Friday Foto Friends...Unexpected Little Things That May Be the Bigger Things!

So, today is Friday Foto Friends again (Click HERE for the link to our friends)...where we share our favorite photos from the recent past or maybe even from a long time ago...but either way...it is a fun way to connect with friends and give each other a glimpse into our homes or lives.

A little over a week ago I told you about our search for the "perfect Christmas tree"...and how I believe God led us to find it...(Click here for that story)....but you never got to see the finished product (unless you happen to be one of my Facebook friends).   So here are some pictures our "Charlie Brown Florida Cracker Christmas Tree"...(Click HERE for more about THAT story!)

Here's a few pictures of the events leading up to this finished product:

My sons are bringing in this monster tree, and trying to determine if it is even going to fit in our house! We did end up cutting more off of the top so it could stand up straight...

Okay, it is standing...

and thankfully my son helped put on the lights as I was sick with a cold and just couldn't manage it; And besides...this tree is huge...

 My 93 year old mother in law supervised the whole proceeding...telling us which way to turn it and what branches needed to be lopped off...She was really enjoying this whole process...which was quite a surprise to me because she usually doesn't get this enthusiastic about so much activity going on disrupting her routine and being displaced from HER chair (she's sitting in MY chair here).  I truly had hoped to have had this all done before she came for the weekend because I knew it was going to be challenging for us with all of the mess and fuss and taking care of her issues as well...(don't be deceived by that beautiful smiling face...there are issues!)  But it appeared as though this was exactly what the doctor ordered for her. She truly seemed to enjoy all of the festivity of  the boys setting up the tree and then watching as I decorated it.  She liked hearing me tell about each ornament, where it came from, etc.  It seemed to unlock the child in her and she became more animated and joyful as the day went on.  That was a gift to me...and a relief from some of the stress I had anticipated.

So here is the finished product...you can see some of the lopsided branches of our "Charlie Brown Florida Cracker Christmas Tree".  This type of sand pine has very weak branches, and many of the ornaments are too heavy, so they had to be hung on the main bigger branches closer to the center of the tree....

 So, now that it is up, we are enjoying it every day.  It may be lacking in perfect shape and style, but it is perfect in the truer sense that it has been a family adventure that has seemed to delight everyone, from the youngest to the oldest...perhaps especially the oldest!  And that makes me feel good inside.  It was worth all the effort to see my mother in law truly enjoying this special time with her family. We don't know how many more Christmases we may have her with us...and judging by the way a lot of things are "breaking down" in her body from week to week, we realize that this could very well be her last Christmas with us...at least being able to be in our home and participate with the family in a meaningful way.  So we treasure these times together and thank the Lord that He has allowed us this special time.

So, what about you? Have there been any unexpected special moments that have surprised you as you have gone about your Christmas preparations? Perhaps we need to pause in the midst of our busyness and take a moment to recognize the hand of God working in the "little things" that may be truly the "bigger things" that matter most.

Christ's birth might have seemed a "little thing" ...just a baby boy being born in a manger to couple of ordinary people...a carpenter and a young woman...certainly it was unexpected that the Messiah would come to earth that way...but oh wow!!! That baby was no ordinary child...He was the Son of God...and He came to change the world!!!

Yes...we need to pay attention to those "little things"....God is at work in our midst. And that's definitely a "Bigger Thing"!