Christmases, Past and Present

My second Christmas without Dean...it just isn't the same, of course, without his jolly, fun-loving persona filling the house with holiday joy. I remember when we were in Montana, just three-years into our marriage, when he came home from logging one weekend with not one, but three trees he had cut down for us to decorate. He apologized for not having a tree the previous two years, so was making up for his negligence, he said. But I wondered where in the world he expected us to put up three trees in the tiny mobile home we had bought. Of course, he had our mobile home park neighbors in mind all along, I am sure. He was always thoughtful of others that way, and he quickly knew just who to deliver them to.

But that brings me to our first Christmas. I'm not sure how it was arranged, but he managed to be the "Santa" for a nursing home in Minnesota, where we were then living. He was such a hit with the seniors there, calling them little boys and girls, asking them if they'd been naughty or nice that year. One lady questioned his authenticity by pointing out his Southern accent (which he had acquired, I assumed, from his truck-driving days). Dean was quick to exonerate himself by announcing that he was from the SOUTH Pole, which got him another thunderous amount of laughter and applause from the crowd gathered there.

So, as you can see, I have ample memories to bolster me this holiday season. And, I'll never feel truly alone with so many friends, who still send Christmas cards every year. Besides, the greatest Friend of all is always present to fill in the emptiness that invades my heart ever so often. Jesus has promised to be with us to the end. That means I'll always have Him. He's the reason for all the joy I have and still experience in life. What a blessing the Lord has been to me!