What Christmas Means to Me!

  Merry Christmas friends! I’m excited about Christmas and you’re excited about Christmas, at least I hope you are! It’s a magical time of the year with all the lights and treats and snow, well maybe for some people but not for me because it doesn’t snow much here…

    So as some of you know, Christmas was the time of year that my siblings and I moved in with our aunt and uncle (aka. Mom and Dad). On Dec. 17^th they received a call from social services asking if they could take care of me, Kayti, Jaidie, and our older brother Matt. They were given a day to make their choice but the social workers told them if they didn’t take us in all likelihood we’d end up in pairs of two, or us three girls would be together and our brother homed alone.

   After a powerful lot of prayer and a talk with their three kids, they decided to take us. On Dec. 18^th our aunt came and picked us up and that was the beginning of something extraordinary.

   You might ask how being taken from your parents is a good thing or even could be called the beginning of something extraordinary. Well, at the time that day felt like a nightmare. At the age of four, I didn’t understand.

I remember arriving at the home of our aunt and uncle (after we had gone to my cousin’s recital), being carried by Matt while Kayti carried Jaidie, the protective older siblings who had and have always looked out for us. I remember being greeted by a dog (of course I would remember that) who didn’t like us at first but soon realized we were no threat.

   I remember being scared. Not knowing what the future would hold. I remember stepping inside and my uncle wrapping me in an embrace even though we had seen him at the recital no more than thirty minutes ago. I remember feeling loved!

  All these memories swirl inside me, part of who I am. The good, the bad, and the ugly. All of them connected to Christmas and that feeling of joy. I can remember people coming by and dropping off presents for me and my siblings. Christmas just being a week away my aunt and uncle were scrambling to make sure we had presents and felt loved.

   I remember the magic. The grace. The mercy of a God who put me in a place where I was seen and heard and loved! My aunt and uncle (gonna go back to calling them mom and dad here) are amazing! They put so many dreams on hold in order to take us in, but they never let us know. Only recently did we hear the whole story.

    So, to me, Christmas is homecoming because it was the time of year when I found home and family! It was the time of year when I found love! It is the time of year when I love to celebrate the gift that God has given me not only in Jesus Christ but in family!

Dec. 18^th will mark twelve years since moving in with mom and dad (aunt and uncle for clarity) and all I can say is Praise the Lord for those years! For every happy memory and every joyous Christmas!!!!

  So, what makes Christmas so special to you?

Your friend,

Rissy