This year I simply cherish the hat picture and the wish and face the first Christmas without my friend. The last few years she and Steve and Erin were a big part of our Christmas Day. The 3 of us are truly missing the 3 of them this year.
LIfe is hard!
This morning I am remembering a sweet friend of our family who entered my life when I was a teenager. She had a beautiful spirit and impacted my life in such sweet ways. This week she went to be with Jesus.
We have another friend who is facing the reality of heaven. She has been such a beautiful picture of faith with a deep, deep love for her Savior, but has shown that she is also just as real and human as the rest of us - she has expressed sadness and fear and her desire to live. We pray for miracles until God reveals His plan.
In spite of all the loss and grief, this is still the most wonderful time of the year. It is a time when we acknowledge to the world that Christ, our Savior was born.
John 3:16 "For this is how [much] God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."
Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
The whole world needs JOY!
Joy is found in Jesus!
I pray that you all will find JOY in this season that is mixed in with the grief. But you have to pursue JOY. You have to wear JOY. You have to receive JOY. You have to give JOY.
For me, I will find JOY in remembering the last smiles of my friend, in the face of my great-baby, in laughter as we gather with family (15 grandkids+their parents), and in the decorations. Yes, in the decorations all around you at this time of year. In our home our tree tells our story- ornaments made by our children and grandchildren, ornaments brought back from all our trips, and ornaments that point us to Jesus. Allow your decorations to remind us that we are celebrating the birthday of our Savior.
Merry Christmas!
