family time

Christmas Dinner

| Laura Lee Bonde

I’m not sure when it started, but somewhere along the line, we started a tradition of having ham on Christmas day, and as Kyle and I were shopping for Thanksgiving, he mentioned our Christmas ham, so I knew what I’d be cooking on Christmas.

Although money’s been tight, I knew we’d have our ham because Scott would be with us, and he always takes me grocery shopping. Well, this time, I asked him if we could have steaks one night because I never have the money to buy them.Of course, he said yes, so I was able to get steaks and many more things from the store.

Our plan was to have the ham on Christmas and the steaks another night, but God had different plans for us. It turned out, we had our ham Christmas afternoon and the steaks Christmas evening.

As I was cooking the baked potatoes, Scott was getting the grill ready, so I snapped a picture of the steaks. I hadn’t remembered the last time we had them and wasn’t sure when we’d have them again, so I wanted to grab a memory.IMG_1141

While we were all sitting down eating, it dawned on me: we’d almost lived here four years and had never eaten steaks in our home. So, our first time of eating home-cooked steaks was on Christmas. What a good memory to make!

We’ve had so many good times the last couple of weeks, even though we’ve taken turns being sick. We’ve laughed over games, watched movies and football together, hugged, exchanged “I love you”‘s, and just enjoyed the moments.

And as usual, we forgot to take pictures, but sometimes, the pictures in the heart are clearer than the pictures on the screen.

(At least, I got a picture of those beautiful steaks!)

 

Dinner’s Done

| Laura Lee Bonde

In the beginning of my recovery through AA, I’d felt I’d finally made it “home.” Everyone accepted me, loved me, remembered my name. It was so good. I loved going to meetings and acted a certain way there, which the kids rarely saw at home.

I remember times when the kids would say, “You need a meeting,” and I’d usually leave to go to one. By the time I came back, I was in a good mood, ready to be a mom. That lasted for years, until I really surrendered to God. Continue reading →