Did I say easy? In reality it wasn't. Even though in my heart I value quality time with my family and friends, though I know that a gift given just because its 'that time of year' isn't worth the giving, I found it difficult. When I knew each member of my family would be handing me a gift they bought or put money towards, I struggled with not reciprocating. What would they think? How would they feel? Am I being selfish? Those were the conflicts happening in my mind as I pondered this conspiracy in the midst of our culture and society.
Its not that I gave up giving all gifts this year, but that I decided to spend time & energy on something that would be for my whole family rather than buying individual gifts. See we've had these 8mm home videos that have been gathering dust for years - always there to be watched, yet ignored and overlooked due to the tiresome duty of having to search through hours to find what you're looking for. That's where the glory of the DVD comes in - yes, it was time to copy them & make them accessible to all! So, that's what I spent the last month working on - copying all our old home videos to DVD.
And last night it was all worth it. We sat down as a family, watching our lives pass by as we grew...laughing heartily at our hair styles, clothing, comments...pondering the people in our lives that have passed on...being thankful for where we are now in life. It was a really fantastic time, sharing memories together as a family again - my mom, dad, 2 brothers & I.
I love you all - mom, dad, Greg & Dave. Here's to lots of old memories and many more to come!
That's a great idea! I'm sure your family loved it!
ReplyDeleteI also experienced the Advent Conspiracy this year. It was hard and it was awesome! I spent lots of time doing things with my friends and family and really enjoying it. I limited my giftgiving to one gift per/grandchild with a limit of twenty dollars. It was hard because I love to give gifts!
ReplyDeleteI also made a video for my daughter. Mine was of her children recreating the Chirstmas story. It was fun and meaning full and memorable.
I also worked on a project that I call "Pray it Forward" (discribed on my blog). I was looking for a way to be give bigger than myself. I am praying for the harvest.
I am excited to see people getting excited about this!
Happy New Year!
Those videos were priceless! Although evidence of good ideas gone bad have now been immortalized in a more user-friendly and easier-to-access kind of way! Your effort was more than worth it sis, thank you so much for putting them together. Can't wait for the kids to see just how cool I was back then...or something! We love you and miss you already, take care and we'll talk soon!
ReplyDeleteDave