Hope....the real gift from Christmas

It was a harried morning getting ready for church on Christmas day. Friday is when we have church in Egypt.....so, after reading the story of Christ's birth, opening gifts and the kids eating a lot of sugar, we were running late (not too surprising!). My husband was at a meeting and I was getting everyone ready. I felt like I wasn't connected to the "real" Christmas feelings that I wanted at all. We raced out the door and hustled to church, with me urging the children to walk faster the whole way. As we entered the villa, which is our church house here, and sat down in the front row, I was frustrated and tired. As I calmed my mind down and started to pray, my eye caught the sacrament table and the true joy of what Christmas is truly about settled over my soul. I was filled with the HOPE that Christ offers to all of us "weary travelers" on Earth. I realized then that I had recieved the best gift that day....the gift of true hope from our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.