Starr Christmas 2007

Disclaimer: This post is long and mostly re-caps our Christmas for our long distance family (but you are welcome to read!) and the slide show is LONG as well.


Create Your Own

We have been wonderfully blessed this Christmas with the love and presence of family and friends. Thank you to all who gave and sent wonderful gifts for all of us. Andy (mentioned in the slide show) is Micah and Mark's room mate who moved here in Nov and stayed in our house with the guys while we were in Cali. He is a sweet guy and gave our family really fun gifts. Thanks Andy! Our youngest turned 18 months old on the 26th and the other kiddos are at such a wonderful age for Christmas morning excitement. They were very good about taking turns and waiting patiently for others to open their gifts. We played all day with new toys and games. What fun!

Christmas Eve ended up being just our family, which was unexpected. We had planned on my brother, his friend (we'll call him Jay-more on him later) and Mark. Mark ended up cooking at the guy's house (where Jason and Jay were staying) and invited neighbors over to watch football. Our family had a simple candle light dinner, listened to the Christmas passage from the Bible, and took funny Baby Jesus pictures. We put the kids to bed early, finished wrapping gifts and enjoyed a movie.

My parents arrived Christmas morning around nine with quiche and cinnamon rolls in hand. Mark had to work (RTD never sleeps) and Jason and Jay arrived about an hour later. The day was filled with opening toys packaged like Fort Knox. Thankfully we had all the batteries we needed and there were plenty of people for various games. The trash we created was pretty amazing...but with four kids all getting gifts from an aunt, an uncle, a great uncle, 4 grandparents and 6 great grandparents (as well as a few friends) what else would you expect?!

Mark worked a split shift and came over for a late lunch before returning to work. He said it wasn't busy, but he had some homeless folks get on his bus just to get out of the cold. My parents left around 2. We had a simple spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread and ceasar salad dinner. Jason and Jay stayed late so they could pick Mark up after his shift was over and go back to the guy's house. All in all it was a wonderful day despite being cooped up inside all day and we were very blessed.

Back to Jay. Jason met him in Boulder (where he goes to CU Boulder) a few months ago. Jay has been homeless for about 8 years. He has an abandoned truck with a covered bed that he sleeps in. Jason has been spending a lot of time with Jay, inviting him to hang out at the frat house and has brought him down here on Saturdays and Sundays for the past few weeks (they stay at the guy's house). Jay's father left when he was young, his mother has joined the Mormon church and says that Jay is unfit for heaven and pretty much ignores him. He has a typical history with drug abuse, ect... He has lots of issues and is on meds for a few things. Currently he is waiting for disability to start and says that because of his metal issues that it's really hard to hold down a job for any length of time. He talks about his future with some hope though. He wants to go to college to be a lawyer ("to fight for the little guy" and "then my mom will be proud of me" as he told my mom). He wants to have a place to live and a normal life.

Overall, I see him as a lost and hurt soul who really needs love. He's been wounded and has a very high and thick wall up so he won't get hurt again. But, I am finding it difficult to show him love. He smells of cigarette smoke mixed with bo, he's pretty grizzly looking and doesn't have the best manners/people skills. I am being totally honest here which is a bit hard. I didn't want to spend my Christmas with him in our house all day! I don't like how he makes everything about him, how he complains about everything and is negative most of the time. I battled my thoughts all day and sort of steered clear of him. My mom was amazing toward him though. She brought him a gift, included him in a game and was just really sweet and kind. The kids have gotten to know him a little over the past month or so and have been totally unbiased to him as well. Emma even climbed up on his lap with a book and asked him to read to her! Upon leaving he thanked us and said it was the best Christmas he's had in a really long time and he doesn't remember when he's had so many home cooked meals. Later that evening he told Jason that being around all of us (including our APC family) has improved his morale. You know as I look back on our day I do not feel like we were robbed of "family time" at all. I am thankful (sort of) for this opportunity to grow!

So, pray for "Jay" that God will reach his lost soul. Pray for my brother as he finds a balance in his friendship with Jay. Jay is the type of person that suffocates a friendship till the other person is done. Jason is feeling this now. Jason just really wants to learn from this and already has grown and learned a lot. It's amazing to see his maturity and love (that is totally from God) towards Jay. Jason wants to help Jay without enabling him to continue down the path he's on. I am praying that Jay will learn and grow from my brother and be open to God who sent Jesus to call sinners to repentance.

I think we all have people who come into our lives who at first glance seem easy to judge. May we be quick to show kindness, love and generosity and very slow to make assumptions or judgments. The world is FULL to the brim of hurting souls in need of a touch, kind word or deed done as unto Jesus by those who love Him. The Bible says we love Him because He first loved us and I think a lot of that love we experience from Him comes through other people here on earth. What are your thoughts?

~Rose

Luke 5:30-32 "And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”