The GiftsI Remember

"Remember Him before  the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it"  (Ecc.  12:6-7) 

Hey Gang:  what did you get last year for Christmas? I have wracked by brain for days trying to remember the very special things that I have received in my lifetime at Christmas and after much thought came up with one.  Shortly after I finished my tenure in Korea I asked a very special lady in my life if she would consider becoming my bride.  And she said "YES!"  That was more than 56 years ago but it is as clear as yesterday.   

Last year I was especially intrigued to watch the little people, the great grand's open their Christmas packages.  Each were given a gift to open and after much prodding on the part of their parents the wrappings were separated from the gifts but, in each case, the gift was ignored and the box and paper became the items of interest.  It reminded me that the gift of anticipation was the wonderful part of waiting for Santa's arrival.

As I have mentioned, in previous blogs, that I am the son of the coal miner and spent my very early ears living in the mountains of Pennsylvania. It is said we lived so far back in the sticks that even the hoot owls carried knap sacks and they had to pump sunshine to us. 

Depression years were very tough years. Every dollar earned was needed to keep bread on the table and heat in the house, but my Mom was a magician when it came to salting a dollar here and a dollar there to buy one special gift for her boys.  With the exception of one Christmas, when I wanted a little yellow truck that had a dump bed on it, I do not recall Christmas mornings in the mountains when the stockings were "hung on the chimney with care", but I do have some warm memories of when we as a family hiked through forest to find a tree.

And I remember the evenings when we cut colored paper in stripes and made little circles to hang on the tree.  I remember times when we looked for things like pine cones to place on the tree, popping popcorn and stringing it, and cutting colored paper and making decorations.  There were no lights, no tinsel, no beautiful star at the top, no commercially made decorations, but beautiful, because we did it as a family.

My folks were not into religion in those years.  I do not recall their attending the church just down the road from where we lived, but  I had a dear saintly grandma who made sure that we heard the Christmas story - that Jesus, the Son of God came to set me free from the stupid things I did in my life, was born.  It was only after we left the mountains that my mom ushered me off to church every Sunday morning.  But the seeds of wanting to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior were planted on the top of that mountain, many years ago.

Soo, I pray, that you will shut down all of the wonderful modern audio devices for a while and join your hands and hearts together and give thanks that God so loved you, that He sent His Son as a gift to you. 

Blessings, Gramps

PS   Shepherds watch their flock, Magi watch the heavens: today we watch for sales, TV dramas, Church programs and are often distracted from focusing on Christ.  Create a new habit this Advent season.  Each evening, look up at the heaven for the brightest object.  Reconnect with that first Christmas when others were watching and set your heart on Christ. (Gma)