Christmas time is coming

Christmas time is such a busy time seem like everybody is in a hurry. Busy shopping, decorating, family gathering, and Christmas parties. Its amazing the amount of time is spend preparing for Christmas and celebrating Christmas. At the Gaddis household we have always taken thing slow. It seems like the holidays seems to slow us down. As the old year comes to a close and the new year approaches we actually coast. Christmas is more about Christ there has never been a whole lot of gifts under the tree early. While we believe in exchanging gifts we simply go out a few days before and pick up a few gifts for our children and now grandchildren. Christmas is Thursday and Zachary, the sugababies and I just put the tree up at 2am because I had to catch an early flight this morning. Janice hasn't even began to shop, now somewhere in the next few hour she will pick up a few things. I'm thankful that we've tried over the years to not be guilty of falling in to the commercialism of Christmas. Amazing enough its not because we fought it, we just kinda fell into it.

Yesterday, was 28 years to-the-date when Janice and I started dating (now that's GRACE)! Let me quickly say that says much more about her than it does about me. It takes a special person to maintain a relationship with a head-strong, stubborn (and a whole lot of other stuff I probably shouldn't say) man like me. Janice is the one of the sweetest and loving people I know. She has one of the BIGGEST heart, love children and identifies with those who are hurting. She is an amazing woman! She has raise our children, maintain and managed our home and keeps up with me.

You probably would never have imaged it but for some reason we didn't like each other in the beginning (she really hated me...you know what the Pretenders sang "it's a thin line between love and hate"). We first met when I entered junior high school, I was in the 7th grade and she was in the 8th grade. Janice was very outspoken and a bully, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

So here's how this went down...it was lunch time and I was about to take my current girlfriend to lunch. Janice walked over to my car ask to ride with us and got in the front seat causing my friend to ride in the back. The way she tells it is that she didn't know that she was my girlfriend [everybody knows who the star of the basketball and football team is dating...sorry for the shamless plug]. Later I was visiting a friend and lo and behold Janice and her friend was walking home from the store. After a bit of flirting I asked her if I could walk her to her house. After a few blocks I had convicted her to give me her phone number. We spent the next few week talking on the phone all night long and deal with the current girlfriend issue.

After a date to Godfather's pizza (where she ate all the pizza) I pop the question...and she said yes. And has been saying yes every since. 28 years ago was our first Christmas, you talking about a tough gift to buy. New relationship, new Girlfriend and 5 days till Christmas. I went with the scarf, gloves set and $5 (always was a baller). Janice bought a terry-cloth shirt...I think I wore that shirt every week.

Now 28 years later here it is Christmas again but this time we have 5 children and 3 grandchildren. Funny how God does what He does. I often say in marriage counseling that had God given me anyone eles I would be on wife 5 by now. I have had a front row seat as God has shaped and fashioned her into the beautiful, caring and supportive women and wife she is today. Happy Anniversary Jan!