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Comment by blondie on December 15, 2011 at 9:21am

The REAL meaning of Christmas...get the kleenex and be ready to cry.

A Meaningful Christmas Tradition
It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas---oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it-overspending...the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black.

These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears.

It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them."

Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.

That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me.

His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.

For each Christmas, I followed the tradition---one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal it's contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there.

You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad.

The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

May we all remember each other, and the Real reason for the season, and His true spirit this year and always. God bless---pass this along to your friends and loved ones
.

Comment by blondie on December 15, 2011 at 7:57am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGTSveF_1UA

Merry Christmas from Afghanistan ..
.

Comment by blondie on December 15, 2011 at 7:56am

Psa 18:2 NKJV) The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Prov 3:5-6 NKJV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; {6} In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

The best way for any of us to hear God is to know Him. The closer we are to Him and the better we know Him, the easier it becomes to know when He's speaking to us and what He's saying.
(John 10:27 NKJV) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
As we know Him better, it becomes much easier to block out all of the other noise around us and tune Him in. Drawing closer to Him will take away the desire in us to do things that are contrary to His word, thereby eliminating things that would be likely to make our spirits dull.
There are many, many things that will push us away from God, even when we don't realize it's happening.
As we immerse ourselves in His word and we press into Him, we will begin to hear His voice clearly.
People of God, press into Him today. The rewards far outweigh the efforts.

Comment by blondie on December 15, 2011 at 6:46am

Praise and Glory to God.  Wonderful news about Heath, will pass it on, will continue to pray for speedy recovery.  Sleep well

Comment by fishdad on December 14, 2011 at 11:37pm

I just got off the phone with the doctor. Heaths surgery went very well. Nothing torn, but a lot of scar tissue. Seems that whatever had been torn had scarred itself over quite well. He said that there is a large amount of swelling, but that they expect him to be able to bear weight fairly quickly and that PT will start on Monday. We couldn't have asked for better news!! We are going to go and get some rest now.....we have very thankful hearts. 

Comment by blondie on December 14, 2011 at 2:45pm

Hugs!  a good cry helps, does it not?

thank you for all the blessings and prayers, please do keep us updated.

 

Comment by fishdad on December 14, 2011 at 2:31pm

Oh Blondie, how you make me cry. Thank you so much. We, too have Nick and his family on the fridge (we probably look at that more than the tree..lol) as a constant reminder to pray...not that we mom's need reminders, now do we? And thank you for the encouragement about Heath's healing. I am reminded again and again of the source of our strength....like you said, the manger. I praise God for showing me this year how very strong He is, and how He delights in showing me over and over again. Somehow I don't mind being weak when I get to stand in His strength. This is my prayer for each of you and your Sailors for the coming year. To stand in His mighty strength. 

We'll give an update as soon as we hear from the doctor tonight!

Comment by blondie on December 14, 2011 at 10:22am

listening to "The Christmas Shoes" and yes, I am crying.  then read this...... who wouldn't cry?

The great gifts of this season - or any season - can't be put under the tree; you can't wear them or eat them or drive them or play with them. We spend so much time on the lesser gifts - toys, sweaters, jewelry, the mint, anise and dill of Christmas - and so little on the great gifts - understanding, grace, peace and forgiveness. It's no wonder that the holiday leaves us empty, because when it's over, the only reminders we have are the dirty dishes and the January bills.

The Great Gift
The great gifts are like the one gift - the gift that began it all back there in Bethlehem of Judea. You can't buy them, and they're not on anybody's shopping list. They come as He came - quietly, freely, unexpectedly - and if you're not careful, you'll miss them entirely.

Comment by blondie on December 14, 2011 at 9:26am

my son blew his knee out twice, the last time it was shredded like speg. noodles, (we still have the pictures, lol)  they took his hamstring out and re-did his knee. it took alot of rehab, before and after to teach his other muscle, tendons etc.... to do the work of his hamstring, then to re-hab the knee once it was made.  my son has a kidney disease and healing is a problem, besides trying to adapt to something new, artificial or someone elses.  we had it down where all the cleveland brown players go. 

 I have all my prayer warriors praying for Heath/his doctors today and for a speedy recovery, I hope this brings you comfort. I cried through the whole article about Nick, I get so emotional, I still have Heath's picture too.  I also asked a nother Navy Mom to put your son's name on a yellow ribbon and it's on her tree. mu tree is red/white/blue with yellow ribbon, hers are just yellow ribbons with sailor's names on them. hoping to get pictures of them and post.

thank you, I am one of them without their sailors' Again this year, but I find my comfort in the manger.

 

Comment by fishdad on December 14, 2011 at 9:08am

Thanks for the prayers for Heath. His surgery is scheduled for 7:00 PM this evening. The doctor told him to be prepared to possibly have his meniscus completely removed and then in a 'few years' they would implant an artificial one. We're not exactly sure what to expect, but we are praying and hoping for the best. That it is just a small tear that they can repair easily. He's been through so much this year and he just wants to get back on his feet and back to serving. 

Blondie, thank you for the link to the article on Nick. It was good to see his picture. It's funny how your heart just becomes so tender for someone when you pray without ceasing for them. Thank you for being the 'watchman' for so many. 

Scott and I are praying that for those of you that have your Sailors home for the holidays...that you enjoy each and every moment and that God blesses your time together. 

And for those of you (of us) who don't have their Sailor at home, I pray that God would ease their homesickness and that He would give them a place to feel 'at home' during Christmas. And that He would ease our melancholy and that we would feel the joy that comes from knowing Him during this time, that we would feel Him draw us close to himself. 

God bless you all. You've been an incredible source of comfort and encouragement to our family over this year and we are so very thankful for you all. Merry Christmas. 

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