Week 145: Cherishing and Creating
Sarah’s office Christmas party was a full day of good times and great food…
Each Sunday, my wife and I cook and eat a meal together — intentionally. Every Friday, I’ll be sharing our experience here in this space. I want to see the growth that will come in our marriage because of this. I hope you enjoy our story. You can find last week’s post here.
The Christmas season is always busy. Everyone says it and everyone feels it. There’s simply no way around it. You’re going to have a lot of things to do and a lot of places to be. I’ve come to realize that you need to embrace that and not let it overwhelm you. Otherwise, you’re certain to miss out on some wonderful memories.
Sarah’s office Christmas party fell on a Saturday this year, and she had signed up for a side dish. Cue the crockpot! Sarah decided to make a big helping of mac & cheese, and I couldn’t be happier. You can never go wrong with mac & cheese.
Prepping for a Christmas party is always hectic. You have to time the cooking, get ready, decide your outfit isn’t quite right, change, check on the food, finish getting ready, pack up the food, hop in the car and drive off to the party. By some miracle, we actually got to Sarah’s office on time.
We were there early to help set up. There was some final decorating to do, and me and one of the other office husbands (shout out to Terry Linhart) went to the local grocery store to get a few last minute items. There was a lot of prep work. But what I love about Sarah’s office is that there is so much purpose behind it. The party was specifically designed to celebrate all the work that the office staff and caregivers provide throughout the year. There’s so much love and support at this party, and it’s really awesome to see.
We finished up right about lunch time, and everyone walked over to a local Mexican food restaurant. Now this isn’t just any restaurant, it’s El Cielito Lindo — a wonderful authentic restaurant in little old Nappanee, Indiana. It’s not the place you might expect to find an authentic Mexican restaurant, but it’s there nonetheless. Sometimes expectations aren’t all that accurate.
I ate so much at lunch that by the time we got back to the office for the party, I wasn’t all that hungry. People began trickling in, and I just stood by the door welcoming people in. I watched as people sampled the various food items, but I just wasn’t hungry enough to try any myself.
Sarah was in the other room where everyone was beginning to congregate. They were sharing work stories from the previous year and playing games. It struck me that there were other things that could be occupying her mind — details to take care of and that sort of thing. Yet Sarah was right here in the present, enjoying the company of her co-workers.
There’s a lot of truth right there.
The holidays bring so many opportunities for diverted attention. There are a wealth of things for us to think about at any given moment. But the holidays are also times when we have special opportunities for joy-filled moments. We need to be fully present at those times. I know for myself, that’s a constant work-in-progress.
We laughed and genuinely cherished the opportunity to share such wonderful company. I never did get to try any of the mac & cheese, or really any of the side dishes, for that matter. But it was nice knowing that we had provided something that others were able to enjoy.
There’s a lot of truth there, too.
The holidays give us many opportunities to have joy-filled moments, yes. But there are always others who don’t have such blessings. In what time we have available to us this holiday season, we must also make it a priority to create joy-filled moments for others. Even if they seem small — like a bite of mac & cheese — it’s worth it to put effort into creating something for someone else.
As we move closer to Christmas Day, I know I’m going to be dwelling on those two words — cherishing and creating. May you have many opportunities to cherish special moments with your loved ones, and may you in turn seek out ways you can create special moments for others.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
