stopped in my tracks

I rolled over and glanced at the clock, 10:23am. I stretched awake and a content grin spread across my face, I actually got to sleep in for once. As I rolled over I heard my haus meri (the lady we hire to clean our house) washing the dishes and I guiltily admit I let out a sigh as I realized today was the annual haus meri/yard man + family Christmas party. It's not that I don't like doing this, but it means staying home, sitting around awkwardly not knowing what to say, in a language I honestly don't know how to speak well...and I'm just too selfish to give them one lunch out of 365 lunches!
But today God turned it around to show me how blessed I am and I felt instantly humbled.
As I heard the voices of my haus meri's grandchildren outside a voice inside my head reminded me of the 2 hour walk they all had to take to arrive at my house. Thoughts of how each week Uira walks 2 hours both directions to work all day to support her family...and here I am lounging around the house and asking to drive across the center to a friends house cuz I'm too lazy to walk.
Next I helped my mom wrapping presents for the little kids/grandkids that were coming and my mind floating to the fact that this is probably the only gift they'll get to open this year...and here I am this Christmas season, exciting to dig into the presents I know will surround my tree. What's it like to have a Christmas with very limited gifts? This is it.
We all gathered in a circle before the meal and I enjoyed seeing them all...how the young ones have grown. How cute the little babies are...But as their big eyes scanned the big room, I could only imagine what was going through their minds...and after always feeling like the poor missionary, I felt so extremely rich that I almost was embarrassed. Then, just before we went to get our food, precious little Joy presented me with a bilum (string bag) she'd made for me. I was taken back...so touched that she had taken the time to make it and out of the little she had.
After we ate the meal my mom prepared for us we all headed down stairs for a bit of entertain while we ate ice cream and cookes. We put on the video, Finding Nemo. As the colorful clown fish swam across the screen the little baby boy giggled and giggled and giggled as they all watched the screen intently. He had never seen something like this. The other kids had watched a video here and there, but so rarely that it was still magic to them. I sat in there presence and, again, realized all the little things I took for granted. And I also realized I knew all about the making of an animation that it had almost lost it's magic. I know how those fish all swim across the screen, and for a second I kind of did feel that ignorance is bliss.
It was the last Christmas lunch I'd have with these lovely people, and though every year it's a reminder of how blessed I am, this year hit a little deeper.
All this to say, I hope this Christmas season God can show you too how truly blessed you are...and even if you have nothing, if you have Him, you have everything you need. And this really sank in as I heard my yard man saying a sweet prayer for my family to my mom. I walk away from today feeling a little more humbled, a little more grateful and a little more willing to work harder to reach out to those who don't have as much. It was a special day...a day where God stopped me in my tracks.

My bilum...the pattern is "fishes backbone". I wish I thought of it today to get a picture with it w/ Joy. Too late :(