Merry Christmas from Jim & Sharon Mustain
Merry Christmas 2015
Jim & Sharon Mustain ~ Chad & Heather and Jimmie Mustain ~ Caleb & Joy and Titus & Hannah Brown ~ Jesse & Katelyn Bianconi
Our memories of Christmas 2015 are framed through the eyes of a chid. Or more accurately, through the eyes of children. This year marked the arrival of two new grand babies in the Mustain family. Jimmie Kathleen was born to Chad & Heather on July 30th and Hannah Joy (Brown) was born to Caleb and Joy on September 26th. Add in Titus Isaiah, big brother and cousin who turned two in May, and Sharon and I are firmly embedded in the grandparent club!
Kids are special, right? Jesus said as much in Matthew 19:14, ”Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Innocent, hopeful, and idealistic. Not to mention just plain cute. That’s what kids bring into the world!
And so whether in the role of Mimi and Papa Jim, teacher at Elite Learning Academy or mentor and greeter at Rockbrook Elementary, Durham Middle or Lewisville High School, we do a lot of hanging out with kids these days. And “Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is the purest joy that anyone can experience.” ~ Actress Constance Zimmer
An abundance of joy has saturated (my) our lives this year. Perhaps more joy than in many years combined. And it’s the grand babies for sure; they’re adorable! And it’s the children in our mentoring programs; boys without dads, immigrant and homeless children, kid’s struggling academically, and children in single parent homes. It’s our neighbors at The Arbor House, the beloved elderly Alzheimer’s patients, who often experience life as children. And our own children and their spouses. And of course Jesus, the baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. In all of these faces, we find our smiles.
Loving Community, our faith based pubic charity has made us smile again. We’ve discovered that there’s joy and wonder everywhere when you believe your purpose in the world is to simply be a promoter and practitioner of love and community. It feels, well, more like Jesus and less like religion.
For me (Jim) it’s been an Andy Dufresne-nish type awakening. You do know Andy Dufresne, right? From the 1994 hit movie based on the novel by Stephen King,The Shawshank Redemption. At an apex of life frustration and the odds of a dead end existence, Andy famously tells his prison yard buddy Red, “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.” — And that’s been it for me.
For my Bible verse friends, I know it is not that. Oh well. Jesus did offer this hope of spiritual rehabilitation and refreshment, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 ~ The Message
I’ve got to admit, living more freely and lightly these days is different. Not quite as much of the stuff of the world. Trying to “learn and lean” into simplicity is new. Especially in a world that is everything but. Not sure where all of this will lead. And that’s the tension of this new journey, welcoming mystery and adventure. And to my fellow Shawshank Redemption fans, I’ve already been to Zihuatanejo (see-wah-tah-neh-ho) literally 🙂 — so not sure where the path ahead leads next. I suppose we’ll all have to tune in for next year!
And so as we greet you during this Christmas season, we find ourselves on a journey to redeem a childlike faith, believing that “There’s joy and wonder everywhere when you see the world through the eyes of a child!”
Merry Christmas,
Jim & Sharon
PS – “The Word [Jesus] became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” John 1:14 ~ The Message
