Tomorrow will be different from the Christmases I'm used to.
I've still got my favorite things around me: poinsettias and clove-studded oranges, flickering candles and twinkling lights, and greenery tucked against a winter wonderland here in Des Moines. I'll be attending my church's Christmas pageant (over Zoom, of course), and my husband and I will have several kinds of festively frosted cookies before bed.
There's so much missing, though. I won't be with cousins, tucked in around Grandma's table. We won't be doing road-trips to the airport to pick up friends from far away. Venmo transactions have replaced most of the gifts that normally live beneath the tree.
And that's okay. While I'm sad I won't be singing carols by candlelight with my church, or sipping cocoa with my red-cheeked nephews after a sled ride down the hill, I'm feeling a particular kind of blessed this year. Blessed to be in this ministry with you, gifted with a fantastic board of directors and supporters around the denomination, grateful for the gifts of technology that make this work possible today. And of course, blessed by the reason we celebrate this holiday: the arrival of our long-awaited Savior, born in Bethlehem so many years ago.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I hope this year you'll find joy in a pared-back Christmas; the first Christmas was pretty simple, too.
Wishing you a joy-filled Christmas, on behalf of all of us at Room for All,
Cameron Van Kooten Laughead
Executive Director
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