if you visited me in my home right now, you would think you had entered some kind of time warp.  You would know something is not right, even if you couldn’t put your finger on just what that was.  You would find yourself checking your phone, not for missed calls or for the time, but to verify the date.  Why?  because you would be confused by what you are seeing in my home.

You would notice the nativity or manger scene still on display in the family room. And you would think to yourself, “doesn’t she know Christmas is over?”  Perhaps you would be too polite to say anything or maybe you yourself are one of those people I have heard about who leave their Christmas trees up all year long, in which case you would not think twice about my nativity scene still being on display.  It would seem perfectly normal to you, not even getting your attention. You would not know that Procrastination has become my new middle name.

But then you would see the heart shaped valentine placemats and valentine candles on the kitchen table and perhaps say to yourself, “does she think it’s still February?  Why hasn’t she moved on?”  Then adding to your confusion, you would discover that there was a fairly large construction paper Easter bunny, big ears and all, displayed prominently on the mantle.  (courtesy of my son when he was in preschool )

“Well, at least she got that right”, you might think to yourself, seeing as how Easter is only a couple of days away.  And so you would be witness to the mingling of the seasons inside my home, which didn’t happen until now, when procrastination became my middle name.  (and may soon become my new first name)

But this got me to thinking . . . (usually a good thing)  How appropriate to have my nativity still out at Easter time, more accurately called Resurrection Sunday. Why? Because that baby in the manger grew up to become the Christ on the cross. That’s why He came in the first place.  What better way to remind myself of that truth than to display the symbols of both holidays simultaneously?

And then there are those heart placemats, so visible in my kitchen, the heart of any home.  Valentine’s is a holiday of the heart.  And that’s why Jesus came; He came to win our hearts, to heal our hearts, to renew our hearts, to give us new hearts, hearts of flesh and not of stone, hearts that He can write His law upon, hearts that only He can make clean and new and totally His.  Jesus came to give us each a heart transplant, so that we might have eternal life.

My heart placemats are also reminding me tonight and this Easter of Jesus’ love for me.  Jesus showed me His love by dying on that cross in my place to pay for my sin, and then He conquered death by rising on the third day.    That’s why I celebrate Resurrection Sunday.  Jesus lives and because He does, I can too.  My heart has hope because He lives.

So I guess my mingling of the seasons has some sense behind it, even though it wasn’t intentional.  Who knows?  maybe I’ll start a new decorating trend! Anyway, happy Christmas, Valentine’s and Easter to you all, dear readers!

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of  flesh.”   (Ezekiel 36:26)

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”  (Matthew 1:21)

sincerely,      Grace Day