Here is a fun post filled with joy! As our adventures with our couple’s calendar continues, we are finding innovative ways to connect and laugh together. We journeyed out to see the star of Bethlehem on December 21. We went to a local school parking lot (a bust), then to our local Walgreens where there is a gazebo and a bench. As we sat there with our bag of Funyuns awaiting the star, we could not stop laughing. The busy intersection, people honking their horns, and them probably wondering if we had totally lost our minds. There we were with his star gazing app and our binoculars.

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Out of nowhere Santa shows up. Yes, he did. He shared that a family was meeting him at the gazebo, and he was going to read The Night Before Christmas to the children. We got into our car to find another spot which ended up being the Kroger parking lot. Through our binoculars and our patience, we saw the two planets aligned! I was insistent on the gazebo and Parish the parking lot. The combination of our perspectives brought a great experience and much laughter. I was tempted to cause a scene when we began to argue over the spot and the worry of missing the action.

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We’ve made desserts, created songs, headed out on adventures, and spent the day in gratitude–noticing the good things in our partner versus noticing the negative. Whew! That’s a hard one. Just saying; but we did it. One suggestion was to take the first letter of your spouse’s name and share words that start with that letter. Nice words that describe them.

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I think the calendar has created a purpose and focused attention on the joy and good in life. The connection has added beauty in other relationships–it is overflowing. It was a great experience to know that the Lambs were seeking the star, too! We shared our photos over text.

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My daughter was sharing a significant stressor in her life. I told her, “Life is what happens when you are trying to control everything.” She wondered where the quote came from. I told her I had just made that up, and asked the family text to find a picture to go with it. My husband found the perfect one. This best describes our life if we would just allow the rhythm of life verses control.