Christmas Memories

At church on Sunday we had a special family Christmas service in which some members of the congregation recounted special holiday memories. Here are the words that I shared:

It is with a thankful heart that I tell about three men in my life. I have had godly men that have pastored me and taught me about God's love. I don't want to take them for granted because I know that not everyone is blessed with caring males in their lives.

First I remember a Christmas when I was a girl. My dad surprised me with a doll house that he had made for my Barbies. He had constructed the house in our basement without me knowing. He put a lot of thought and detail into the house. The wallpaper on the walls was the same as that in my bedroom. There was a framed picture of Holly Hobby that was similar to my Holly Hobby bedspread. He had made small pieces of furniture to adorn the house.

Another Christmas memory is playing duets on the piano with my Grandpa. It is ironic that the song we just sang was "O Holy Night" because this was one of the songs we played together. These moments at the piano were special ones that he and I shared.

Five years ago for was the first Christmas for Ryan and me as a married couple. He surprised me by buying tickets for us to fly to Texas to visit my parents after Christmas. They had just moved to Texas that year.

This past Christmas, Ryan and I knew that I was pregnant, but no one else knew. It was a special time thinking about this Christmas when we would have our baby. We enjoyed sharing the anticipation together.