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The Significance of Christmas Memories
Scripture Thought for the Week:Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward
what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for
which God has called
me heavenward in Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:13b-14
I came up with a real thought-provoking statement:
Memories is a word that often links our lifelines to a
validation of existence.
The older I get the more memories I accumulate. In fact, I am
more prone to talk about
past experiences and adventures, for instance:
1) I recall more frequently the acquaintances of my childhood.2)
I embrace and remember more distinctively the sights and sounds of
being a child
growing up in Virginia and looking forward to the holidays.
3) I remember various stages of the growth and maturity of my
children and how theyanticipated each day leading up to Christmas
and the long lists of items for Santa.
However, my reflections clung tightly to my heart this year
since several things have
changed in the past 365 days in the calendar of my life.
Ironically, it all came flooding
back to me as I decorated my Christmas tree.
Decorating our Christmas tree has always taken considerable
time. Before Gary retired, I
worked for hours and that evolved many times into days getting
those strings of lightsjust right and all the ornaments hung in the
appropriate place where they could all be seen
by our visitors throughout the holiday. (It takes a lot of time
and effort to transform my
little abode into a winter wonderland.this is courtesy of my
Mom!) But Gary was helping
this year and as he unpacked all the ornaments I did the
hanging. With our Christmas
tunes playing in the background, Gary would quiz me on where
each one came from and
what memory was associated with that particular ornament.
Needless to say, I came
through with flying colors (after all, Ive done this for 33
years!), but the tide began to
turn when old familiar friends were unwrapped and handed to
me.
1) There are two handmade crochet bells made by one of my best
friends Mom. Mrs.Wright passed away many years ago. As I hung each
one I remembered how long
my girlfriend, same age as myself, has been without her Mom and
Dad and how I
sometimes take for granted the opportunity I still have to hear
the voices of my
Mom and Dad on a daily basis.
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2) There are numerous ornaments from my Mom, who is 90 years
old. Mom has alwaysloved Christmas as a little child and was so
excited to give me each ornament. My
personal favorite is engraved with the word daughter. This year
Mom isnt seeing
Christmas as she has in the past due to her increasing macular
degeneration and
that tugs exceedingly hard on my heart.3) I wondered what my
former students are doing as I hung their remembrances on
my tree. They are now grown and living lives in various
locations with families of
their own.
4) The handmade school and church ornaments are on display from
my children. Thosetreasures include their handprints and pictures
at various ages. I still remember
their expressions and joy as they proudly presented their
treasures to us. I
became quite reflective knowing that this tradition will include
items from yet
another generation in our family and how thankful I am for
passing this tradition
forward.
5) Then there is that very first ornament Gary and I purchased
together theChristmas before we married that still holds a
significant place in the front top
center of our tree. After 33 Christmases together God has
continued to bless our
marriage.
6) Two tiny heart-shaped glass beauties were gifts from my
cousin, Kathy. She passedaway unexpectedly in November. There are
countless gifts from her on the tree,
but how they look differently this year. I began to remember
when she gave them,
the conversations we shared and the dinner we enjoyed at her and
her husbands
home last Christmas. It was the first time in quite some time
our schedules allowed
the time for a meal together. She lovingly prepared dinner and
seven of us
gathered around their small dining room table. Kathy sat on a
stool because she was
minus a chair. We laughed and reminisced growing up, but she
ended the night by
telling me that we needed to make this dinner an annual event.
She concluded by
telling me how proud she was of my ministry efforts and how she
had enjoyed the
devotional book I wrote in 2010. Words were exchanged that will
forever be
etched in my mind around a dinner that God knew would not evolve
into an annual
event.
What memories are we making this year with friends and loved
ones? We are not
promised 365 additional days, friends. How will next year be
celebrated and with
whom will we share it? Wouldnt it be wonderful this year if we
took a moment to
thank the Lord for the individuals who have graced our lives
with not only their gifts,
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but their presence, their conversation, their hugs, their
prayers for us and possibly a
remembrance to place on our Christmas tree?
So as you pack away those ornaments and put the decorations away
for another year,
remember, reflect and pray for the giver. Then start the New
Year with a clean slate
on which to write new memories! God bless!
Father, thank you for yet another new year complete with a clean
slate on which
to make new memories as we grow spiritually and witness to
others of your great
pardon and salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Amen!
