Unexpected change of plans...

It is never a good thing when a little one has a stomach bug and a fever.  It is especially bad when this happens the day before your family Christmas celebration is supposed to take place.  Yes, Grace got the dreaded winter yuck and we made a decision to postpone our Christmas gathering until after Christmas.  We just wanted everyone, especially Grace, to be able to enjoy our time together.  All this to say, Ken and I found ourselves with no plans yesterday.  Around lunch time, Gwen called and asked if we would be interested in going to Great America "Holiday in the Park" with their family.  Their family has a membership to the park (since they live so close and the kids love the rides) and there was a special deal with discounted tickets that day.  Gwen said that they decided to go since our Christmas celebration was canceled and the weather happened to be WARM.  Of course, this is Chicago, so by warm, I  mean 40 degrees.  Considering it was the first day of winter, that is actually very unseasonably warm.  With the prospect of a great light show to photograph, Ken was happy to go.  So with very little forethought, we jumped in the car and met Gwen, Tim and the kids just after the park opened at 2:00pm.  As we were walking up to the ticket area, a women in a wheelchair noticed our group and called Gwen over.  She actually had decided it was too cold for her to be out for so long and she handed Gwen a free ticket and said she had decided to go back to her car.  It seemed unlikely that this paper ticket was actually a valid entry ticket, but we took it to the ticket booth and surprisingly it was really a free ticket!  So Ken and I both got into the park for $20 and we did not have to pay for parking either since Gwen and Tim have parking passes.  It really made the entire event seem very special.  We could not have planned a nicer day, weather wise, and at such a low cost for us to join them. 

We took the iconic picture with the carousel in the background and it was really funny to see ice floating on the pool behind us.  Our plans included seeing a show, that would provide a warm place to sit for awhile after several hours walking around outside.  Then there was a parade and a special tree lighting ceremony of the large tree that we are standing in front of in this picture. 

This is the tree before the tree lighting!  It is really a big, big tree and it is hard to see the scale from these pictures.  

We loved the Christmas musical show.  It was a really wonderful half hour of singing and dancing.  The most surprising thing was the last portion of the program was all traditional Christmas Carols.  It was so good to hear the name of Jesus loudly proclaimed.  We came out of the show, into the dark and the park was glowing with all of the light displays.  The parade and tree lighting were great.

This picture does not do the tree justice.  It was lovely.  

We went to several other areas of the park, all had amazing light displays.  Unfortunately my phone battery died (a combination of an old phone and the cold makes my battery life lousy!  Sidenote....I really need a new phone).  Ken and I decided it was time to go when I couldn't feel my toes and my fingers were tingling from the cold.  We had not really put much thought into our attire for this event and I didn't wear my boots (which would have been much warmer) and I only had thin gloves.  Nevertheless, it was a wonderful few hours spent in a very unexpected way.

It is always difficult when plans change last minute.  Especially when it is for a long anticipated event.  But lets face it, life can just happen and sometimes things don't go as planned.  I was thinking about all of the small blessings that filled this day for Ken and I in spite of the change of plans.  First of all, the weather could not have been any better for an outdoor activity like this.  Breathing in the fresh air and doing all that walking was wonderful.  Secondly the free ticket was just such a blessing.  Even though spending the extra $20 would not have been a big deal for us (the experience was certainly worth more than that), it was so unexpected.  Just another way I felt that little touch of love from the Lord.  A few days ago I was mentioning to Ken that I really missed going to a Christmas concert this year.  We actually missed one concert because of a different "unexpected change of plans".  What a blessing it was to see and hear this amazing performance of Christmas music.  A special blessing for me was the tree lighting.   I don't think I ever really mentioned this to anyone, but I have always thought it would be fun to see a big tree lighting and actually be a part of the crowd watching that happen.  And there I was, surrounded by crowds of people, yet with my own people, watching light chasing away the darkness as the tree exploded with dazzling brightness.  What a blessing it was that Gwen and Tim thought to invite us to this event. I realize that not everyone is as blessed as Ken and I, with adult children who include us in so many family things. Many don't live close enough to their extended family to have these memory making times.  I am just so thankful.

Christmas is all about sharing the love and joy of Jesus with others.  I don't think there is any better gift I could get then a day like this one.  Kids do get sick and plans do have to change at times.  But in the midst of all of that, there are so many small blessings to be found if you just take the time to look for them.  I know that I needed that reminder.  If you have had plans change, things cancel or been disappointed with yourself or others during this season, I encourage you to just stop and look for the small blessings.  Each small thing is a nugget of love and joy just waiting to be passed on and shared.  Look for those little things and be blessed!  Merry Christmas

Jesus, thank you for the reminder that there is always something to be thankful for, even in the midst of changes.  Holy Spirit, give us eyes to see the small blessings that surround us.  Help us remember to find the joy in every situation and to share that love and joy with others.  Thank you for coming to us as a tiny baby.  Amen