Christmas Time

I hope you don’t mind if I indulge myself with a bit of a personal post. I love this time of year, always have, but about 16 years ago it came to mean something much more. It started in 1995 and ended in 1996. It was the year that we were expecting our first child. It was also the year that I lost my first grandparent. I met the girl my brother was dating and instantly fell in love with her.  I learned that my dad had cancer. I watched my mom become something much more than just my mom. It was also the year that I learned much about my Father in Heaven and my Savior and what this time of year is really all about.

As the time has passed the sadness I feel now isn’t so much for the loss I felt then, but for their absence in the milestones of my children now. You see that year in my life saw the loss of some great people. My grandfather died July 4, 1995 at 77. My brother died Dec 5, 1995 at 28. My dad died July 16, 1996 at 65. I saw then the hand of God in all the things the transpired. I saw his love and mercy for my mother as she lost her son and then her husband. I saw his compassion in the sweet healthy little girl he gave me. I felt his support as I struggled through the first Christmases without them, and I feel it now with each passing moment in my life that they miss. I have felt his strength in my blessings, a wonderful husband, a loving family, a kind mother and supportive friends. I felt his friendship in a beautiful woman who kept me as her sister/friend even when her life moved beyond being my brother’s girlfriend. I feel his touch each year as I put up decorations, knowing that yet another year has passed. With each ornament I think of the things they have missed and then I feel his peace as the knowledge washes over me that they were there, in their own way.

For me this time of year is about the gifts our Father in Heaven has given us through our Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s not about Black Friday and the gifts under the tree. It’s about love, peace, strength, compassion, kindness, support, service and all the wonderful attributes of a man who gave everything to me and to you.

As I turn the lights on in my home tonight I will pray that your season is filled with joy and peace.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!