Saturday, December 13, 2008

Tooth Fairies

We are back home, and last night, we gathered the kids together and told them that Daddy is home to stay. The relief in their faces was visible. They crowded around Daddy to hug him and smother him.

We are tired. Still. Sleep seems to do nothing for it. I think it is the exhaustion of the last few weeks piled up.

My daughter lost another tooth last night. When she lost her first tooth, the tooth fairy "forgot". What happened was that the tooth fairy fell asleep. She completely forgot. This time, I hinted that the reason the tooth fairy forgot was that the tooth fairy is actually daddy, not mommy.

I think the brothers felt bad that the tooth fairy fell down on the job last time. When she woke up this morning, there was the fifty cents that daddy had put there, a large chocolate bar one brother had got for a gift at a Christmas party, a giant candy cane another brother had gotten, and some coins from another brother. Tooth fairy on overdrive.

Christmas. I'm exhausted. Still healing from the pain and stress of the last few months. I have to get it together for the kids, but I just do not feel like it right now.

At the same time, I am overwhelmed by the bigness of Christmas here. Everything is saturated with it, glitter, decorations, gifts, parties, and all. I miss the simplicity of Christmas on the field with a team that makes do with what we have and enjoys the time. Here, I think we are to enjoy things, and people often get lost in the mix.

4 comments:

nora said...

Ellie, that's fantastic news. I'll be praying you through Christmas-I'm thinking of strategically planning all my furloughs so that I get back to the field before the holidays.

Big hug from far away!
Nora

Shan in Japan said...

Glad to hear daddy is home and the kids were excited about it. Will continue to pray as you all re-adjust.
Christmas on the field sure is different from the way it is celebrated in North America. I hope you can have a simple Christmas without the kids feeling let down.
Praising God with you today!

Unknown said...

Hi Ellie...

Praying that God's presence will be sufficient for all through the holidays.
Glad that you are all together...praying for open communication and times of relaxation and refreshment.

hugs...

Alan & Beth McManus said...

Your daughter has such sweet brothers! We never did that. We would wake our tooth fairy up and tell her she forgot . . . again. She would mumble exhaustedly, "Go get money out of my purse and put it under the pillow before your sister wakes up." =)

Yeah, holidays can be overwhelming, especially at this stage. You CAN say, "Enough!" and pull back from the extras, you know. I'm officially giving you permission! =)

I continue to pray for you all the time.