We made it through Christmas, even though it was sad without Mom. We all felt her absence. Each of her grandchildren received a gift from her that Joy and I picked out from among her things. Hopefully these gifts will be a reminder of the love she felt for them. I missed her way of doing things, her delicious dishes, her beautiful smile. I missed her just ‘being’ there.

I wrote this little poem on Christmas night…after everyone had gone home. Don took care of cleaning up the kitchen, along with the Alex and Ian. I found myself on the daybed, with my feet propped up…laptop in my lap…looking at the pictures I had made during the day.

My home was filled with ‘happy’ all day. People laughing, smiling, singing, praying, eating. We played games, we opened gifts, we repeated, from memory, the verses from the Bible that tell the Christmas Story…Luke 2:1-20. We were blessed to have a beautiful baby in our midst to ooh and aah over! Beautiful, sweet John Thomas was a delight to have with us. I thought of the words of the song…”O, come let us adore him…” We all adored this sweet baby. And, how much more did the angels and heavenly hosts adore sweet Baby Jesus when He was born!

All is well. All is well in my home…in my family…in my heart…