As 2012 rapidly comes to a close, my heart swells with sweet memories of the past weeks spent with my family at my "little house on the prairie."
The aroma of Challah bread permeated the air! This year we chose to honor my Jewish heritage and we celebrated Hanukkah. Rebekah and I immersed ourselves in studying about the holiday. Our days were filled with learning history, reading stories (Rebekah read Meet Rebecca, An American Girl novel about a Jewish girl in 1918), and making traditional Jewish recipes. Our very first attempt baking Challah reigns victorious as our favoirte recipe during Hanukkah. The multi-colored menorah candles continue to burn brightly in my heart as I reflect on past memories (of my father whom I was reconnected with as an adult and grandparents who would visit us bearing bagels and lox) and new traditions with my history-loving daughter.
Please allow this mom a moment to brag...Rebekah has been a very compassionate and generous person since a very young age. I often refer to her as my little girl (okay, she's not so little now) with a HUGE heart! However, this year I saw these qualities in her grow exponentially. She worked "odd jobs" to save up for gifts for special people in her life, embraced that she'd already been gifted a new saddle in the fall so there would be less "under the tree" for her, she confidently shared her love of Jesus with almost everyone she came into contact with by sharing a smile and a hearty "Merry Christmas," and she absolutely endorsed giving "Living Gifts" (chickens, trade training, health care for impoverished families across the world) to our friends and family. What really impacted me was how she crossed the bridge from being a bit more focused on being the recipient (developmentally appropriate) to being the GIVER! I can't count how many times she would randomly blurt out, "I just can't wait until you open your gift, Mom!" I am the proud recipient of an absolutely beautiful teapot Rebekah purchased at Ten Thousand Villages (a local fair trade store)! Yes, Rebekah truly exemplifies the true spirit of Christmas!!!
Keep in mind that we home-school year round and follow the Self Design educational approach-- Rebekah continued to research topics she's interested in. My quirky girl has latched on to the idea of being a granola (she's following my footsteps from the past) and has been researching fashion, etc. I don't know how many times she googled "bell bottoms." She found a website that showed her how to make bell bottoms out of her own jeans. So....she chose just the right pair of jeans to make into a a new creation. The other night her dad helped her with her "math" (measuring out the triangle fabric inlays...changing the measurements several times to decide exactly how wide the bell bottoms should be). Rebekah hand-sewed the inlays and voila...bell bottoms! I love this kid!
There are so many memories (some filled with laughter and others with tears) from this past year. Maybe I'll share some more in the future. It's my hope that you take some time to reflect on some of your "favorite things" from this Christmas season as you anticipate the changing of the calendar to 2013 in a couple of days!
"She is clothed with strength and dignity;she is able to laugh at the days to come."
Proverbs 31:25
