Christmas and the Gift Unexpected

Merry Christmas!  What a beautiful time of year!  The Christmas season can be such a mix of emotions:  remembering Christmases past with fond memories but also with misty eyes as loved ones have gone to be with Jesus...no longer with us.  Or those who are ill.  And those who are hurting, are alone, or are unloved. 

And yet it is the one time when the world stops, and we have pause to remember the Greatest Gift given...Jesus, our Savior.  And that all overflows into an unbelievable outpouring of gratitude...not for the presents under the tree...but for the basics...the important stuff...family, friends, love, a roof over our heads, food on the table, freedom to read the Bible in our home without fear...even just being able to read, to see, to hear, to feel, to smell, to touch...the list is endless...we are so blessed!

 

 

And I think about how Harry toasted George in It's A Wonderful Life...saying "To the richest man in the world!"

 





And aren't we all?  But actually, my Christmas was made for me yesterday, by an UNEXPECTED gift!

Edster and I went to spend time with my son, Caleb, who has severe autism and is non-verbal.  We picked him up at his group home, which is about 10 minutes from us.  We always take him out for a while...he loves double cheeseburgers from McDonald's. 

Now, Caleb is not known for being still and sitting down for long periods of time.  He's been a pacing pinball since his youngest days.  But yesterday, he took my hand and pulled me into his room.  He laid on his bed putting his comforter over him.  He wanted me to snuggle up to him and lay with him.  I had an hour of precious moments stroking his face and singing in his ear...reminding me of when he was little.

This Kodak moment was an UNEXPECTED gift to me from him for Christmas...or maybe I was his gift, too!

But like Mary, who pondered all these things in her heart at Jesus' birth, I will hold on to this gift forever...