Dear Loved Ones,
Merry Christmas!!!! We sincerely hope and pray that your Christmas this year was not only a special time with family, but a time to truly remember Christ's birth and the reason He was born -- which was to die for our sins and offer us Salvation! Praise God!!!! How we love each of you so much. This Christmas has truly been such a special day for the three of us! Havana has such a wonderful first Christmas and for us, just looking at the little girl in our arms is the best gift we could have received this year. We have to been able to spend this entire week together. Monday was a relaxing day at home, Tuesday we traveled to Cincinnati for the day to visit family, Christmas Eve we went to our church as a family of three and had a wonderful time of focusing on Christ and the true meaning of Christmas! The service was amazing and we followed it up by going out to eat and then watching "The Nativity Story". This morning we woke up and Havana was able to open all her gifts not only from her mommy and daddy, but from others who love her so much! We are so thankful for your love for our daughter! We followed the gifts with a special "Birthday Breakfast" and then we all took naps. :) Tonight we are about to have a wonderful Christmas dinner while listening to Christmas music! It has been such a special day as we remember very clearly the pain we had last Christmas.
We have found December to be the month where we mark our progress on this earthly journey. We discuss the year - its joys and sorrows. We also look at our marriage and family and we each make a list of three things we could improve on in the next year as well as highlighting three highs. December is a great time to look back and marvel at the designs of God and realize how very little we are in control of the events that have shaped the past year. Then, with hearts full, we look to the celebration of that silent, holy night, and all its certainty. Because of Christmas, this we know: Christ was born for us. He is love, and the plans He has for us always surpass those of our own. That is not always easy to grasp or accept, but how true! We were out of control with our fertility (or lack there of), we were out of control with both of our pregnancies, and we were out of control on that awful day when our adoption fell apart. But we KNOW that God is good - no matter what happens in our lives, His love is unwavering. We praise Him for His goodness to us.
No matter what you might be going through, on this glorious Christmas night, we pray that your heart seeks to know Him just a little bit deeper. His love for you is great. We are so thankful for the gift of Havana, but we are even more thankful for the gift of the birth of Christ!!! No matter what has happened in the past or what might happen in our future we again proclaim that Christ was born for us, He is Love, and the plans He has for us always surpass those of our own!!!!
May you be blessed this Christmas. Thank You, Jesus, for coming to earth in the form of a baby to be our King of Kings! If you are struggling with anything this Christmas or anytime, please always feel free to call us to be a shoulder to cry on and someone with whom you can always count on for prayers. We would love to share the love of our Saviour with you today and always!!! Merry Christmas!
With Love,
Jason, Darby, and Havana Dugger
