Many of you may not know that my husband lost his dear mother in November.  It has been a very trying time for us as it was unexpected and we are a very close family.  Somehow we got through Thanksgiving and now are sites are set on Christmas.  Trying to find the joy in it even with someone so important to that special day missing.  Scott’s mom was the backbone of the family even though his dad liked to think that he was.  She made sure that things got done and she made sure that her family was taken care of.  She was a mom and wife first off…  everything else was second.  

We can take comfort in this season where we celebrate the birth of Christ that she is now in a home that our Heavenly father has been creating for her.  It is hard to be without the ones that we love, but it is also very important that we remember that, if they believed in Jesus as their savior, they are in a place where Christmas is celebrated every day. 

So with Christmas only a day or two away and the stress of it weighing on my shoulders, I am trying to remember the reason for this wonderful season.  The number of presents under the tree are so unimportant even if it is what the kids are looking for.  They are not going to remember in June what they got for Christmas no matter how much thought is put into them, but what they will remember is being with the family and friends that love them.    I dont remember the presents that my father gave me when I was nine, but I do remember the love that I felt from him as we opened those gifts and hugged and got ready to welcome family into our home on Christmas morning for breakfast.  Those are the memories that I want my kids to be almost forty and remembering.  I want them to look back fondly on their childhood Christmases and desire to instill that same love for family in their kids.  I want them to always know that their family loved them and that love pales in comparison to the love of God for them.

So from the Gribbins family to yours…  May God bless you all this Christmas and fill your 2009 with love and joy.