So Gig & The Beau got engaged December a year ago. And the wedding is in April.

Last week, my “momma dress” arrived. I was a little worried about it. (OK, maybe more than a “little”.) I’d found it online then couldn’t find one locally to try on. I even bought another dress – a really pretty navy sequined short dress – that I knew by the time I got it home that it wasn’t what I wanted to wear. Then I finally found THE DRESS. So I grabbed a friend, ran down to Dallas, tried it on in a short version, different color, picked the color, paid for it all in about a 5 minute time period. Got in the car and thought, “What did I just do?! Does Gig even LIKE this dress?!” Then I saw the picture we’d snapped and I wouldn’t even show it to people because I thought it looked bad – more like boobs with no waist. What had I done?!

So, last week they called. (BTW – a great shout out to Circle Park Bridal. I love the owner.) The day of reckoning. So Fred & I ran down Saturday to pick it up. I was nervous. Real nervous. If I hated this dress it was going on Craigslist and Gig was probably going to kill me…or The Beau’s mom who waited for me to pick. (Did you know that etiquette is that the MOB picks first? Yeh, me either.)

Fred wouldn’t go away so I could try this on alone and therefore throw what’s known in the South as a hissy fit if need be (and yes, there ARE reasons for a hissy fit sometimes). But then, cue the angels singing, OMG it was lovely! I love it! Thank. You. Jesus!

And then the euphoria started! I don’t look like a blimp! It’s a lovely dress! It’s got pockets! It’s too long! (I don’t know that I’ve ever had a dress that was too long.) It’s comfortable. And Gig, she said the nicest things – “It’s perfect. You look beautiful.” And I think for the first time since I bought it, I could breathe. And Fred said it took me about an hour and a half to come down to earth.

This getting married stuff is hard on the momma.

Dallas TX Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Processing Center processed THE.LAST.OCC.BOX – in the US – on it’s way to Niger- last night. A pastor from Rwanda had met the final packers 10 years previously through an OCC box received in his town because they had included their email address in a note in the box. And as they were packing, in the only quiet moment of the evening, someone began to softly sing….”Silent Night. Holy Night. All is calm. All is quiet”..and the entire packing group joined in acapella… It was a goose bump moment. One small OCC box moving down the line in the near-silent warehouse, scanned with a “Follow Me” tag to track it’s journey.

It was our third night this season to volunteer at the Dallas Center. The first night was almost accidental…hey wanna go? Sure. Every night after that…and next year…was because we wanted to be there.

Fred @ OCC

We had so much fun!

OCC is Or-ga-nized! From online volunteer registering to the short instructional video of why the station you’re working is important, to the amazing staff there to answer any question in an amazing amount of time, to the almost magical way empty boxes disappear and another full box is ready and waiting to be processed.

Dallas had over 20,000 volunteers from Nov 20 to Dec 15 working from 9am to 10pm. Many were repeaters. Lots came from out of town. They processed over 640,000 boxes. OCC nationwide will send out more than 7 million boxes…and still some children will go without.

We were told that these 3 things were basic to every box: a toothbrush of the child’s own so they didn’t have to share (and thus helping to stop the spread of HIV in some areas) -um, they had me at “share”, a pencil – 1 pencil allows the child to do basic school work (education), and lastly a small toy – any toy – because predators use these types of items to lure children to unimaginable lives and when the child has their own toy, they are less likely to be lured.

My boxes will be packed differently next year. First, a t-shirt, a box of pencils, a toothbrush and a toy will go in. But there will also be a picture of my family and a note to the child. And there will be more of my heart packed in.

Some of the most precious notes. One of the first ones I saw, had a simple handwritten note, “God loves you and we do too”. Or the one that began, “Dear Princess, You are the daughter of the Most High King”…and the one from 3 men from Texas, grown men who took the time to take a picture and make i-dont-know-how-many-boxes-but-a-lot that says, “Hello from Texas, Bo, Daniel and Mike”. Or the child’s handprint note that read, “when you put your hand on my handprint, I’ll be praying for you”.

If your season is a little bah-humbug, a night at the OCC Processing Center will change that. You’ll walk away so grateful for the abundance you have that you don’t even think about. One pencil and I’m picky about the pen I use! One toothbrush – my family each have our own favorite toothpaste not just an unshared toothbrush! And a Dollar Tree toy. These can change the life of a child.

So, why was going and standing on concrete for 4 hours fun? I’m not sure. Maybe it was because it’s all fast paced. Maybe it was the music – from Christmas to worship to Randy Travis. Maybe it was the guys when they got one of the boxes packed shouting like banshees, “We got another box!!!” IDK. But every night we were there, we walked away excited and ready to go do it again. Maybe it was just doing something for the greater good. I really. dont. know. But we’re already planning to go again next year. To take a little bit of time out of the hustle and bustle of the American Christmas season and spend a few nights doing something that left us feeling ……blessed.

I’d written in October about a new tradition – The Month of Thankfuls. So, I thought I’d share a few of them with you…

To The Beau from me:Thankful for left over sausage that made an EXCELLENT sausage egg sandwich for breakfast.

From The Beau: Beautiful weather. A great victory. (His football team won) And a beautiful woman to share it all with.

From Fred: Thankful that you still reach for and hold my hand everywhere we go.

From Fred: Thankful for the best opening day ever! Thankful for a life filled with you as my wife. [The first opening day he was home and wasn’t hunting in over 30 years. We’re blessed with romantic men.]

After they had friends over for dinner, from Gig: Thankful for taste testers! They will eat anything! Good friends!

This isn’t as redneck as it sounds from The Beau: Thankful for a good “possum” hunt!  And this classic to her parents:  Today I’m really thankful for time alone with you (Gig said, “That sounds dirty.” He said, “Put a winky face!”) 🙂

And to Gig: Thankful for all the talks we have & the humor we share since we’re hysterically funny. Had to put my glasses on cause I couldn’t tell if it said tumor or humor.

From Sis: I’m thankful for the interesting discussions with you that make me think and really look at my beliefs. [Me: I like your thankful. Sis: I like that you like my thankful about what I like about you. Me: Well there’s that part too. Sis: ROFL]

See, I am hysterically funny!

From Sis after a slow response: HEY! Aren’t you thankful for me today?!?

It had been one of those days and I’d been melancholy: Thankful that you love me even when I’m grumpy. And that you’re obedient. [she said ‘yes ma’am’ when she was starting to make me cry and I said “now hush”]

As a joke, I sent: Thankful I didn’t get caught. [Gig responded: LOL sneaky sneaky! (With that reply, I’ll call her if there’s ever a body to hide.)] Fred’s reply, “What did you do to get caught?” Husbands!

OK, I know this sounds funny, but it was the mom in me: Thankful for a kid who still puts his head in my lap & let’s me braid his hair.

We had T-giving on Sunday instead of Thursday: Thankful all the kids will be here today. We’ll eat well! Seems appropriate for the last day of Thankfuls. We may have to make this a tradition!

Hope you took a moment to be Thankful – most of us have SO much more than we need.