Praise God! I'm Healed!

This is me! Praise God I'm healed! I LOVE SHOPPING!!!! After writing my last post, Suz was concerned and felt that she needed to help me find myself again and find my love of shopping. So she suggested a quick visit to some shops this afternoon. Now it was touch and go for a few minutes because we did choose a very busy time to go to the centre of Southampton shopping (Saturday afternoon - 1st weekend of December!) but I coped and all of a sudden ..... Just as I entered Accessorize ... I found me! and from then on in it was easy! We shopped and shopped as if no identity crisis had ever befallen me. However, it was coming to the end of the shopping spree and I was becoming slightly disappointed because I had bought nothing for myself. Suz had bought me a coat but this was my Christmas present from her so I still hadn't bought anything for myself. We went into M&S as the last shop before the carpark and the disappointment was growing. I was just browsing around, and then I saw it and took it to the counter almost immediately. This was when I knew that I had been healed completely - because I bought a bag!! It's just so good to be myself again!

So tonight, I have put up my christmas decorations. I'm not sure my flat looks particularly christmasy though. I thought I'd put them up now for when my brother and his wife (Richard & Heidie) come home from Zambia on Tuesday. They don't really celebrate christmas in Zambia although it is meant to be a predominantly christian country. Seems strange, therefore, not to celebrate probably the most prominant christian festival! but hey - never mind! Richard & Heidie will make up for it when they arrive back home to all the palava we get caught up in, although I'm really not quite sure what some people here in the UK think they're celebrating at christmas anymore. Every year we say it's all getting a bit out of hand but every year it seems to get worse. My mum loves christmas and goes a bit mental mickey with some of her christmas decorations. One year she got a mat so when you walked in the door you stood on it and christmas music played. Another year she got a clock which plays christmas music on the hour. This year, she has bought not only a doorpull - you hang it over the door and pull the cord and it plays music (I'm very honoured because she also bought one for me! Luckily, or unluckily it doesn' fit over my front door so is on my living room door instead) and apparently, she's also managed to acquire a christmas toilet seat cover which I think might even play music as well not sure if it's sensor operated or if it plays in time to "noises" - one things for sure, it will be interesting to see how it works so watch this space! It would seem that mum is looking for as many christmas music playing novelties as possible. It's very funny and endearing really. The other thing my mum does which has become a family joke is the fact that she always seems to leave the price on her presents! This year Richard and I will probably be watching closely to see how many presents we find out the cost of.

Christmas brings with it so many different emotions for so many different people. It can be so stressful to make it a happy occasion because of many reasons including family situations, past memories of bad christmases, loneliness, debt, living up to so many expectations with presents and relationships and so the list goes on. For me, it just makes me so grateful for what God have given to me in my wonderfully understanding family and friends and the best gift he gave to me - Jesus and the peace and joy that he brought. Wouldn't it be great if in every household this Christmas Jesus enters so that the tension and negative emotions disappear and people celebrate the real peace, joy and love which was God's gift to us in Jesus.

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night.

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!

laters
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