“Then He brought us out from there, to bring us in…”  Deuteronomy 6:23 photo by Aura Moore I need to tell you a story. Almost exactly twelve years ago, we bought our first house.  It was cute, quaint, an old New England cape on a dead end.  I was five months pregnant  with our first child.  We were fresh out of college.  The housing market was booming.  I was in nursing school.  He had a decent and stable job.  It was time to settle down. So we bought a house, getting a mortgage as first time homeowners.  There were a few strings attached, but with a low rate which didn’t require a large down payment, we took the deal.  Then we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. It was an old house, full

The day started with a white shirt.  The younger boys poured bowls of frozen blueberries after breakfast.  It went downhill from there. Some days I just feel fallible.  The bags under my eyes are heavy with my own insufficiency.  It’s true especially in December. The Christmas season is in full swing.  Lights, evergreens, cookies, gifts, peppermint, snow, parties, sleighs and tradition. But traditionally, this season slays me.  My husband disappears into the retail world from the first of November until late on December 24th.  He’s busy running a store, helping people spend their money.  Paradoxically, we tighten our belts and hunker down until the commercialism storm peters out.  It will.