Our Special Visitors

As much as all the illness during Christmas was terrible, we actually had one of our best Christmases on record.  Dan's dad came out from Alberta to visit, bring Dan's youngest brother Eli and their dog Mack.

Really, the kids could care less about the presents (sorry guys), but they sure LOVED Mack. Micah spent the better part of a week trying to get his hands on that dog. Joel followed it around incessantly saying, "Puppy! Puppy!" By the end of the week, Joel finally associated the puppy with Papa!

As a family, we decided to go to Stanley Park and ride the Bright Nights Train. Joel was fairly silent through it all, but he did sit on Papa's lap the whole trip. (We realized later that he wasn't feeling well, and yes, he did puke on the car ride home. Note to self: car seats with machine washable covers are a must...hand washing pukey seats isn't fun).

He did comment on the lights and the train for days afterwards though.

The other wonderful visitor we got to see was Dan's middle brother, Kris. It has been a few years (minus an unexpected Easter visit) since we've seen him. It was a super huge blessing to our family to see him.

 Dad (Papa) got the most surprising gift: a chance to go out with his three boys, two grand babies and his daughter in law together for dinner. We all spent most of the vacation in shock. Shocked that Kris had called, shocked that Kris came out for dinner with us. Shocked that he came to extended family Christmas and shocked that he came for New Years Day fritters. It was the best Christmas gift ever.

It was our Christmas miracle.

Oddly enough, when we wrote our Christmas card blessing days before Christmas, we didn't realize how true it would be.

"May your Christmas be as messy as the manger,
as agonizing as a woman in labour,
as uncomfortable as an expectant mother riding a donkey,
as surprising as the Angels appearing to the Shepherds,
as hopeful as the wise men seeking out their Saviour,
as treacherous as a family fleeing from Herod,
as joyful as the birth of a new baby
and as peaceful as all those cards make it out to be."
 

We have to admit, it was messy and uncomfortable (sickness tends to be that way). But it was also surprising. And hopeful. Peaceful. Joyous. Good and Bad. But we really couldn't have predicted how awful it was going to be. Nor could we have expected it to be so incredibly surprising and amazing.
We're just thankful that God orchestrated it that way.