This is for anyone who is feeling right now like Christmas is the finish line of a marathon they have been running and maybe weren’t even excited to enter in the first place. I don’t know if Christmas magic is something that fades away in adulthood as we become more jaded to the world or if it has simply been lost for me lately, overshadowed by grief and adult responsibilities. Either way, I have been struggling to get motivated and enjoy the holiday season when all the celebrations seem like another task on the never ending to-do list.

It seems as though every organization, club, friend group, etc… needs to have some kind of holiday celebration during the month of December and I find this to be exhausting. I don’t mean to be a Scrooge, but I always wonder why can’t these things be spread out more during the year? Why do we need to get another gift for another exchange or make another dish for another potluck? With all the extras to take care of, it’s hard to stay focused on the blessing it is to have friends, family and coworkers to celebrate with and enjoy each other’s company.

I wonder if my indifference to the holidays has negatively rubbed off on my children as well. This morning, I asked my five year old if she and her sister wanted to open a gift from me early. I had personalized ornaments made for them and thought they might like to hang them up on the tree to enjoy for a while before packing away the decorations for next year. Lola’s response was, “well, do you want me to?” I was taken aback by this thinking how my siblings and I would have been diving under the tree at that question, carefully sizing up which present we wanted to tear open early. While I have taught my children about the true meaning of Christmas and keep our focus on celebrating the birth of Jesus and giving back to others, it made me feel a little sad that she reacted to the offer of opening a gift early so calmly and unemotionally.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

Psalm 24:1

I know my kids have been through life experiences that have shaped them to be less egocentric and carefree as would be typical for their ages, and I really hate that. I look over their Christmas lists and wish that they weren’t so practical and, frankly, sad. I wish they were selfishly asking for all the toys and outrageous things like the spoiled children they deserve to be for a few more years. Instead, Lola made Mrs. Claus tear up when she motioned for her to lean down and then whispered in her ear that she “wanted a daddy” for Christmas. What broke my heart most about this is knowing that Lola believes in Santa and Christmas magic. She put in her request for a daddy having full faith that it was something that could come from the North Pole to be delivered on Christmas morning.

If you are reading this, I assume you don’t need a sermon on Jesus being the reason for the season. What I’m realizing right now is that I need to lean into the fact that God created us as humans to be good stewards of everything he has blessed us with, the most important being our children. We need to focus on using our time, talents and treasures to glorify He who made us. We need to acknowledge that everything comes from above and we are simply the caretakers of the possessions God has bestowed upon us. That’s why it is important that we spend this time remembering to open up our homes graciously to reconnect with our loved ones and opening our wallets to help those in need wherever we can. Most importantly, to the parents struggling to make it through the next couple days: God has entrusted us with his most precious creation. We are stewards of their childhood and that is not a job to be taken lightly. When I stop and think about the fact that I only have a handful of Christmases with children at an age where they believe in holiday magic, that darn elf on the shelf doesn’t seem like such a burden I find joy in the busyness of the season. It is truly an honor to steward all the gifts God has blessed me with this Christmas to celebrate and glorify His greatest gift to humanity.

Love, Molly

Copyright © 2023, M. Marley, LLC

It seems like once mid-October comes, the remainder of the year just flies by. With all the things to do to prepare for the holidays, the “most wonderful time of the year” can often be overwhelming and the things that are meant to be enjoyed end up feeling more like a chore. As I have been trying my best to balance my calendar as a single parent, I have to remind myself to slow down and be still.

My girls and I are scheduled to take family photos this weekend which feels like just one more thing on my already overfilled plate. I find myself stressing about the fact that I don’t have coordinating outfits ready or clear skin. I already had to reschedule our pictures due to a sick kid and bad weather and I have negatively been letting our upcoming family photo session feel like a task rather than a privilege.

I want to share, again, a post I wrote back in 2020. Around this time four years ago, we had taken our last pictures as a family of four and I sent out our last round of Christmas cards from “Molly and Taylor.” I don’t take for granted that it is a privilege to stop and capture my little family just as we are now. I hope that one day our family will have grown and we will look back and remember how special this time was when it was just the three of us, when the girls were still little, when life was hard and messy and beautiful and we will be glad we took the pictures.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Psalm 90:12

I pray that we can all be wise enough to soak in the joys of whatever season we are in and wise enough to cherish our present time, capturing life as it is even when it doesn’t look picture perfect.

Love, Molly

Copyright © 2023, M. Marley, LLC.

Just Take the Picture

My second grader came home from school this week and casually asked me if I knew that Israel was at war. Whenever I get a difficult question from my children I typically ask what they know about the proposed topic before giving my answer. This helps me gauge just how much I need to share when it comes to uncomfortable or adult subject matter, and I don’t believe anything is more gut-wrenching than explaining pure evil to an innocent child.

While I was carefully finding my words to Margot’s question, she did what kids tend to do and started asking more questions before I could even answer. She began talking through all of her thoughts and concerns on the subject and voicing the connections she had already made in her seven year old world. She has recently read all of the American Girl books about Molly McIntire, a character growing up in the 1940s during the end of WWII. Molly’s dad is overseas serving the US Army as a doctor while her family hosts an English girl seeking refuge from the trauma and threats she faced back home in Europe.

My daughter wanted to know, eighty years later, if there would be attacks on America like when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor back in Molly’s time. Margot wondered if the kids in Israel were scared and in danger like Molly’s friend that came to the United States for safety. Did they have enough food to eat or was it being rationed like it was in England during the 40s? One of the hardest things about being a parent is not being able to protect your child from the foothold the devil has in this world. It feels wrong to assure someone that they are safe and attacks will not happen here when the unthinkable happens everyday all over the world and the truth is unknown.

“This is what the Lord Says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-the Lord Almighty is his name: ‘Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,’ declares the Lord, ‘will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.’

This is what the Lord says: ‘Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,’ declares the Lord.

‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.'”

Jeremiah 31:35-40

As my firstborn was listing off all the possible scenarios and questions that had stemmed from what she knew concerning warfare, she didn’t give me the opportunity to interject before declaring, “I guess it doesn’t really matter because I already know who wins.” She elaborated that God promised to protect and provide for the nation of Israel and will ultimately deliver His people to victory. Margot recalled how God took care of the Israelites in Egypt and stood by them in every battle then shrugged her shoulders as she declared, “So I guess I’m not really too worried about it” before heading off to go play with her sister.

While I am blown away by her childlike faith and biblical knowledge, I, for one, can’t help but be worried about events playing out across the globe. Horrific things are happening right now because of people who are driven entirely by hatred. God never promised protection from pain and suffering and not even Jesus himself was able to escape death, but He did promise victory over death. Like Margot reminded me, the victory has already been won and we can count on God’s promise of shalom when the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven and God wipes away every tear from the eyes of his people. We can rest assured that in the end it is all going to be ok.

Love, Molly

Copyright © 2023, M. Marley, LLC.