What I learned at Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010

This year on Christmas day we loaded up our car and headed to my Aunt Martha and Uncle Donnie’s house for our family Christmas get together. We always like going to their house because it is warm and welcoming. It is a log cabin with a huge fireplace and many other features that make it awesome for Christmas and family get togethers. As a boy I have fond memories of going to Asheboro, NC for Christmas. Now my boys are able to go and enjoy it just like I did. As we gathered around the table for a wonderful Christmas meal Aunt Martha had place a gift for everyone at each place setting. It created an atmosphere of suspense wondering what is in the pretty paper. We sat down and Aunt Martha told us to open our gifts. We opened our gifts and each person was given something from my grandpa’s house who had died 5 years earlier. I got his wallet and file. Laurie got a sausage grinder. My boys got tools that my grandpa had used at one time. My brother Barry got a old refillable oil can similar to the one used by Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. It was cool and we for moment remember a wonderful man who loved all of us. The gifts were old and smelly and were not brand new but they allowed us to go back in time and enjoyed some warm memories of Grandpa Lewis. The strange thing that happened was that we all remembered him but then we realized that he is not with us and it brought a tear to our eyes. You see grandpa loved Christmas and he called it shirt day because he always got shirts for Christmas.

I get some of the same thoughts when I look at the cross. I feel good because I know Christ and his love. My heart is thankful for what Christ did for me. Then I get a little sad because it was because of me He had to endure such a cruel death. My mixed emotions are painful and yet very satisfying. Similar to when I think about my grandpa. The amazing thing is that Jesus is with me now and is helping me everyday to live for Him. I am so thankful for the baby Jesus that came to earth in a manger but I am more thankful that he did what He was supposed to do. He went to the cross for me and died for my sins. Thanks Jesus and thank you, Aunt Martha, for giving me some old tools to remind me of a great man and for reminding me of a wonderful Savior.