Thankfulness

Hello Believers....

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all the magical American people out there... we are busy, busy preparing a huge feast for everyone in the North Pole... (we don't get to eat this much at Christmas because we just don't have time to... so, we love this holiday)....

Last night, I helped a family put up their Christmas tree.. it was so much fun going through all of the ornaments and deciding exactly where they would hang so they could be seen by everyone.. this family has most of their ornaments labeled with dates and places and names of family members.. one would think that the older kids never saw their ornaments as they dug through the boxes to find their "first Christmas" ones... the parents had many ornaments that they had purchased on vacations prior to having children... and they reminisced about them as they put them up...

They invited their neighbors to join them in their celebration and bring their special ornaments, too (since they are not putting up a tree this year... they are sad because a beloved family member passed away so they think they will be traveling during Christmas time to lessen the heartache)... 

I could feel the love that all of these people felt for one another.. though they are only friends, they have created a "family".. their children call one another "cousin" and they all get along as such... the 2 older boys have a very special bond as both of them are the 2nd children in each family, however, when their older brothers left at the same time (at 14 years old), one to a boarding school in New Hampshire and the other to a school in Milan, Italy, they had to step up and become the "older" brothers... and they became one another's brother and best friend... the mothers, of course, felt the same emptiness at having their young sons away.. the little ones are both "special".. one with downs syndrome and the other with aspergers.. and the only girl, is treated like a princess by the 4 boys... she is the sweetest thing and has the patience of a Saint really .... 

These people understand the "magic" of what Christmas is about... they are people of faith, hope and love... they are true believers that, with love, all things are possible... 

After the tree was beautifully decorated, we ate a wonderful lasagna supper... the mothers drank wine and told stories about their mothers and the traditions each family had... and I played "Life" with the kids... 

It was a lovely evening and a wonderful way to prepare for today... they have a lot to be thankful for... and they really are thankful to God for all their blessings.... I am so happy I got to be a part of their "love" fest....

Be nice.. Be good.. Be loving.. Be thankful ....... Be-lieve!

I love you,
Laney

p.s. keep those emails coming... I love them ... little.laney.elf@gmail.com