Best gifts of all....

My favorite gifts this season could not be found in any catalog or store. My friend Mysty gave me the gift of an afternoon of Christmas shopping with my husband, and also a girls night of Christmas movies the night before. She gave my children an afternoon of festivities with their best friends. Dave and Diana gave us the gift of friendship by coming to a store to allow us to buy our kids their main Christmas present. This meant the world to us...no more searching and running around to find that perfect gift that was unavailable everywhere else we went. They also picked up the kiddos and dropped them off at their Grandma's so we could run in just one more store. Doug and Lori asked Jaden to do a presentation with the SWAT team. They taught him for weeks and gave up their Sunday afternoon. Watching that song presentation last night filled my heart with Joy. The love they have for our children and us is overwhelming to me. Sometimes parenting overwhelms me...it sure helps when our friends and church makes such a loving impact on them. They know that they are loved not only by us but by those around them and that helps to let them see how much God loves them. So today I sit here thankful for all my friends that help me not only this weekend but everyday to show God's love and what Christmas is really all about. There are many others I should be mentioning right now but I want to focus on this weekend and these special people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!