Sunday, December 10, 2006
Dress Up
Thanks to her great aunt Spence, Madison has plenty of fun things for dress up. Meet Girl 1 in the Harem!
Bethlehem, TX
After Maddie's dance recital, we were invited to go to Bethlehem with 2 good friends, Becki and Rebecca. During the hour long ride into the Texas Hill Country, Becki and Rebecca explained to us that the First Baptist Church of Burnett, TX creates the city of Bethlehem every year during the first 2 weeks of December. I have to be up front in saying that I had no idea what I was in for. When we arrived at the downtown square in Burnett, there was a line that seemed very long, but I had no idea the line was actually longer than my eyes could see. The line spanned at least 6 blocks. There were thousands of people from all over Texas waiting to see Bethlehem. We stood in line for over an hour and finally made our way through giant city gates to find Roman soilders walking around, camp fires burning, hundreds of people in period costumes selling their goods, and live animals.
At first, I was concerned this experience would be overwhelming to Madison. Literally, there were thousands of people trying to experience what Bethlehem must have been like when Jesus was born. It became apparent how overwhelming this experience was for me. I cannot adequately descibe the experience and the pictures I took do not adequately capture the experience either. We saw candle makers, rope makers, carpenters, visited the synagouge, toured the Inn, watched the bakers make the bread for the next day, saw the prison, a tavern, a typical home, and finally, the manger. In the manger were sheep and goats and donkeys. There was a powerful hush that came over this giant crowd as we drew near to the manger.
Maddie stood as still as a statue when we came face to face with Mary, Joseph, and the baby. I knelt down beside her. I explained how we park our car next to the hotel today, but long ago people staying at a hotel parked their animals in a stable. I explained a stable is like a parking lot. She wanted to hold the baby. I explained he was sleeping, like Hailey used to do all the time, and we just watched instead. I sang Away In A Manger to her and then we walked away. This was the most powerful experience of Christmas in my life and I shared it with the two people I love most in this world.
While Becki and Rebecca took Maddie inside the prison, I stood in the middle of Bethlehem, near the well, and realized that my faith grew out of a place just this primative. From this tiny city without mass communication, Christianity grew and circled the globe. Today, we have instant news from the other side of the world and yet we aren't any more peaceful than the people in Bethlehem. The early Christians spread the word of Christ without the postal service, e-mail, faxes, newspapers, or CNN. With so many "conveniences", it seems to me that we could do so much more than we are doing. With so many opportunites for communication, why do we still fight wars? With so many opportunities for healing, why are people still dying from disease? With so much of everything, why are there still people in the world who are hungry? I have been so blessed. I have so much. And I praise God for my family and my faith every single day. Jesus was the first miracle of the world. Madison was the first miracle in my world. Glory to God in the Highest!
At first, I was concerned this experience would be overwhelming to Madison. Literally, there were thousands of people trying to experience what Bethlehem must have been like when Jesus was born. It became apparent how overwhelming this experience was for me. I cannot adequately descibe the experience and the pictures I took do not adequately capture the experience either. We saw candle makers, rope makers, carpenters, visited the synagouge, toured the Inn, watched the bakers make the bread for the next day, saw the prison, a tavern, a typical home, and finally, the manger. In the manger were sheep and goats and donkeys. There was a powerful hush that came over this giant crowd as we drew near to the manger.
Maddie stood as still as a statue when we came face to face with Mary, Joseph, and the baby. I knelt down beside her. I explained how we park our car next to the hotel today, but long ago people staying at a hotel parked their animals in a stable. I explained a stable is like a parking lot. She wanted to hold the baby. I explained he was sleeping, like Hailey used to do all the time, and we just watched instead. I sang Away In A Manger to her and then we walked away. This was the most powerful experience of Christmas in my life and I shared it with the two people I love most in this world.
While Becki and Rebecca took Maddie inside the prison, I stood in the middle of Bethlehem, near the well, and realized that my faith grew out of a place just this primative. From this tiny city without mass communication, Christianity grew and circled the globe. Today, we have instant news from the other side of the world and yet we aren't any more peaceful than the people in Bethlehem. The early Christians spread the word of Christ without the postal service, e-mail, faxes, newspapers, or CNN. With so many "conveniences", it seems to me that we could do so much more than we are doing. With so many opportunites for communication, why do we still fight wars? With so many opportunities for healing, why are people still dying from disease? With so much of everything, why are there still people in the world who are hungry? I have been so blessed. I have so much. And I praise God for my family and my faith every single day. Jesus was the first miracle of the world. Madison was the first miracle in my world. Glory to God in the Highest!
I Was Born to Entertain
Last night was a very proud moment in the life of our family. Madison performed in her second dance recital. She was awesome! I was a nervous wreck during the first recital in June (just ask my mother) and to keep me calm last night, I brought my knitting. I jumped in at the last minute to take the place of a stage mom who was running late. I was talking to Maddie's class and addresses my child as Maddie. One of her dance buddies said, Her name is Madison. I explained I sometimes call her Maddie. The little girl said, Well her name is Madison. It was one of those moments where you step back from the situation and realize I am arguing with a 4 year old about the name I gave this child. Hello!
Here is the video of Maddie's recital with best dance buddy, Savvanah, to her right.
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