A Gracefull Place

"It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…in our house today…."

Okay, so that’s not how the original song goes!  It’s our version!

We stayed up until midnight last night–decided to get it done!   I should say we as in my oldest five daughters and me!    It was a lot of fun!   Last year I didn’t do as much–hardly anything since I was recuperating from a c-section (who said 6 weeks is enough time?!).   So it was good to be able to be a part of it this year.   I usually do the piano–my oldest says she remembers when I wouldn’t let anyone else do it–that way if anthing got broken it was my own fault!

The only thing left is for me to put out the nativity that was my grandma’s.  That’s the current "no one else can touch it" decorating!   I remember as a child being allowed to play with it carefully as long as I didn’t take it off the desk it was set upon.   You wind up a little music box and it plays Silent Night.  I still remember winding it up and just looking reverently at all the figures.  My grandma was a big influence in my life that helped to lead me to Christ as my Savior.  I’m sure she prayed many a prayer for me!

As I was decorating last night, I dusted the pie safe.  It hadn’t been dusted in a l-o-n-g time!  Dusting is not high on our priority list!  But as I was rearranging things there and they would definitely show where they’d been sitting for months, I dusted.   My dad’s glasses are there, and I cleaned them off….and remembered Mom cleaning them just a few days before Dad died (he passed away in October).   He was pretty unresponsive to us by that time, but she picked them up and said, "I better clean these for him–he might need them tomorrow." I think we both knew, but it was such a sweet gesture.  Of course, the memory of it made me cry.   "Firsts" without a dear loved one are always hard–this is my first Christmas without a parent.   Dad’s birthday is Sunday, too.   As I sat in a chair in the living room, I remembered the family Christmases we had there, or when Dad and Mom came over and brought the oldest two girls’ presents on that Christmas day 15 years ago–a Little Tykes Dollhouse (that we still have!).  Dad loved to watch the kids open their presents.    He would also come the morning of December 24 and have biscuits and gravy and fried apples with us to celebrate my oldest daughter’s birthday (almost 21 years old!).    As I sat in the chair I saw the ornament that had brought tears to my eyes when we put up the tree a few weeks ago–a gold ornament with a hand painted Florida White rabbit on it.  Dad and Mom quit having a tree a long time ago, so when Dad got this ornament for winning at one of the rabbit shows, he gave it to us.   I don’t think I appreciated it at the time, but it’s precious now.  It even has his name on it:  BOB!   (Okay, so I know that BOB stands for Best Of Breed, but still, it’s his name, too!)

It’s hard closing this chapter of my life where my parents have been the driving force of family traditions and dinners.   But we open a new one–looking ahead to when all the "kids come home" to celebrate.   The older girls like to decorate and rearrange their rooms, letting no one else in until the big "showing".  They light candles, turn on Christmas lights and we all file in and go "oooh!"  and "aaaahhhh!" looking at each nook and cranny where they’ve tucked neat things and admiring their creativity.   One of the girls last night said, "You know how we like to decorate our rooms and then show them off?  Well, when we’re married, we can decorate our houses, then have everyone come over to show them off!  And we can have tea and cookies afterwards!"    I like that idea!

Traditions.   Family.   Memories.   And yes, sometimes, even tears.   It’s all a part of life.   Even in our bittersweet remembrances, though, is the hope of all being together again.   This time forever!   And it’s all because of the Baby Whose birth we celebrate.

Trisch

P.S.   Here’s a quote by Crystal Paine that has really spoken to me, especially with all that’s happened recently:

"Don’t let another priceless moment slip through your fingers because
you are ‘too busy’. While you have the time, take the time."

This entry was posted on Friday, December 14th, 2007 at 10:06 am and is filed under Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.