Seniors love to reminisce and I think this must be especially true during the Christmas season because there are so many memories attached to this special time. I am no exception, and, like the people in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (published in 1843, a hundred years before I was born), the ghosts of Christmas past come to visit me. In Dickens' novel, kindness, generosity and compassion embody the spirit of Christmas.
It was late November 1984. Our family had returned to Canada from Congo, and we were looking forward to the first Christmas we would experience in the land of ice and snow! We had settled in Ontario so Hardy could continue with Bible translation work (with the translations team of the Canadian Bible Society), but for Christmas we planned to be in Winnipeg where our extended family lived.
Before we could plan for those days, a church in Port Rowan asked us to come for a visit and tell them about our work in the Congo. We always did this together as a family, our three daughters providing the music. Until now, that had worked out well, but not this time. Our older two were teenagers and they had a laughing fit as they were eyeballed by the teenagers of the congregation! Heidi, age five, saved the day by singing her little part with gusto: "My God is so BIG, so BIG and so MIGHTY, there's nothing my God cannot do, for you" (at which point she pointed to the people in the pews). She was wonderful!
Following the service, a member of the congregation asked us if we would like to have a Christmas tree as he was cutting down several large trees on his property. We happily accepted and went home with the tree attached to the top of our car. Even though it was only mid-November, we put the tree up immediately because we wanted to enjoy it before we left to spend Christmas in Manitoba. One morning we had an early snowfall and when I looked out the window I saw that the boy who delivered our newspaper had written these words in the snow:
"I LOVE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE !"
This has been a rather difficult year for us as Hardy has been dealing with some medical issues, However, we have felt the kindness, generosity and compassion Dickens writes about in his Christmas story. Some things that have already touched our hearts with joy this Christmas season:
My youngest sister Marge brought supper and a beautiful ice candle while Hardy was in hospital. She also came with me to bring him home.
Our nieces Andrea and Miriam in Calgary decided to make the Christmas cookies my mom (their Oma) always made and sent around at Christmastime. They contacted their great-aunt who is an expert at making these cookies and then made them together with her. Then they sent a package of these cookies to their five aunts (my sisters and me) in Winnipeg! We look forward to eating them together and reminiscing about past Christmases!
