What Christmas Means to Me...

I love Christmas, giving gifts, shopping, Christmas hymns, being with the people that I love, and seeing the excitement in the eyes of my children all make this a truly spectacular season of my life. One thingI love in particular is the candlelight services on Christmas Eve. It was something I grew up doing every year and I look forward to it. Every year as I go and worship I reflect on the year we have had and also on the past years. I can't help but be emotional, even now, thinking about the blessings that God has given me and the valleys that He brought us through. I remember how I felt the year that mom was battling cancer and the uncertainty of life that went along with that. I remember that year as we all stood with our candles and sang through the tears...thankful that she was with us. Then again 2 years ago as I reflected on life as a single parent and the loss that had taken place...life again seemed so here one minute gone the next. Tears, tears and more tears, even tonight as I write...thankful and broken. Thankful that the baby born on Christmas day was the same baby that hung on a cross some 30 years later...for ME, for YOU. Thankful that, although the pain that comes with these circumstances that we live in, God draws us to Himself daily. If everything went according to our plan, we wouldn't have needed that baby in a manger so many years ago. But face it, we desperately need Him. As we celebrate with our families...reflect on this (we learned it from Kris on Sunday) We can't celebrate Christmas without Easter.
Merry Christmas...