This tale is of an angel who is exactly four years, six months, five days, seven hours and forty-two minutes of age and who is not quite as ‘angelic’ as all the other angels in heaven.  His halo won’t stay on, he can’t sit still, he’s always late and what’s even worse is he doesn’t really look like an angel.  You ever feel like that?  You know, nothing about you is quite right?  You don’t exactly fit anywhere?

The heart of the story is that God’s son is to be born on earth and all the angels are preparing gifts for Him.  That is, all but the littlest angel.  He can’t think of anything to give.  He wanted to compose a beautiful song and sing it to Jesus.  He dreamed of writing a prayer that people would remember forever.  However, he usually sang off-key and had no skill at writing prayers.  Suddenly he thought of the perfect gift.

Earlier the “Understanding Angel” had allowed the box of treasures from under the Littlest Angel’s bed at home to be brought to him and now he wanted to give it to the Christ Child.  He placed the box before the Throne of God and was immediately ashamed of his gift and wished he could get it back.  It was a plain and ugly box surrounded by beautiful, wonderful ones. What had made him think this was an appropriate gift?  Why had he thought this idea such a good one?

Let me ask you again: have you ever felt like that?  Have you ever had an idea that seemed wonderful until you tried to execute it?  Have you ever considered something a treasure only to take a second look and realize it was plain and ugly?  Have you ever laid something before God’s throne and then been embarrassed at your gift?  Have you had a similar experience to the Littlest Angel?

It can be a mistake if we do nothing while waiting to write a beautiful song or prayer.  It we only want to do something we would consider great and worthy, we are probably letting lots of gifts pass us by.  Christmas is called the ‘season of giving’ and it’s a wonderful time to give our treasures away. They may not look like much, or be costly or seem important to anyone but us but it’s amazing what God will do with them.  What a privilege to lay our treasure box at The Throne for the Christ Child.

What treasure do you have in a box under you bed that needs to be taken out and shared?  What will happen when you become brave enough to share your gift…your treasure?  What happened to the plain, ugly box of the Littlest Angel? Well, you’ll have to read the book and find out for yourself and when you do, remember your gift is God’s treasure as well as yours!

Merry Christmas.  May you enjoy the receiving and the giving in a more personal way than ever this year.  And, Merry Christmas, Handsome.  Your gifts were given away well while you had the opportunity.  We’ll miss celebrating with you this Christmas.

“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.’

  Matthew 25:40

Eric was so nervous about getting married.  He knew from experience that it takes work and being in love doesn’t erase the challenges of growing together.  He fasted the three days prior to our wedding day! Truly, he was completely nervous.

But get married we did; thirty-two years ago today.  Our immediate family, the preacher, the couple who stood with us, and a stow-away couple who crashed the wedding (!) witnessed the beginning of a life full of joy.  A nervous groom and an ecstatic bride said “I do” and they did.  Truly a match made in heaven.  It didn’t last long enough but it was wonderful.

If you are married, lavish some extra attention on your spouse today, just because you can.  If you are single, hold out for the one you know God has chosen for you – it’s well worth the wait.  If, like me, you no longer have the opportunity to snuggle with the love of your life, spend some time with Jesus and share your heart with Him; He’s a good listener.  And if you happen to be in a relationship that is breaking your heart because it’s not all you want it to be, share that with Jesus too; He really does care.

Today is my anniversary.  I will rejoice and be glad for what I was given.  I will celebrate love!

….Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly.

And the best of the three is love.

                                                                                                                                                     I Corinthians 13:13 (MSG

There won’t be a typical celebration today – whatever that is in this family! A birthday is a time to show gladness that someone you know is a part of your life.  It’s a time to say how grateful you are for their love and friendship and to reminisce about their life.  I can still do that.  Granted, it would be a lot more fun if Eric were here because there would be funny cards, lots of laughter, pumpkin pie and time together.  There would be hugs and kisses and teasing glances and probably a special meal with presents to top it off.  Maybe if it got warm enough, there would even be a motorcycle ride!

However, there will still be the thankfulness for Eric’s life.  I will tell God how grateful I am to have had 28 years with that man and for all the things he taught me that still influence me today.  My life is so much richer because of his love for me.  We truly were a ‘match made in heaven’!

Today the scripture in my devotional was from Revelation – which made me smile because Eric loved to study end-time prophecy.  When I read it, I cried while I smiled:

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes,

there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

Someday there will be no more death.  Someday there will be no more war, nor injustice or hatred.  There will be no more birth defects or drug addictions or disease.  Someday, God will make all things new (Rev. 21:5) and He says, “Come!”, if you thirst for that, “Come!” (Revelation 22:17)  We need to make sure everyone knows they are invited to have Christ as their Savior, that He loves us all and is ready to wipe away every tear from our eyes.  His grace is amazing!  I guess that was Eric’s message in a nutshell:  God’s grace is amazing and all are welcome to live in it.

So, Happy Birthday, Handsome.  I wish you could hear those grandbabies you have never met sing happy birthday to you and see how the others have grown!  I wish I could kiss your face!   I wish I could hear you laugh!  You are loved.  You are missed.  And the best thing is, in eternity 60 means you are still really young!  Love you.

A little over a year ago I believe God impressed something upon me to share with a group of people and I was disobedient.  The appropriate time didn’t present itself, I wasn’t sure I really heard Him right, what if I don’t say it correctly…..you know, I used all the excuses you have used before!  Then this summer I attended the Deeper Still conference in Louisville, Kentucky and Priscilla Shirer spoke on the same thing God had said to me.  And that wasn’t the end of it.  Just a few weeks later my Pastor shared the same thought with several of us.  Guess my excuse of not hearing was blown out of the water because I wasn’t the only one being told!

The thought was about the Sabbath.  Not in the legalistic form when it has to be a certain day or time period spent in a particular way.  It was that we really don’t take one anymore – and we need to.  I don’t intend to debate the details of an Old Testament Sabbath or what is the true Sabbath day or what makes a Sabbath day holy, I just want to remind us that we need to take one.

It seems as though we feel guilty if we rest.  If we aren’t doing something we must be lazy and therefore unproductive and therefore non-contributing and therefore unnecessary.  We have fooled ourselves into thinking busier is better. If we don’t take advantage of every opportunity coming down the pike we’ll miss out on something that might make us smarter, richer, more capable, more popular or more important.  We seem to have a phobia about slowing down.

For some reason we feel we are better parents when we’re ‘on-the-go’ and our kids are involved in…. well, stuff. If the only time you play as a family is when it’s an organized sports event, you’re missing a tremendous aspect of enjoying each other.  A family ballgame in the backyard can be just as valuable to your kids as 3 months on a team elsewhere. We need to model relaxation to our children because if we don’t we’re going to create a generation that’s even more stressed than this one and I don’t think that’s a legacy we want to leave.

I’m not advocating sitting on the porch all day once a week and watching the grass grow!  I’m not sure I can tell you what to do with your Sabbath day because your daily schedule is different than mine. Our society is no longer structured so that we all do the same thing on the same day and businesses all stay closed on Sunday so our Sabbath rest will be different from each other.  I just believe we need to give ourselves permission to have a day, preferably once a week, where we are not on-the-go from morning till night.  We may need to adjust and change how we do our chores or grocery shopping and routine tasks.  What is enjoyable and relaxing to you may be just the opposite for me.  What God requires of you may be different than what He wants from me.  However, one thing is true, if it’s to be a real Sabbath, a little extra quiet time with The Savior will make it complete.

If Sunday is a workday for you, choose another day of the week to relax. For years our family has enjoyed having one day a week where we didn’t work at our vocation.  We may have worked around the house, or spent the day away from home doing any number of things.  We turned tasks into outings and gave ourselves permission not to ‘do’ ministry just one day of the week.  We often enjoyed a family breakfast or a slower paced day.  I have been so grateful Eric and I saw the need for this type of day in our lives and made it a habit.

Ask God how He would have you enjoy this gift of the Sabbath He’s given you then follow through – instead of making excuses!

They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you.   Exodus 16:29

I have just returned from Alabama where I had the privilege to spend 4 days helping clear debris from the tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa a few weeks ago. I have pictures, but they don’t adequately portray the miles and miles of devastation or give you a feel for the work that is being done hourly to clear roads, parking lots and subdivisions of uprooted trees, pieces of siding, road signs, furniture, damaged cars, clothing, dishes and a host of other items.  It was definitely an experience I won’t soon forget and I was only there a few days. I got to come home to order and cleanliness.

All through the city organizations have stations set up for distribution of food, clothing, necessities and for storm victims to register for help in cleaning their yards.  Families and neighbors are working together to make things as livable as possible and strangers, like us, came from out of town – even out of state – to help.  The area is a disaster for sure and most of the people need help from others in one way or another.   It is a true blessing to have been a small part in helping several families.

Although the damage in Alabama was caused by a storm, sometimes we have disasters in our lives.  Sometimes they are from circumstances completely beyond our control, like a tornado, and sometimes we cause them by our attitude, actions or choices we make.  As with natural disasters, life-disasters affect more people than we can imagine.  Usually the damage covers more territory than we would have expected and causes casualties in areas we had not calculated.  Unlike a tornado, which is not affected by its own forceful winds, a life-disaster affects the one acting as well as those in its path.  Also unlike most natural disasters, the major damage from a life-disaster may not be felt until long after the storm has whipped through.

One thing is for sure – just like the folks in Alabama will not recover from this devastation on their own, neither do those who are experiencing a life-disaster.  Family, friends and even strangers are important if we want to contain a storm or heal from the affects of its already unleashed winds.  In a life-disaster the best tools for helping are not chain saws, rakes and machinery but prayer, love, honesty and the Word of God.

Life disasters come in many forms; death, failure, financial collapse, failing health, rejection, divorce, bankruptcy; you can fill in your own blank with where you are or have been.  Pulling out of these situations and regaining stable, healthy ground is usually only accomplished when others are by our side.  I know that has been true for me.  Without the love and care of friends and family my life and my thoughts would be so different than they are right now.  Continual prayers have been my saving grace, my lifeline, or perhaps you could say the bulldozer that moved the rubbish so I could see the good that was left.

Maybe someone you know is causing tornado winds in the lives of others – they need your prayers.  Perhaps your friend has the rubbish from a tornado piling all around them – they need your prayers.  We need to be the prayer-bulldozer that stops the wind and clears the debris.  Prayer is important because just like my pictures of Tuscaloosa can’t tell the whole story adequately, only God knows the whole story of a life-disaster.

Someday Tuscaloosa will once again be a thriving city and evidence of the total devastation they are now experiencing will be almost completely gone.  Prayer can do the same in the lives of those we love.  Pray the Word.  Speak with honesty.  Pray that God’s love will win in the end.  After all, it’s the individuals in the city God cares about; it’s them He wants to rebuild.  It’s an honor to be part of that with our hands and feet or our prayers.

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.    I Corinthians 12:25-26

Since I last wrote I have taken a trip to Chicago, benefited from Secret Church (www.disciplemakingintl.org/secretchurch/) celebrated Easter, spent a girls weekend with friends old and new, participated in National Day of Prayer, enjoyed another Mother’s Day with my family and will soon have the privilege of serving storm victims in Alabama.   I have had wonderful and busy weeks and am grateful to God for such blessings.

These events have been fun yet, I must admit, I still miss Eric in all of them.  I am no longer consumed with grief and am not paralyzed with sadness; there’s just an ache, an emptiness when he is not there to be a part of things and share in the thoughts of my heart.

A few of my friends have recently begun a walk down this road of grief – a road that is unpredictable and individual.  Special days, old habits, favorite chairs or articles of clothing all bring a rush of emotion that is sometimes exhausting to deal with. (Psalm 6:6)  We wonder if things will ever feel right again and when will there not be a sadness that is as deep as an ocean.

How are we managing to follow normal routine when nothing is normal?  What is the proper time frame to not cry any more?  6 weeks? 6 months? After the first year? Are we crazy or depressed if we are outside the ‘normal’ reaction?  Why do we want to throw something across the room and hide in bed at the same time?  Is there an answer for why this happened?  Are we allowed to ask that question?

Grief is a roller coaster ride but you don’t know when the switch will be pulled to send you on a spiral or racing down hill at breakneck speed.  Experiencing it allows you to empathize with others it but doesn’t enable you to ‘fix’ it for them. The best thing we can do is remember God understands and is compassionate. (Exodus 34:6) He loves us, and those we have lost, more than we can imagine. (I John 4:8)  He’s not a philosophy or a self-help step but a living, breathing Savior who sees each tear we cry – even those stuck deep in our heart.

He is also faithful and will walk with us all the way through the storm.  He’s not going to leave us behind because we’re going too slowly and He won’t throw in the towel because we aren’t doing it right. (Hebrews 13:5)  His love will go the distance with us. His love will hold us tightly, breathe new life into our soul and give us true joy once again. That kind of love is amazing.  I am awed by it.

This month I had a granddaughter attend her first formal dance and two other grandchildren register for kindergarten.  I have completed tasks, taken on new ones and still have old ones to finish.  The weather has been warm and cold, dry and wet, sunny and cloudy.   We have celebrated and mourned.  There has been energy and tiredness.  Not much in life is constant – change is inevitable; some welcomed, some not.  I’m so very glad Jesus loves me through it all.

The cords of death entangled me,

the anguish of the grave came upon me;

I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“O LORD, save me!”

Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you.

         For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling, Psalm 116:3,4,7,8

I have six ‘grands’ between the ages of 13 years and 20 months old; three boys and three girls.  They all live close by and I enjoy getting to see them often.  I am called Gram, Mimi, Grandma and Gams and love that they each have their own ‘version’ of what to call me.  I’m not sure how that will play out as they get older so I’ll enjoy the variety for now.

I have had a few moments with Aubri, my youngest granddaughter, in the past month that have made me smile from the inside out and from which I have also learned a few lessons.  Today we’ll be celebrating her third birthday and I’ve been pondering the things I can learn from a three year old.

I got to go with Aubri and her brother Owen to Disney World last month and watching them enjoy all that activity was absolutely priceless (to coin a commercial!).  Everything was an adventure and seeing some of their favorite cartoon characters actually ‘come to life’ made them so excited you could almost feel it!  They watched parades, ate ice cream, got autographs, enjoyed the rides, went without naps and had their picture taken so many times we could paper a wall with the prints!  I realized how much more fun things are when we simply enjoy the good moments we’re given.

On one of the beautiful, warm days we were recently blessed with, I took Aubri and Owen for a walk.  They were excited to be outside in the sunshine and, as with most little ones, the walk became a time to explore all the rocks and leaves and cracks in the sidewalk.  Aubri learned a new boundary during this walk; she was allowed to go a few paces in front of me then stop and wait until Owen and I caught up with her.  She asked me one time why she had to wait and after that, all I had to say was, ‘”Far enough.” and she’d stop. When we caught up she’d say, “Now I can go?” then skip ahead a few paces before stopping to wait again.  How I wish I obeyed that quickly. Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not trying to make you think she always obeys the first time around, (she’s wonderful but that would be stretching things!) I’m just telling you she did this time and it made an impression on me. Do you suppose it makes an impression on God when we obey that quickly?

One evening this wonderful little girl looked at me and said, “Gams, you my best friend.”  Oh did my heart swell and my face light up with a big smile.  What could be more wonderful than to have your grandchild say you were her best friend?  But she wasn’t finished making declarations.  The next thing she said was, “And mommy my best friend and daddy my best friend and Owen my best friend and Nanna my best friend and Pap-pap my best friend.”  My smile changed to a laugh but it was the next sentence that captured my heart.  She looked at me, cocked her head to the side and said, “Everybody loves me!”.

What wonderful, healthy self-esteem, I mean, after all, what’s not to love!  I know as time goes on that self-esteem will be tested and she’ll realize not everyone thinks she’s as wonderful as her family does.  We will, no doubt, have our times of consoling her because of one harsh friend or another but for right now, she knows nothing but love and adoration.

I think God wants us to know for real how much He loves us.  Too often we doubt His love because we base it on what we know about ourselves.  God’s love isn’t based on us at all; it’s about Him just plain loving us not us deserving that love.  When Aubri is not so quick to obey, we don’t love her any less and when her disobedience is handled and things are set right, she doesn’t walk around thinking we don’t love her anymore.  I think God would have us accept His love with that type of innocence.  He loves us; that’s the beginning and the end of the matter.

So this afternoon an entire group of people who love this little girl will gather together and celebrate her.  We will lavish her with attention, hugs and kisses and gifts.  There will be lots of laughter and smiles and she will know she is loved.  I wish her Papaw Eric could be with us.  He would enjoy her innocence and make her laugh and it would warm my heart to see them together.  You know what?  As smart as he was, I bet she’d teach him a few things, too!!

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him.     Psalm 127:3

Children’s children are a crown to the aged….Proverbs 17:6

Today is the anniversary of the last time I heard my husband say, “Good morning.  I love you.”  I haven’t heard those words for three years.  That’s over 1,000 days and for a lady who used to hear “I love you” multiple times a day, it’s a really long time.  I cherished hearing it said for 28+ years and I cherish it still.  I’m so glad Eric and I did not just assume the other knew they were loved but we made sure to show that love by our actions and our words.

Not one of us knows how long we will have to spend with those we love.  I know 50 more years would not have been enough for me and yet I had more time than others.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone.  We really need to make the time count as best we can.  Every day we are leaving a legacy; let’s make sure it’s the kind we want.

Choose your battles wisely.  Say I love you often.  Laugh every day – multiple times……and at yourself when appropriate!  Help someone else with no perks for yourself in mind.  Remember patience is a virtue (Galatians 5:22 NCV) and a soft answer is usually a better tool than flying into a rage (Proverbs 15:1 NKJV).  Be honest (Proverbs 12:22 NKJV) and kind (Galatians 5:22) and remind yourself that having the most ‘toys’ doesn’t mean you’re the better person.

Make prayer a part of your day, every day (Psalm 55:17) and remember  you are not here by your own design but by Divine design.  God has you on this earth for a purpose (Jeremiah 29:11) and He’s anxious for you to know how much He loves you (John 3:16).

I know there is an Eternity and Eric has already started his journey there.  Someday, oh someday, I will be there and so will my family and friends and life and time will take on a whole new meaning for all of us.  This life is not the icing on the cake, it’s just the cake batter – the preparation.  Don’t live as though this is all there is.

Three years ago I became a widow (I still don’t like that word). Almost three weeks ago my brother-in-law, Eric’s brother Nick died, and his wife has started her walk on the path of widowhood.  Several friends have been through some hard loss in the last several months and some are facing it in their near future.   One thing I have learned about death in a very personal way is that the grief it brings is not always a cut and dried neat little package.

I do not cry daily as I did three years ago, but I still cry.  I don’t lie awake nights or feel as though a weight is bearing down on me zapping all my strength throughout the day, but there are still times I am overwhelmed with my loss.  I have learned how to keep going but sometimes my heart is in the past.  Grief is tough and I think the more you loved, the tougher it can be.  Be gentle with those you know who are dealing with loss; your love and care can make a world of difference.  I know because I have had some of the best love and care a person could ask for.

So tonight I say, “Good night, Handsome.  I love you.  I would love to hear you laugh again.  And pray – how good it would be to hear you pray!  But I know some day I shall.”

Are you lonesome tonight?  Do you miss me tonight?

Are you sorry that we are apart?

Does your memory stray to a bright sunny day  when you kissed me and called me sweetheart?

I have had many things to contemplate since the New Year and one of them is friendship.  At our Tuesday study group we spent some time affirming each other and sharing the positive things we see in each other.  It was an awesome and humbling experience.  It amazed me how differently others see us than how we see ourselves.   I barely recognized the girl my friends were describing as they talked with me.  It was healing to my soul to be so encouraged and I appreciate their love and thoughtfulness so much.

I had an equally good time sharing with them ways they have been a blessing to me.  They have all been an inspiration at one time or another and it was fun to let them know that.  We laughed and cried together – mostly cried! – and I think we all were glad we took the time to express our thoughts to each other.  It was definitely a January highlight.   Now if we could just keep the snow away on Tuesday’s so we could get together again!

My friends have been a mainstay all through my life but especially in the past three years.  I just received a text from a friend that simply said, “Been praying for you.  I love you.”  She has no idea what my day has been like or that I am writing about friendship and it’s not the first time she, or others, have said or done just the right thing at the right time.  Tonight someone let me know just by their gentle, caring attitude that they knew I wasn’t ‘up to par’.  I appreciate that and it’s such a comfort to know people care.

Having friends who will rejoice with you is just as important as having them there for the tough times.  It’s so much fun to have someone be excited with you when you get an unexpected blessing or you finally jump a hurdle that has been in your way or you get to do something you’ve been waiting on for a long time.   Laughter with friends is truly healing medicine.

And prayer.  The prayers my friends have prayed for me have, I’m sure, kept me going.  They don’t always pray with me.  I may not even know they have prayed until days or even weeks later, perhaps I don’t know it at all but they have prayed and God has heard.  They have prayed for me when they are hurting or confused or struggling because they are faithful friends.  They have prayed for me when they are on top of the world and they know I’m not, because they are faithful friends.  They have prayed when they are tired of praying for me and when they don’t know what to pray, because they are faithful friends.  Some have prayed in the middle of the night because God knew He could awaken them and they would be faithful to do for me what I could not do for myself.

When you put my family and my friends together, I am one of the most blessed women alive right now.  They have all held me together and I am so very grateful.   My heart has struggled and been empty and I’ve been confused and sad, but they have stuck with me and pushed me forward.  I love them so.

I pray you have faithful friends in your life and if you don’t, get out there and make some.  Involve yourself and find ways to be a blessing to others; you will reap much more than you sow!

And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

2 Corinthians 9:14-15 NLT

In a little while I’ll be with my two youngest grandkids and share some of the excitement of Christmas morning with it’s new toys and other surprises wrapped in pretty paper.  There will be laughter and giggles and playing pretend and a breakfast complete with cinnamon rolls. My kids will be the adults in the room and I will love every minute of us being together while realizing time has definitely brought about its changes.

While making preparations for these days of celebration I have replayed scenes of Christmas-past in my mind.  The year our boys got BB guns, our daughter a doll house (that is still played with by her nieces/nephews!), special dresses and suits for little boys and girls, hidden gifts, sleeping around the tree, favorite movies and jubilee cookies.  There was the year Christopher was old enough to read the Christmas story at the family gathering – now he’s a pastor and continues to read that story!  The year Christy got a dress-up box full of great outfits but was too sick to play with it.  One video shows Nathaniel contentedly playing with one toy while the other two move from one thing to another.  Their first Nintendo game system, John Deere tractors and Tonka trucks made of real metal!  We have shared some wonderful Christmas days at our house and although the kids are grown and our routine has changed, we still enjoy great Christmases in our family.  We love being together and having a special day to bless each other with surprises makes it even more fun.

Of course, this week has had a few tough moments as well.  Songs that are beautiful but talk about ‘kissing underneath the mistletoe and people seeing we’re in love’ can be a little hard on the heart.  And why do so many Christmas movies have to deal with someone dying or already being gone and leaving an empty space in the family celebration?  Baking Eric’s favorite cookies and having them turn out almost perfect but not having him here to talk them up was bitter-sweet (however, Christy did his job and bragged on them for me!).

All week long I could hear his laughter over past events and yesterday while cleaning the house I realized he would have most likely been out shopping because Christmas Eve day seemed to be the best time for him to finish – or sometimes start – his shopping!  I miss the way he would splurge on that special surprise for me. Knowing there will never be another piece of jewelry from him under my tree or that every addition made to my kitchen will be purchased by me instead of as a surprise from him is quite sad.  He would love our new tree and it’s simplicity of decorations as well as the ease of setting it up!  How I wish we were both going to share Christmas morning with our grandkids.  As I visit all six of them today, I will wish they could have known him.

At the same time, Eric’s absence makes the Christmas story all the more personal.  It’s because of  “baby” Jesus our eternal destination can be Heaven.  If Jesus had never come in the flesh (John 1:1-5), He could not have been the sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 9:26). He could not have been our Redeemer (Galatians 3:13).  The “manger scene” is a story we have grown accustomed to and sometimes don’t stop to value as we should (Luke 2).

God became flesh.  Imagine that.  Most of us complain if we have to go without our favorite coffee in the morning or scrape our windshield when it has ice on it or live in a place that’s too small. Imagine living in heaven – in perfection – and giving that up to come here and doing it with the express purpose of being a sacrifice for people who won’t understand what you’re doing (John 3:14-17). The little baby we celebrate the birth of today loves us more that we can fathom (John 3:16). Today is proof of His love in action.  Because of today, His birth, I know Eric is celebrating in a way we cannot (yet!) and that we’ll celebrate together again someday. Celebrating Jesus is a perpetual event in Glory, not just a one-day holiday!

Tomorrow our house will be filled with extended family and friends and we’ll laugh and play and share lots of love.  We’ll have a great time and Eric will be missed and while my heart aches over Christmases we’ll never share together, I’m thankful for the ones we had and will cherish those memories; the sound of his laughter, his joy in giving and the way he had of making me feel wonderful.  Those are the best gifts, after all.  Merry Christmas everyone!

These are the special times,

Times we’ll remember.

These are the precious times,

The tender times we’ll hold in our hearts forever.

These are the sweetest times,

These times together.

And through it all, one thing will always be true,

The special times are the times I share with you.

“These Are the Special Times”

written by Diane Warren  sung by Celine Dion