Christmas and Hanukkah time. Why do people insist on presenting it as anything else?

We were gone for a total of 6 hours and I obeyed my body's demands and headed right to bed when I got home. It was only 4:30, but I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening lying down. I really want to honor my body's needs as much as possible without neglecting my obligations.

I did head downstairs for 2 hours to watch the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on ABC. Christmas with Holly was a touching story that featured the most adorable little orphaned girl, played by twins Lucy and Josie Gallina. Hallmark likes to use a lot of orphans and widows in their movies, which, of course, I can identify with, having been widowed at the age of 32 with 2 young children. The story brought me to tears at different times throughout the film. When it was over, I wiped my tears and went back to bed.

What will the week ahead hold for this battered body of mine? Who knows. I'm just happy I can still start off my Mondays with all of you.

Enjoy your week and don't forget to honor your own bodies' needs. It's especially difficult during the holidays, so I encourage you to make a concerted effort.

There are a lot of giveaways going on right now, so peruse the site and enter to win! The newest one I posted today is for a really nice Kodak camera. Good luck!

Hana