Anticipation

Anticipation … there’s a lot of it connected with Christmas and a New Year … and I’d like to think in waiting for a new blog post (LOL).

I confess that I had some trepidation as the holidays approached. In the past I have found myself on Christmas afternoon staring at the “naked” tree with no more colorfully wrapped gifts under its branches feeling a sense of remorse that it’s over for another year. But not this year. Advent and the start of 2010 were very satisfying and poignant for me. I share just three snippets with you.

Our Christmas season started with a trip to New York City! Everyone who loves this time of the year should experience it there… nothing can compare with seeing “the” tree in person (both at night and during the day), the store windows, the millions of tiny white lights decorating countless trees, snow in Times Square, the shoppers, and the show the “ringers” put on during their shifts attending the Salvation Army’s red kettles! So many people and so much money to prepare for the season. But where did I see the true spirit of the season? In a small sign, in an ordinary store window, cleverly explaining they were using money not for lavish holiday decorations but for donations to a charity for the homeless. What a wonderful way to honor the homeless babe in the stable.

This is my only child’s first year in the Navy and it looked like he might not get leave for the holiday. What would it be like for his bed to be empty for the first time in 26 Christmases? I found my memories drifting back to years of peeking into his room while he slept. As I did a question began to haunt me. What if the manger had been empty? But it wasn’t and baby Jesus has changed my life and all of human history!

A new tradition we had anticipated adding to Christmas this year was bringing Lee Ann’s mother from the nursing home to spend the day with us. What a reminder that our plans are not our own! As she struggled to breathe just days before December 25th, Mom would cry out a prayer for God to help her. Although her healing was not in the way we had hoped for, her prayer was answered and amid the sorrow there was peace knowing she celebrated Christmas in Heaven this year.

No matter how intimate our relationship with the Creator, God’s ways and God’s timing often baffle us. Accepting God’s plans challenges us. Yet surrendering our anticipation to living one day at a time walking with God is the best way to begin every new day!