I love the Holidays. There are various reasons why I look forward to these days filled with love and laughter and possibilities. I will admit that I have always enjoyed this time, However as you begin to age your reasons for loving the Holidays may change. Whatever the case most people look forward to this time of year. Once I began to get sick I really loved seeing another Christmas or another Thanksgiving and I was overjoyed to see another New Year. Sometimes I felt wonderful when Christmas rolled around and sometimes I was physically miserable and in pain. But I was determined to give my kids a "nice" Christmas. I smile now thinking back on what I thought a "nice Christmas" was.
Six years ago, right after my neurologist and my internal medicine doctor's informed me that I was progressing with my illnesses.. I was sad I had my sister take me straight to Target to go Christmas shopping. My lungs were scarred, my MS was worse. My muscle weakness was progressing and my eyesight was coming and going. In 2013 I lost my eyesight in my right eye and it has not come back,
Anyway on this day I was overwhelmed and I was afraid but I just decided that this particular Christmas would be one that my family would always remember. I bought decorations and gifts and wrapping paper and food and anything that corresponded with Christmas. On our way out of the store as we crossed the parking lot I saw a man sitting on the curb. We loaded up the car and my sister walked to take the carts back to the store. I was drawn to this man. I kept staring at him. I could only see the back of his coat and hat. I could tell he had a sign in his hands. It had began to rain which was actually freezing rain and he didn't even have on gloves.My sister jumped in the driver;s seat and moaned about how cold her hands were as she turned on the car heater. I remember thinking, "if her hands are cold I can only imagine what his feel like." As we pulled out the parking space I asked her to go in a different direction so I could see the man. She looked at me kind of funny but she did it.
As we pulled up behind the car ahead of us I read the man's sign. "Merry Christmas, If you have anything left over please bless me and my family. I am laid off 6 months." My sister said "Oh wow, that poor man." I said. "Pull over." She looked at me sideways but she did it. My heart was melting for this man. It was odd because I see this sort of thing all year long and I usually give a couple of dollars. But this time I was moved to not just give but to speak, I rolled the window down and I spoke. He smiled back with his hands shaking from the cold. I asked him, "Where is your family?"
He said, " Over there in or car," and pointed across the parking lot. I looked and saw a medium sized car with at lease two kids and an adult inside.I asked, "What do you need?" He hesitated and asked me "What do you mean?" I asked the very same question again. The car behind us started honking and my sister waved them around. The man came closer to the car and he started naming things. Nothing expensive or over the top. Diapers, milk, cold medicine, socks for his kids, gloves for him and his wife and maybe a couple of blankets. I asked, "Do you live in your car?" He said "no." He explained that they were living with his parents for now, I reached into my wallet and thought to myself "I am only giving him what I pull out." When I pulled my hand out there was $90 in it. I handed it to him and his face lit up! I held his hand and I asked him to do me a favor. "Please use this for your family and when God places you back on your feet, you bless someone else, okay?" He said ,"I sure will."
We started to pull away and I saw the woman in the front seat of the man's car wave to us. I think she just knew we had given him something. I was blessed that day. U was blessed because I had jumped into my own worry and concern about the Holiday's after my doctors visit. I was consumed with making sure my kids had a lasting memory of that particular Christmas. However, God wanted me to see how blessed I was even with the bad news. I had money. food. shelter from the cold and an OVERFLOW that I was able to share with someone else. It hit me on the way home and I cried. My sister cried too and we never said ONE WORD. We just both knew what God was trying to show us,
I treasure everyday. I am grateful for each moment with my family. It DOES NOT MATTER what we hang on the walls or how we decorate our homes, What matters is that we draw closer to the people we love. And we thank God for the things we have that we are favored and blessed to have, things other's are begging for. I will; never forget that day, It was as if God was saying, "Do not be afraid of what you do not know, be grateful for what you do know." And I know that I am blessed. Sick or not, I am abundantly blessed and so are my children and my husband.
I trust that no matter what the year brings my children appreciate me and thank God I am still with them. No gifts or trees needed. Everyday is a gift to us. We celebrate God's love and mercy each day. Because we know it can be changed in the blink of an eye. We look forward to the Holidays and the family visits but for US every season, every month and every day create the Most Wonderful Tome of The Year.
Merry Christmas and Blessings Always
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