"How Sweet the Day"

First Christmases are joyous. Ornaments are hung on the tree celebrating the date of the baby's first Christmas. Together with glee the newlyweds put up their first tree and over zealously hang mistletoe in every doorway.

There is something magical about first Christmas's.

 Then there is the first Christmas with one less person to buy gifts for. Your unwrapping memories of him/her in your mind instead of wrapping presents for him/her to open.

Its the first Christmas for me without grandparents.

Little did I know last Christmas would be the last time we went to "grandma's house" for Christmas.

When I said goodbye to her it would be for the last time.

Honestly I can't remember the last time I saw my grandma. Of course I went to see her right before I left town to head back to the North, but I don't remember the last goodbye.

Winter was dreary and cold and the days felt like eternity. Grandma was slipping away. Her time had come. She was old and ready to go, but for me the youngest granddaughter who had but one living grandparent...I was not ready to let my grandma go.

Mom called and asked if I wanted to talk on the phone to grandma, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't want to say the last good bye. I didn't want to say the words of finality. I wanted to always be able to go grandma's house. And I wanted my grandma's name to be typed in elegant font in my wedding program. 

Grandma was ready and God was ready and so home to glory grandma went.

I felt strangely odd to not have any living grandparents. I've wondered in the days since if you can really be a grandchild when you have no grandma's house to go to?

There is something that feels off about this Christmas. Something strangely missing. Even if I wouldn't have gone to grandma's house anyway for Christmas she still would have been there to go see.

The list of people I know who having that first Christmas without a loved one this year is long.

19 men died in the Arizona dessert in June leaving a multitude of family and friends in mourning.

 4 of my dear elderly friends slipped away from this earth this year.

1 tiny little baby for no explained human reason died in his mother's womb.

6 more deaths added just this week when 5 soldiers died in helicopter crash and a 1 victim of murderer left his pregnant wife a widow.

My friend's grandma. The list of heart ache goes on and on. There are too many to name.

Right now for many this Christmas may look bleak. And its okay. Sometimes at Christmas you have to weep. Mourn with those who mourn.

This first Christmas will be a trial for many, but some day the trials will be over because a Savior came to this broken world.

Christmas is hope because our Savior has come and again He will come. And the day will be a sweet one, so sweet it will erase all memory of bitterness.

"Oh sing for joy, lift up your voice
Let us sing for joy, the whole earth rejoice
Let us sing for joy to the Son
For Jesus our Savior has come

How sweet the day when Christ returns
We’ll see the One for whom we yearn
Then we’ll look full upon His face
Our hearts will burst with songs of praise

Come, Lord Jesus, come"

"How Sweet the Day"---Sovereign Grace Music

 

This Christmas may be hard... harder then you want to it to be, but take hope the sweet day is coming.