Dancing with Daffodils

One evening last week I read a message with my children from a church leader on ways to keep Christ at the center of our Christmas celebration.  He suggested reading scriptures, listening to the words of sacred carols and sincere acts of love.  In an effort to reach out and show love, I had gotten a catalog from heifer.org and asked the children if they would like to pick out an animal to give to a family in need as a Christmas gift.  The flock of chicks or the hive of bees were very reasonable but my children picked a sheep, one of the more expensive animals.  In that moment I felt an inner conflict with my own selfishness. Here I was trying to teach my children to be unselfish but it was more than I was hoping to spend.  Yet they both agreed and were determined and united in their choice, so we bought a sheep.  It hit me later how appropriate their choice is for Christmas.  Christ is the Good Shepherd and it was the shepherds who first heard of Jesu...