Merry Christmas

Today's letter arrives from a familiar place.

Last week, we began the long drive east. Three days on the road, two overnight stops, and a final stretch into North Texas. We arrived. The truck was unloaded. A storage unit was filled. Bins were carefully arranged and stacked. The logistics gave way to something softer: family dinners, old streets, familiar rhythms.

In many ways, we have come full circle.

We left Texas in December of 2013, heading for Seattle with more uncertainty than clarity. Twelve years later, after a blessed season in the Pacific Northwest and a grounding and expansive chapter in Reno, we are back where we started. Not because the story has ended, but because another one is about to begin. These weeks in Texas are a pause. A gathering. A chance to be fully present with friends and family before we move abroad in February.

January will bring conversations long overdue. Familiar places revisited with older eyes. Traditions resumed. And one more journey: Big Bend National Park, a final wide-open landscape before the horizon shifts again.

But today is not about the road behind us or the one ahead.

Today is Christmas.

Today we celebrate the birth of our Savior. The fulfillment of prophecy. The moment when eternity stepped into time. Isaiah foretold it: a child is born, a son is given. Luke records the angel's words: fear not, for unto you is born this day a Savior. John reminds us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And in that miracle, we see the depth of God's love for the world.

This is the center of the season. Not the noise or the pace, but the gift.

So today we give in return. We give our time. Our attention. Our love. We share gifts as small reflections of a greater generosity. We gather with those who know our stories best. We remember what has been. We celebrate what is. And we look forward with hope to what is still unfolding.

We worship. We sing. We feast. We laugh. We rest in the familiar warmth that shared history brings.

From our home to yours: may this season be filled with glad tidings of great joy. Peace in your homes. Hope in your hearts. And rest in the knowledge that Christ has come.

Merry Christmas.

S&S

Some Great Place
Living local in a global world