God, Love and Apple Crisp

     My husband works very hard for his family.  Why is this not good enough?  We have a apartment that cost us over $1000/month, a car payment and four children in school.  We realistically can not pay for book rental.  Our Christmas was full of fun, family and faith.  It is our goal to make the holiday season about two things God and family.  We had to swallow our anger watching a family post pictures of the thousand dollars of gifts given to one child, parents getting new weapons and finding out that at tax time a AR-15 is in their future as well.  Barry and I are considered middle class with in the economic structure of this country and live as if we are poor.  We are blessed to send our children to one of the best school systems in the state.  We have been here for three years and each year the schools get an A rating.  The family that has bragged about the things they received and will receive are on food stamps, Medicaid and welfare in general.  Why should I go to school?  Why should my husband stress about taking care of his family?  Why?  Well it becomes a faith thing for us.  Because our reward is looking at our children who are grateful for what they do have and not what the potential could be.  We were not focused on the show of how wonderful we are by the things that we received.  We are focused on each other with love.  Yes, I am bragging too.  I am bragging because my husband is a hard worker who loves me and his children. The children who are mine from a previous marriage he has chosen to love as his own.  God adopted us and Barry has adopted a son and daughter.  We set a budget and stuck to the budget and no one was left wanting for things.  The morning of Christmas brought three important aspects to the holiday.  They were God, Love and apple crisp.  Things will go away.  God and love of family will stay forever.