DANCING INTO A NEW YEAR ! (1/5/12)

"But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added onto you as well."       Luke 18:30

As a mom of three children, I have received a great deal of "treasured gifts" that my children have made and given to me over the years. I still have the 14-year-old ceramic tile jewelry box on my dresser that continues to lose a few pieces of tile each year. I have an angel ornament on our tree made in Preschool that still has a ton of glitter on its halo.  I have a glazed piece of pottery on my night stand that has "I love you" carved in the bottom, and I also have a hand-drawn and framed picture of my daughter and I where both of our arms and legs are coming out of our heads!

As my children got older, the gifts become a little more unique. Years ago, my son gave me his most treasured Pokémon card (but asked for it back once I opened it!). During an infomercial phase, I was given the "Perfect Pancake" maker but after numerous attempts, we determined was false advertising! I have received earrings that were also mysteriously on my daughter's Christmas List. However, this year, I received a gift that has the potential to become a treasured and endearing memory.

During the days that led up to Christmas, my 19 year old kept hinting of how much I was going to love his gift and how he even amazed himself with his creativity this year. When the big moment arrived, he ran and retrieved a large envelope. Not knowing exactly what to expect from this one, I cautiously open the envelope. Not able to restrain his excitement any longer, he announced "We're going dancing!" as I pulled a certificate for "one evening of Ballroom dance lessons" out of the envelope. He then explained, "For all the times that you tried to teach me different steps in the kitchen, I thought that we should go and finally learn the right way to do this."

He then described the various package options that the studio owner offered but he quickly determined that with his college budget, we were going to need to be fast learners! The entire time that I was listening to him, I was thinking "who cares if we don't even go... just the fact that you entertained the idea to go dancing with your mom is a treasured gift to me!"

As Christians, we frequently are given treasured gifts from our Heavenly Father. Every day brings various blessings that remind us of His great love for us.

As we enter into 2012, may this be a year where we passionately look for ways to share these gifts with others who don't know Jesus as we strive to expand His Kingdom.

Looking forward to dancing into this New Year with all of you and exploring and creating treasured memories where we serve our Heavenly Father!

In Jesus' love,

Mrs. Palka