...Important Gift of the Holidays
So the holiday season has begun. I love this time of year. It seems as though people are more intuned to their fellow man. There is a feeling of purpose in shops and malls. Thanksgiving was probably the last restful and unhurried day. Oh yes, I cooked my little fingers to the bone, cleaned my house with a lot of help from my husband, and I put out the Thanksgiving decorations. It was a small group this year—just eight of us. My hubby and me, my son, his wife and his son and daughter, and my cousin and her grandson were all that gathered around the table. As I peeled and chopped I started to remember Thanksgivings of yesteryear when there were as many as thirty sharing the meal.
Those were the days of making memories for these days that used to be thought of as “the future.” My three little children and my friend Ernie’s two were just beginning to build their own memories that they now share with their own children. Three elderly couples have left the table to be with the Lord, taking with them a piece of our hearts and leaving a piece of their hearts with us.
It is such a blessing in these hurried days to slow down once in a while and remember things that built us into who we are today. To run at break neck pace to get things done needs to be given a balance in the consideration of what is really important. It is the day after Thanksgiving and today the second wave arrived for the rest of the weekend. This is my friend, Calista, and her husband, Richard. More memories float through my mind of the almost sixty years that I have known her, her parents who were so special to me, the town where we lived, and other family members who are part of those days of the fifties and sixties.
That is what life is all about really. You move ahead building a structure of your life knowing that some of the bricks and boards are added in by the precious people who were on your path. Sometimes things change, and that can be hard. However, if we can put the proper value and light onto our past we will appreciate the souvenirs gathered from the people and friendships that God has gifted us with throughout the years.
Father God, thank You for all you have brought my way from friends and memories that offer me a looking glass through which to view my life. May my family and friends be blessed with the memories they hold precious in their lives. As we begin the season during which we celebrate the greatest Gift that You have given us, let the days until Christmas be days of joy, fellowship and the building more memories for the future. Help us to remember the true reason for the season and to hold the wonderful Christmases of our lives close to heart. We must never forget that JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON, Amen.
While they were there, the time came
for her to give birth.
for her to give birth.
She gave birth to a son, her firstborn.
She wrapped him in a blanket
and laid him in a manger,
and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room in the hostel.
Luke 2:6-7
Corinne Mustafa
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