On 15 Years

Aaron and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary last week.
He was in Spain.
I was here.
And I missed him awfully.
When I suggested he go on this trip, we didn't know the dates.
When we got them, I realized he'd be gone on his birthday.
And Davy's birthday.
And our anniversary.
And Father's Day.
June is a big month for us.
And he said, "I don't have to go."
We'd been dreaming of going somewhere special for our 15th.
But a trip like this comes along only once in a great while, or only once ever.
And we'll have lots, and lots, more anniversaries.
So I said, "go."
And I meant it.

It was harder than I thought to have him gone on that day.
I was sad.
And I was lonely.
But I was also so glad he was there--having the adventure of a lifetime.

Before he left, Aaron gave me an anniversary present.
I wasn't surprised that he remembered, that he planned ahead, and got me something special.
I was, however, surprised by what he got me.
I was fully expecting jewelry.
In the past few years I have fallen in love with this jewelry designer and he has gotten me several of her pieces.
I love them madly.
I wear them all the time.
And I thought, "this is a pretty special day--I wonder what piece he got me?"
I should have known that he wouldn't do the expected.

Still I was surprised when, minutes before he left at 3:30 in the morning, he said, "your anniversary present is in our room.  Why don't you go get it."
Sitting on the dresser was a folded, white, tee-shirt.
I picked it up.
On the front of the shirt was a pretty bad drawing of a pelican holding a surf board.
A piece of paper fell out.
It was a gift certificate for surf camp.
He got me a week of SURF CAMP!

I walked back into the living room with tears in my eyes.
"I know its not very romantic.  It's kind of random.  Do you like it?"
"I love it," I smiled through my tears.
"It's just that you've talked about wanting to learn to surf for so long, and you always say that you want to go to surf camp.  So I just thought you should go."

And then the tears came faster.
He listens.
He knows me.
After 15 years, this is the sweetest gift of all.

Aaron and I met when I was 17.
He was 19.
By my 18th birthday we had fallen in love.
We've been together ever since.
We tried to break up once when we were dating.
But it didn't last the weekend.
A few years ago our marriage almost broke.
But we are fighters.
And even when we were fighting with each other, we were fighting for our marriage, and our love.

Now we're at 15 years.
It feels like a milestone.
It feels like a victory.
It feels like a miracle.
It feels like a gift.

I have referred to this verse often, but it feels so true for us right now.

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 4:7-8

Our love hasn't failed.

Even when we failed, there was grace and redemption, and love.

Sometimes our life has felt like a fairy tale, and at other times it has felt like hard work.

And all of it has been worth it.
I wouldn't trade this life with him.
I love him so.

We have spent the last 15 years growing up together.
I'd like to spend the rest of our life growing old together.

Happy anniversary, my Aaron.
I love you for always.
Love from,
Greta
PS.  And thank you for surf camp.  I can't wait!!  Kowabunga!

*I've written before about marriage. It's one of my passions.
You can read my take on real life romance here, and about the worthwhile labor of marriage here.  Where ever you might be in your relationship, I hope my words can be an encouragement to you.

When You Have to Make Some Happy

This morning I walked outside and picked 5 oranges from our tree.
I came back in, washed them, pulled out carrots and greens from the fridge, a cucumber, and a lemon.
I piled it all on the counter and put together the parts of my juicer.
It requires a little elbow grease and patience.
I had to peel the oranges, get a knife out to trim the carrots, and cut the lemon.
Meanwhile, there were eggs boiling on the stove, and toast toasting on the griddle.
And, my 2 littlest people had pulled up chairs because they are still enthralled with our new juicer.
They were in my way.

I had to reach around them, pull the knife out of Davy's hands, remind him not to touch the juicer, make them get down while I poured the boiling water from the eggs into the sink, I had stand just right so they could see the juice pour out of the juicer.
And to be quite honest, I was a little annoyed by their presence.
I wasn't in the best mood.

Despite a great start, yesterday grew difficult and ended badly.
None of it was anything extraordinarily bad-- just the kind of things that make a day less enjoyable, and then make it easier to indulge in a bad attitude.
Do you find that the little problems are more often the ones that bring you down?
When I find myself facing something truly difficult or big, I call upon God, friends, and the remembrance of comfort in hard times past.
But these little things I try to get through on my own, wallowing for a while, and then pressing on, and not really growing, or learning, or changing from them.

I stepped back from the juicer to make everyone's eggs, and when I was done, I took a minute and I looked at the two of them.
The sun shone through the windows, lighting up my kitchen like it does every morning.
I love that.
And I loved the way the two of them were so thrilled to watch me push oranges and kale down the mouth of the juicer until the muddy juice poured out the bottom.
I can learn from them.

There are a lot of little annoyances in my life.
But there are also a lot of little joys.
I remembered this quote and how much it resonated with me the first time I read it.
"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."
My life is pretty full of common things.
Dirty dishes, dirty diapers, dirty laundry.
Crumbs to be swept, meals to be made, manners to teach.
At times I want to run away.
I just grow weary with the never-endingness of it all.
Do you?
But then there is that moment when I step back and I choose to look at the beautiful things that make up my world: old books, coffee, flowers on the table, blossoms on my peach tree, kids sprawled on the floor drawing, my baby boy giving me sticky kisses, sunrises, sunsets, and many more.
And I remember it is not my circumstances that make me happy.
It is what I choose to do with them.
It is not the things I have, or don't have, that make me happy.
It is the people who inhabit my life, and the way we live life together that make me happy.
Sometimes, in the midst of life's little problems, it is hard for me to remember these things.

I am grateful to live with 4 little people who find such excitement and joy in the smallest, most common thing, and therefore make it easier to remember.
Because I'll need help remembering.
The baby is still going to knock carrot pulp all over the floor, and the 4 year old is going to spill her juice, and the moment I sit down to eat the 6 year old is going to say, "I'm still hungry, Mom.", and I still have to take everyone to Pep Boys to charge the car battery that died last night, and the windows are still covered with snot and dirty finger prints.
My life is still happening.
I'll have lots of opportunities to seek joy today.
And this is the mindset I want to have, regardless of what comes my way:
"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:24)

Wishing you joy today.
Love from,
Greta

On Freedom, Home Schooling, Fresh Starts, and.......Mustaches

It was the kind of day that started out perfectly.
I went to my 5:30 am work out, which helped me make breakfast for my family, pack my husband's lunch, and deal with all the typical early morning craziness in my home, with a smile on my face and a spring in my step.
I love the early morning workout.
The kids were full of just as much energy as I was, overflowing with it, actually.
So when the boys asked if we could go for a bike ride I said, "yes!  Let's do it!"
Normally I'd say, "we have to do it later because we have beds to make, and the kitchen to clean up, and school to do."
But the day before had been rainy and we'd been inside all day.
I wanted to be outside just as much as they did.

As they rode and I ran behind them pushing the double jogger, I thought how glad I was to be getting muddy with them.
They love the feeling of racing ahead of me, the rush of speed and freedom it brings.
I love seeing the smiles on their faces as they race down the hill at the end of the trail.
I love the way they were waiting for Lilly, Davy and I when we came around a corner, gesturing frantically for us to be quiet and pointing to these beauties--a white egret and a great blue heron.
We stood together and watched them hunt in the long, wet, grass.
It was the kind of moment that makes me so glad I am home with my kids, schooling them, living and loving life with them.
"I am so happy right now,"  I thought as I looked at the 4 of them.

We stopped again to rejoice over the colors on this tree.

And to take silly pictures together.

I reflected upon the hours I was spending doing these things rather than our regular morning routine.

It's really a perfect example of why I home school.

I love the freedom of home schooling.

I love the freedom to design and use my own curriculum.

I love the freedom to assign one day a week, every week, to field trips.

I love the freedom to spend time on art, poetry, music, art history, and literature almost every day.

I love the freedom of doing school outside if we want, or in our pajamas.

I love the freedom of learning science at the tide pools, in a piece of literature, or on a hike, and not just from a textbook.
I love the freedom of making school goals like, "this year we will learn to make a perfect loaf of bread."
I love the freedom to memorize scripture verses and hymns each month.

I love the freedom to say, "let's start our day with a bike ride instead of chores and school."

It's a pretty magical way of doing school with my kids.

The funny thing is, to some people that doesn't sound like freedom at all.
Being home all day, with all their kids, day after day sounds like prison to them, not freedom.
They think I'm trapped, and say things like, "I could never stay home with my kids," and "I'm so glad I get to go to work every day" and "I can't wait for school to start every September."
And you know what?
I understand why they say that.

Because I would be a liar if I didn't tell you that sometimes I don't feel free.
Sometimes I feel trapped, claustrophobic, and overwhelmed.
I wait half the day to take a shower until Davy is down for his nap, hoping by then I can get 5 minutes of time to myself.
It never seems to work though, because the moment I'm in the shower, naked and dripping, someone is pulling aside the shower curtain and asking for something.
And that's when I just want to yell, "CAN'T YOU SEE I AM IN THE SHOWER?  I AM NAKED!  I AM SOAKING WET!  I CAN'T SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW! CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE FOR 5 MINUTES!"
Being a parent is the hardest thing I've ever done.
Being a parent who home schools has intensified that a hundred fold.
I'm not saying it isn't wonderful.
Because it is.
Really, truly, incredibly wonderful.
But also, really, truly, incredibly hard.

Parenting is hard because you never get to punch out, go off the clock, take a lunch break, or go home.
Your kids are always needing you, wanting you, sucking the life out of you.
Wait.  Did I just say that out loud?
One of my favorite sayings about having kids is this one:
"Having children is like being pecked to death by a chicken."
You know you love your children, but you also know that saying is so true!
But for me, the part of parenting that is much, much more difficult than the neverendingness of it all, is the way it highlights all my faults.
There has been nothing else in my life that has shown me more clearly how selfish I am.
Also how prideful, impatient, unkind, and unfair I can be.
Yes, parenting often brings me face to face with the very worst parts of myself.

And, like I said before, home schooling intensifies all that a hundred fold.
We're always together.
I love that.
But sometimes, well, it feels claustrophobic.
When it's been a full day of all 4 of them needing me simultaneously, over and over again, there comes a point when I sometimes think, "I can't do this.  I'm going to pull my hair out.  I just want to run away.
Davy is literally haggling from my pant leg, Lilly is asking me for a drink of milk, James is saying, "well, my first question is....", and William wants me to sit down and help him with his math, and it almost makes my skin crawl, "I can't meet all your needs all the time!"
Have you been there before?

This school year has been the hardest for me yet.
It's a combination of things, I'm sure.
More kids equals more wonderful, but it also equals more work.  
There is just no way around that.
That's why working out has been such a great thing for me.
It has done much to help me in the moments when I previously felt overwhelmed.
The days that I work out I find that things don't feel so overwhelming or insurmountable.
I have a more positive outlook.
I have more energy.
I'm more flexible--mentally and physically.
I have more joy.

This day was right in keeping with all that.

My cup was running over with joy!

But sometimes, it still isn't enough.
Some days there are moments when the ugly parts of me are stronger than anything else.

On that day, the moment we got home from our bike ride/run, all I felt was behind.

All I could see was the mess.

All I could think about was the work that lay ahead of me, and how we would never get it all done.

I'd be working until I fell asleep that night and would not have one moment to myself.

Remember how I told you parenting, and home schooling, shows me how selfish I am?

I was so selfish at that moment.
My thoughts were completely wrapped up in me.

So we got right to work cleaning up the house.

I helped them make up the bunk beds and had a conniption when I realized how dirty the wall was next to their bed. (remember, all I could see was the mess?)

"This is why I tell you not to put your feet on the walls!  Do you even see this?  Come on, you guys!"

And I set them to scrubbing off all that dirt.

Yes, I admit it.
Sometimes I am insane.
Thankfully, I am not deaf to the whispers of the Holy Spirit.
When I walked back into the kids' room and saw the three of them standing there scrubbing, bunk bed pushed away from the wall for better access, I repented.
It wasn't the fact that I was making them clean off the dirt that they put there.
It was the way I made them scrub the dirt off the wall.
I did it with anger, frustration, and impatience.
I did it with a selfish heart that asked, "why are they aways wrecking this house?"  
I did it with an attitude of poor me, rather than an attitude of, let's work together to get this clean because we're a family and we help each other.

I stopped them.
I knelt down to look them in the eyes and I said, "I'm sorry."
Like every other time I have treated them unfairly, they forgave me.
We prayed together.
And James said, "can we have a fresh start, Mommy?"
"Yes, my love, we can."

Fresh starts always begin with an honest apology, a seeking of forgiveness, and a prayer to ask God for the strength to change.
And then we spend purposeful time together, connecting with each other. Sometimes that means we just have a big, tight group hug.
Or we have a tickle fight.
We cuddle on the couch and read a favorite book.
Or we go to the nature center and hike the 2 mile trail.
We have hot tea and popcorn.
That day it involved some sticky mustaches, taking lots of pictures of each other, and laughing ourselves silly.

I am so grateful for fresh starts.
The big ones--there have been some of those.
And the little ones--there have been lots and lots of those.
Those fresh starts are the moment when I realize that I can't fix everything myself, no matter how hard I try.  (and I try hard.  remember, I like to be perfect)
Ultimately, as much as I don't like to see it, I am grateful for the way parenting and home schooling show me the truth about myself.
I am flawed, and I need help.
But no matter how flawed, no matter how many times I mess it all up, I am forgiven.
I have been given the greatest fresh start of all. "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has gone, the new has come!"  
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
I don't have to fix myself.
He's done the work.
And that, my friends, is the greatest freedom of all!
Love from,
Greta

Count Your Blessings

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”

(Thornton Wilder)

I have had a heart full and a heart heavy these past few days.

Full of the goodness in the simple and beautiful things that make up my life.

Heavy with the weight of sadness for lives lost and pain being suffered.

I processed my thoughts in my usual way, with words and pictures.

On Saturday I posted this picture and these words on my FB page:

Thrifting and coffee today with Aaron and Davy.
These are some of the sweet and simple pleasures of my little life.
All day long I thought of those families who would give anything to have their sweet and simple lives back, and my heart grieved for them.
Life is a vapor and we mustn't take our time here together for granted.

I also posted this:
I spent the last 2 days with only this little guy at home with me.
I love our full house, and all the joy my kids bring to one another.
But I also loved the time spent with just David, focusing all my attention on him, and remembering the days that seem so long ago when I was a new mommy to just 1 little boy.
Time goes by so fast.
I am terribly emotional right now, feeling so grateful and sad at the same time. 
Sometimes all you can do is weep with those who weep.

In the wake of tragedy, it is easy for us to stop and count our blessings.
We really remember to be deeply thankful for all that we have.
But unless we are directly affected by the tragedy, in a short time our lives move forward, and we allow ourselves to become immune to the tragedy, and beauty, that is all around us, all the time.
I don't think it is purposeful.
It's just easy to do.
There are a lot of distractions that keep us out of touch with the things that really matter.

One thought I've had as I've reflected on the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School, is that I need to feel this deeply for the pain and suffering of children everywhere, not just the 20 who lost their lives there.
My heart should ache for those 20 little lives ended too soon, and for other little lives that are hurting the whole world over, because that aching will be a call to action.
It will cause me to count my blessings.
And it will cause me to step out of my little world, and make a difference in the bigger world around me.
At least that is what I am hoping.

My kids were sick with the stomach flu this weekend.
I was literally up the entire night on Saturday with William.
He threw up for hours on end.
I laid on the hard wood floor next to him all night long, freezing cold and horribly uncomfortable, because he wanted me to be with him.
And as I laid there, I cried for the mommies and daddies who would give anything to be laying on a cold, hard, floor next to their sons and daughters.
They would love to listen to them breathe, rub their back when while they threw up, and wouldn't mind cleaning out the barf bowl over and over again.
And then I cried for all the little boys and girls who were laying in bed alone that night, wishing for a mommy to lay next to them and hold them when they were sick or afraid.
I was grateful that I had William, and that he had me.

The next day I counted my blessings when they boys felt well enough to "play".
Even though playing only consisted of laying on the floor, halfheartedly pushing matchbox cars and building Lego creations.
This is not our norm.
We are fortunate to be healthy.

This morning, when the pile of laundry waiting to be folded grew and grew, and tired kids lay sprawled all over the living room, I was grateful for the luxuries I often take for granted, like Netflix, and a washing machine and dryer.

And when this little boy finally came down with what his siblings all got, I was grateful for wood floors that are so easy to clean up.
I was grateful for the new blanket sleepers I found at the thrift store this weekend, because he was going through clean pajamas at a record rate.
I was grateful that I didn't have to worry about the stomach flu having dire consequences for my little boy--just minor inconveniences for me.

And at the end of two days taking care of 4 very needy little kids, I thought of all the people who are full time caregivers.
They care for elderly parents or children with special needs.
I can look forward to the cabin fever ending, knowing I will get a break from the nursing and tending to so many physical needs.
But they won't.
It made me mindful.
Mindful of the ways I can reach out to the people I know who are in that position.
And even to those that I don't know.

It's almost a new year, and time to take stock of things I'd like to do differently.
My hopes are big ones.
I've decided I don't want to be immune--to the beauty or the tragedy.
I don't want to be complacent.
I usually find it easy to seek out the beauty in my daily life.
But I tend to shield myself from the tragedy.
I don't like thinking about the hurting and the pain so many suffer because it makes me sad and uncomfortable.
Instead of shying away from it, I'd like to help people who are hurting.
I am going to keep counting my blessings.
And I am going to feel life: the pain of it, the laughing, the tears, the joy, the sadness, and the beauty.
I am going to remember.


It's easy to let the darkness in this life weigh us down.
We can easily give into feelings of hopelessness.

It's much harder to fight against that and be a force for good.

I pray I can be a force that lives out the truth of this, one of my favorite Bible verses:

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)

I found this quote and am so inspired by the truth of it.
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

And when I don't feel I can live up to that lofty goal, to let the hard things in life shape me into someone better, I draw strength from these words, one of my most favorite of all hymns, Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.
"Joyful, joyful we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love,
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,
Opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, 
Drive the dark of doubt away,
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day."

Today I am counting my blessings.
Love from,
Greta

Advent for the Advent Calendar Impaired (in which I tell you it's OK to be counter culture)

In case you haven't noticed, it's Christmas time, and everyone and their brother is doing an advent calendar.

Or Elf on the Shelf.

Or both.

I've got to admit, it's all a little overwhelming to me.

Just do a search for advent calendars on Pinterest, and you'll see what I mean.

Don't get me wrong, many of those calendars are beautiful, fun, and super creative.

Strangely enough, that just makes them all the more overwhelming!

After a while, I start to feel this pressure to take part and do these things, even if they are contrary to my hopes for how my family will experience Christmas this year.

This Christmas, more than ever before, I have 2 goals: to keep things simple, and to keep things focused on Jesus.

This doesn't mean we won't do fun things like go to the Christmas parade or see the lights, do lots of baking and cooking for friends, or go see Santa.

It just means I am doing my best to not add more things to my to do list that don't really need to be there.

Things like this:

Many advent calendars involve buying little trinkets for your child to open on the 24 days leading up to Christmas.

Buying 24 little trinkets, times 3, sounds exhausting to me.

Thinking of 24 trinkets to buy sounds exhausting.

Also, buying 24 trinkets, times 3, could be really expensive since I despise the dollar store, and refuse to buy my kids cheap junk that will be broken or tossed the next day.

Also, trinkets mean clutter.

Clutter does not simplify my life.

Other advent calendars suggest you offer your children special treats that are activities, not things.

The thing is, December is already a really busy month.

Doing one special activity a day sounds extremely exhausting to me.

Heck, sometimes doing one special activity a week is extremely exhausting to me!

Again, not simplifying.

I know all this makes me sound like a real Scrooge.

But I promise, I'm not.

Instead, I'm realizing that many of us are trying so hard to make every moment of this month so super, duper special, and fun, and exciting, and full of memory making moments, that it all just becomes too much.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Because really, isn't this the most important part of Christmas?

And isn't this what you want your children to focus on?

You might not end up with a Pinterest worthy advent calendar, or your kids might miss out on getting that special Christmas pencil when they complete day 15's advent scavenger hunt, but it will be OK.

Really.

Because you can still celebrate advent with your family.
You can celebrate in a simple and meaningful way.

Let me tell you what we did tonight.

After dinner, we sat down together in the living room.

We lit 2 candles because today is December 2nd.

They were't special advent candles, or any special colors, or anything more than some IKEA votives in mason jars.

We read a part of the Christmas story out of The Jesus Storybook Bible, and then we sang some Christmas carols together.

We had a good talk after we read.

We talked of Old Testament prophesies, of God using a poor, young girl like Mary to carry out His magnificent plan, and what the world would be like if Jesus had never come.

It was simple and just what I want for this Christmas season.

At this point I know we can realistically make that happen for the rest of the Sundays of Advent.

There won't be any guilt over missed days, and we won't loose steam because we are trying to cram in too many things in a day.

Next week our tree will be up and the time together will be that much more special as we turn off the lights and sing carols around the tree.

We'll probably recite the verses from Luke that we are learning together for school.

And also our poem, Christmas Everywhere.  (I love this poem!)

We might even have hot cocoa.

With marshmallows!

See, I am not a Scrooge.

I am just a mama who knows her limitations and who is finally learning to accept them.

And I am excited by time spent together doing simple things.

Because simple really is beautiful.

It is a counter culture idea.

I know, because I went to Target last night after the kids went to bed.

All I needed was baby wipes, paper towels and a filter for our Britta water pitcher.

Yet there I was, wandering the aisles, thinking about getting Lilly a new Hello Kitty water bottle, even though the one she has is still perfectly good.

It is very tempting to make the Christmas season all about consuming, and being crazy busy, and getting stressed out because we've over committed, until it just isn't peaceful anymore.

I'm here to tell you that you can be a Christmas slacker.

Pick the things that mean the most to you and do them.

And that's it.

It might end up being the simplest Christmas you've ever had.

And that is not a bad thing.

...........................................................................................................................................

Now if you are still really wanting to jump aboard the advent calendar bandwagon, I have a few ideas for you.

None of them are too overwhelming, and if you can't manage them for this year, start working on them for next Christmas and you'll be ahead of the game.

This never actually works for me, but you might be a better planner than I am.

So, if I was going to do one advent calendar, it would be this one. (see more pics of it here)

I like the simple, beautiful, fonts for each number.
It reminds me of Alexander Girard and also the graphics created by House Industries, both of which my design loving soul appreciates greatly.

I like that the pockets are small enough to hold one chocolate coin for each kid and a piece of paper with a scripture on it.

Because if I were doing and advent calendar, that is what I'd give my kids each day.

Simple. Sweet. Focused on Jesus.

Who knows?

I might get all crazy and do this next Christmas.

If you are wanting an advent activity for each day that is Christ centered, and more than fun activities, junky trinkets, or candy, this is the thing for you.
This, free, printable devotion guide from Anne Voskamp is beautiful, and all about Jesus.
There is a little, paper ornament to hang from the tree, (or put into one of those bags from the advent calendar I mentioned above--see how I did that?)  and a corresponding reading from scripture.
I am thinking of printing this up and doing it with my kids this year, even though we are already a bit behind.
Because we do Bible together in school everyday, this could be our Bible time and it would not add anything extra to our plate.
I don't think we'd be able to do it every night as a family because some nights we are doing other things, Aaron or I are gone, or the kids are tired and cranky and all we really want to do with them is put them to bed!
Just being honest with you here.
But we could do it together some nights and other times in the morning for school.
This is something worth investing time in because it emphasizes the most important part of Christmas--the birth of Jesus.

And if both of those things still sound like too much, here is an idea that you can do with your small child today.
Make a paper chain, one strip of paper for each day leading up to Christmas (yes you can make one now and the advent calendar police will not come get you for starting on December 3rd) and on each strip write down one of the names Jesus is called in the Bible, and its corresponding scripture verse.
My friend Mary sent this to me and I thought it was a brilliant idea.
Here are the names and verses:

The Son of the living God  

Mat 16:16

 His only begotten Son  

Jhn 3:16

 The Son of the Father  

1Jo 1:3

 The first-born of every creature  

Col 1:15

 His dear Son (or the Son of his love)  

Col 1:13

 The Son of the Highest  

Luk 1:32

 Wonderful  

Isa 9:6

 "This is the Son of God."  

Jhn 1:34 by John Baptist

 "The Christ, the Son of God."  

Jhn 20:31 from John, Apostle,

 "The Christ, the Son of God."  

Jhn 11:27 from Martha,

 "Thou Son of the Most High God."  

Mar 5:7 from The Legion,

   God

    Jhn 1:1;

 The Mighty God  

Isa 9:6

 The Everlasting God  

Isa 40:28

 The True God  

1Jo 5:20

 My Lord and my God  

Jhn 20:28

 The God of the whole earth  

Isa 54:5

 God manifest in the flesh  

1Ti 3:16

 The great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ    

                        Tts 2:13

 Emanuel, God with us  

Mat 1:23

 Jehovah, mighty in battle  

Psa 24:8

 I am  

Exd 3:14;

 The Highest  

Luk 1:76

 The Lord of Glory  

1Cr 2:8

 The King, Jehovah of Hosts  

Isa 6:5

If you can't find it in your heart to do an advent calendar at all, here is a helpful list of books you can read from for the advent season.
One of them would be a worthy purchase that would last you for the rest of your Christmases.
(This is one of my favorite blogs because it is about reading and good literature. Many of the books that are part of our school curriculum are discussed here, as well as books that are new to me.  It is a helpful blog all year long) 

In the end, I hope you experience true joy this Christmas season, not in getting or even giving lots of things, but in the knowledge that Christmas is about loving each other. 
And that is because Jesus showed us the ultimate love by coming to earth to walk among us.

HE IS WITH US!

Merry Christmas, friends!
Love from,
Greta