Christmas BREAK

This has been quite a Christmas. I had a lot of things put into perspective for me. 

As finals ended and my break started, I was wrapped up in my own issues and worried only about me. I wasn't really getting into the Christmas spirit and didn't even have much of a charitable attitude. I did some nice things, but then I convinced myself that what i was doing was stupid. I told myself that no one cared. I kept putting myself down even though I should have been happy with my performance on finals and the friendships I had started this semester.

Then the break started breaking. 

Broken hearts. 

With in the first couple days of Christmas Break, one of my old friends from high school lost his grandparents in a car wreck. They were headed from Orangeville to Manti to do temple work. 

A few days later, my sister had a friend whose dad passed away unexpectedly. 

Break in.

Tuesday before my family headed to Disneyland, we got news that our extra home in St. George was broken into. We're showing the home to sell it and the real estate agent informed us of the break in. My parents sent me down early to assess the damage and file a police report before they got there to take a pit stop on our way to California. 

Walking in to a dark house that has been broken into is creepy. You wonder if someone could still be there because the door has been kicked in. All the drawers and cupboards are left open with random items strewn everywhere. Things that you are used to seeing are missing, you are left puzzling why someone would do that. Luckily, they only made off with the TV and didn't do too much damage. 

We go everything taken care of before we left for Disneyland. We even installed a drop camera that would sent images and sound to a smart phone if someone broke in again. 

Broke down.

Our first day at Disneyland, we got a notification as we were leaving the park to go find a bite to eat that there was movement in our house in St. George. We pulled up the drop camera and heard sounds as if someone was bumping around in the darkened house. We called my cousin and the cops to have them go check on the house. 

As my cousin watched the cops check the house, our across the street neighbor came out of his house to inform my cousin that he had backed into the little green Yaris parked in front of the house. The car I drive. 

When my cousin told my dad, my dad said that it sounded like my cousin was nervous to tell us about the car. My mom just started laughing. She broke. She and dad didn't go back to Disneyland with us that night and were dead asleep when we got back to the Hotel. That never happens. I have never come home to my mom asleep when I've still been out, but she needed the sleep that night so we didn't wake her up. 

We cut some of our California plans short so that we could take care of the car before Christmas Eve. We got back to St. George on the 23rd and left the car at a body shop. The repairs are going to cost the guy's insurance around $1800.

Broken tire. 

After everything, we got home and my mom's principal car had a flat tire from a nail puncture. Of everything, that was the easiest to fix. It was just another thing heaped on our plate. The Monday Surprise that the lunch lady of life decided to dish us.  

And I gained perspective.

I realized that I really don't have it bad. I remembered people from Brazil that had less than I did and who went through more trials without questioning "why?" I looked at my circle of friends and their examples of faith in the trials that they face. I looked at what I went through during the week, but how happy I was because I was with my family doing something fun. Even though all this crap was hitting the fan, we were together and that's what mattered. My spirits brightened. My imagination was renewed. I felt like new, and I'm glad that I got over myself. God wanted me to listen, so he made sure I could see his voice. I have been humbled. 

And really, the things that broke during the break were of no eternal consequence other than the fact that they opened my mind and helped me see things a little cleared and more eternally. Thank the heavens for that. 

Here are some pictures of the fun: 

The long car ride

Getting ready for Disney

Walker can't make a normal face

Neither can I...

Nor dad...

Etch-a-sketch. Too much technology

No words.

I don't have much to complain about. I'm far to blessed. I need to do as the old song says and "count my blessings instead of sheep." (I hate sheep, but that's another story)