Chaotic...

Last week as we baked goodies for our neighbors and friends, our 3 toddlers played and fought and sometimes shared their toys and our 2 little ones snuggled down for their am nap, E and I had a conversation that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. E has this unbelievable creative gene that she inherited but I did not, she has painted a portion of her den wall in black chalkboard paint, where she writes different quotes and scriptures from week to week and this particular writing made me laugh heartily...it reads

"All is calm, all is bright....yea right!"

I cracked up when I read this quote, laughing with her at how true this is as we broke up our toddlers tiffs, encouraged sharing, tried to bake, keep the dog from the kitchen, make lunch, change diapers, feed infants, and have some sort of quality time together!

We've gotten used to the chaos and its just part of our lives right now, we love being together in the chaos, but I never thought about the chaos that must have taken place that first Christmas, when it was easy to find a place to birth your son, the savior of the world, after a long, exhausting trip, amidst animals and smells. Aside from the external factors, lets talk about the pain of childbirth with no drugs, no doctor, no midwife and especially no doula present to make this experience more enjoyable. I mean, seriously this had to have been a pretty chaotic experience for Mary and Joseph. Scripture doesn't say very much about the birth experience but we can only imagine what it must have been like for these new parents.

I just kept thinking about E's quote amidst the traveling to and from g-parents homes, opening presents with 5 grandkids, 3 dogs, then 4 grandkids, with all the adults mixed in and meals prepared and eaten, then christmas eve service, playing santa and trying to make sure our 2.5 year old was thankful and kind....it was chaotic but in the chaos we experienced the wonder, the excitement, the joy and the magic of our Saviors birth!

-B