Found on Pinterest on December 10, 2015. Dave Bowman.

At times, like these, when we are going through so many difficult challenges, it can seem like the world is a lonely place when you are isolated from the people and the things that have always been so much of a part of the holidays. Many of us were unable to fly and see important people, those family members and friends who are so dear to our hearts. Some of us, because of health problems, were unable to make it to our places of worship.

Even though modern technology has made it possible to attend church on the internet, or our tv’s, not all of us do so. We each have choices we can make regarding how we get through this Christmas season.

Pinterest on the internet has wonderful pictures of Jesus and His birth. Most of us have holiday DVD’s we can play, Christmas carols we can listen to, Christmas books we can read. But most of us also have a gift we can tap into that can make our lives more enjoyable, and that can leave a warm fire burning in our hearts. We have the gift of being able to remember past Christmases. We have been given the ability to store experiences in our brains. The older you become, the memories become more vivid and real.

I can remember, as if it were yesterday, going to candlelight services on Christmas Eve with my husband and son. We stood in a room full of soft light from the candles, lighting up the faces of people around us, and celebrated the birth of Jesus while singing songs that drew us together as one. 

The next day, I heard my young son get up, and I laughed as I heard the pitter-patter of little feet running to the living room. The excitement in his voice was infectious as he called for us to join him. The manger was lit up that he and I had put together. He ran and got a gift and brought it to me to open, and together we placed a new piece of the manger scene where Christ slept. I can still hear his chatter as he opened his gifts in front of the Christmas tree we had all decorated. Later, he stood on a little stool as he helped me make Christmas dinner. That evening, we baked cookies and smacked our lips as we ate them. I remember so many wonderful memories.

This Christmas, we could not see each other, but we both cooked Christmas dinners. We shared over the phone what we had made. He baked for the holidays, and I am about to bake toll house cookies today like I did years ago. We  connected the past and the present and found some Christmas joy. I am grateful to God that I have the gift of memory.                                                                                                       

Found on Pinterest on 12-6-15. Capturing Joy by Kristen Duke Photography.

Yu/stan/kema.