It's almost Christmas. As I sit here in the stillness of the morning I remember many times "waiting" for Christmas. As a child, Christmas never seemed to get here fast enough! Although my immediate family was small, I was blessed with many aunts, uncles and cousins making our extended family gatherings full of food, fun and laughter. With the adults there was always a prankster or two in the bunch which led to much anticipation about what may be lurking under the tree just waiting for the intended victim...um...receipient. Us kiddos received little gifts to open just for festivities sake but we all excitedly awaited the adult gift exchange and would leave our little trinkets behind as soon as we heard the call to gather in the living room.
As all the cousins grew older we were encouraged to bring along our dates but there was no holding back on the craziness just because of the visitors. There was no holding back on the love either. We all eventually married and had kids of our own but, somehow, even with all the busy schedules we still found time to gather once a year for Christmas. It was the same laughter and food we had grown so accustomed to and we always left with smiles on our faces and the spirit of Christmas in our hearts. While truly grateful for those times, I don't believe any of us really realized how blessed we were to share them together.
Our kids have now grown. Many have children of their own and some of those children have children! I've never really thought about the aging process until recently. I didn't view my parents, aunts or uncles as "young", or "old" for that matter. Up until the last couple of years of their lives I viewed each one as pretty much ageless...they just kept on keeping on with a tenacity I pray I have as I grow older.
As time carried on the aunts and uncles of the family, one by one, met Jesus. The funeral home became the family reunion for us cousins while we talked about Heaven becoming the family reunion of the sweet loved one we were mourning but celebrating at the same time. I didn't know it at the time but those years full of Christmases were wetting our appetites for what lay ahead. We were certainly celebrating the present but we were unknowingly celebrating our future as well. What hope we share in Jesus!
Many of us at different times in our lives have waited on Christmas with mixed emotions. Some of us miss those full and busy times way more than we expected. Others are wondering if the loneliness of this Christmas will ever be healed. While we smile and celebrate there are many more who feel lost, alone and forgotten and when we pause to really think about it we are reminded that we are only a breath away from a different Christmas than the Hallmark Movies portray. I understand now what my Aunt Ina meant when she said, near the end of her life here on earth, her anticipation of Christmas paled in comparison with her anticipation of Heaven.
It's almost Christmas! With hurried excitement I scarf down the last bit of my now cold coffee determined to make this Christmas (and the days that follow after) better than what I had imagined. After all, the hope I have in Christ has reminded me that the best is yet to come!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you my friend.
Merry Christmas Anita
~Kristy