The Best Hardy Party Ever!!

It is the Christmas season and with it comes many parties with family and friends. Last Sunday we had the "Hardy Party". We look forward to it every year. My grandchildren love to get together with their great uncles and aunts and cousins. It is an evening filled with food, laughter, discussion and fun.

This year as every year the relatives brought Christmas gifts for the kids. Uncle Martin handed out the gifts from he and Aunt Dot. It was a tin shaped like a Christmas cookie with a card attached. Everett opened the cookie tin to find a Christmas cookie with M & Ms in it. His eyes got very big and he said, "A Christmas cookie, thank you so much!". While he was exclaiming such thanks for the Christmas cookie, the other kids had opened their card first to find a $35.00 gift card to Target. Everett had to be instructed to open the card where he found the same thing.

Then Aunt Peggy handed out the gift from she and Uncle Dave. The boys were very excited to receive a swiss army knife each. Once again leave it to Everett to exclaim, "Wow! a killing machine!". We were all laughing except for Addy who was busy looking in the little purse she had received to find small little gifts inside. She was opening each one to see that she was receiving make-up and lipsticks. She could hardly sit still. All of the sudden she jumped up, raised both arms and exclaimed, "This is the best Hardy Party ever!". This too brought much laughter from everyone.

I was thinking about the party later and thought, 'yes this was the best Hardy party ever!'. It was not because of the gifts or the company but it was because of the lesson I learned from Everett. When he was looking at one solitary Christmas cookie, he displayed a grateful heart. His eyes never said anything but 'thank you'. It seems my grandchildren are always challenging me. Do I have a grateful heart when all I receive is a cookie?

God makes His will clear concerning our heart in all situations. "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 This was demonstrated at the Hardy Party. It is the memory I will treasure from this year's celebration with the Hardys and hopefully one I will learn from. Thank you Everett. Thank you God for evidence of your Spirit to be made known through a 9 year old.