We got up early, before dawn. We loaded the truck with all the gifts, bags, ice chest of food and the care packet of goodie snacks for the road trip. We backed out of the driveway one minute ahead of schedule. We were off to a great start for a long journey.

We traveled over the plains, down the highways, and across several rivers. We traversed through the big cities: Fort Smith, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and finally, Lynchburg. We went over mountains and through valleys. We saw the sunrise and the sunset. And traffic, well we navigated and survived and are glad to be out of it.

After 1,032 miles, 16 hours (over two days), four states and several well needed pit stops, we made it to our destination at the AIRbnb in Lynchburg. The daughter, son-inlaw and grandkids came over and we visited, ate and then… OPENED PRESENTS!!!

The grands are the older set, Killian (the warrior) and Selah Belle (to pause & Belle from Beauty and the Beast) were pumped, excited and ready to open the gifts that came from afar. There were some games, toys, stuffed Bluey and Spiderman, each got a t-shirt, some cash and a gift card. But the gift that was the overwhelming hit was each one received an old digital camera (Kodak and Fuji). Nothing fancy or loaded with features. As a matter of fact, one used 10 megapixels and the other 14. I think they were both between 12 & 15 years old, but both in excellent shape.

They each got their camera, had a brief (and I do mean brief) tutorial and lecture about where you can take pictures and not take pictures (probably longer than the tutorial). Then the paparazzi descended upon the townhouse. The flashes from the cameras were endless.

At first the pictures were of the furniture, the floor, the walls or television. Then the Christmas gifts were the center of photographs. And finally, Pappy and GJ (Jill and I). We posed for some, but most were taken with us unaware until the flash went off, and our vision was somewhat impaired for a few moments only to be restored and then lost again with the next flash.

“Wait, I can take a selfie? Cool!” For the next half an hour they were taking pictures of themselves and eventually each other. Then I showed them how to go back and look at the pictures they had taken. Following this we found out how to delete the bum photos.

About 10:30 Christmas Eve we managed to wrangle the kiddos into their beds, but we made them leave the cameras downstairs in the dining room. The next morning, Christmas Day, you guessed it, they picked up the cameras and were back in the picture taking mode. We rode across town to the other grandparents’ house for a Christmas Day brunch. Several pics were taken along the route, and the video mode was discovered on my grandson’s camera. Even more fun was had!

Once at the other grands’ house, pictures and videos were taken. Relatives were photographed, decorations also. The brunch foods were captured on digital format and even a few feet and ceiling shots were taken.

I sit here and chuckle to myself about how the most favored gift and probably the most remembered gift will be those little digital camera with a 32 gigabyte SD card. To those two kids they just hit the jack pot. It is not the most recent toy, book or a card filled with cash that put them into paradise, but a couple of cameras that have probably already taken a gazillion pictures.

Why should that surprise me (us)? God did the same thing to/for us almost 2,000 years ago when He sent His only Son to earth to be born in a manger. Not just in a manger, but a manger in a stable in the least of all the towns, Bethlehem. AND, He made the announcement to a group of shepherds, out in the field, and they were watching over their flocks at night (shepherding). And the announcement was made by a group of Heavenly Host, too.

Not what we would expect from the God of the universe. Not the way we would expect it to happen or in the way or area we would think it would happen, either. About the only thing I would expect is the angelic announcement and Heavenly Hosts’ praise.

This New Year, I think I will look for greatest joy to come in the most unexpected–maybe the most unexpected things, places, people and times. Happy New Year!

Keepin’ Watch, Bro. Tim