Nicole feels

Fresh baked banana bread delights my senses as I watch the tiny snowflakes fall from the sky. Twirling, whirling, their merry little dance complete as they rest upon my lawn, a shimmering lattice work of ice.

It's Christmas Eve.

Red, green, gold, and blue. Tiny tree lights glow amid a kaleidoscope of ornaments. Homemade: toothless faces smiling amid paper stars. Engraved: one for each year, save the year when we were an ocean apart. Glass: from years past of a mother and her two boys. Ones given: each precious, each unique. No rhyme or reason or theme. Yet together they make a perfect symphony of memories.

It's Christmas Eve.

The whole world seems poised. Waiting. Watching. Wondering.

Looking for miracles.

Just as the world waited. And watched. And wondered. Looking for miracles. Some 2000 years ago.

His advent here brought hope to shepherds in a field. Joy to first-time parents in a stable. Adoration of kings from afar.

A miracle of love. Of hope and joy. Of peace for our hearts.

He is still that miracle today. He still beckons. He still waits.

Above all, He loves. You. And me.

The first Christmas gift. A miracle of mercy.

It's Christmas Eve.