My Grown-up Christmas List (from 2007)

I ran across this the other day and even though I wrote it in December 2007, I thought I would share it. I wrote it during a somewhat turbulent time in my life when dealing with alcoholism in my family and other issues. Thankfully, I can say as 2010 nears its end, that alcoholism is no longer an issue and I know that only by Grace.



"This Christmas, I'm finding myself strangely less enthused about opening presents and thinking, "What did I get?" Instead, what seems foremost on my mind is this thought: I wonder how many children out there don't have a warm, safe house to come home to? How many are homeless? How many this Christmas will go to sleep and not wake up Christmas morning to the lighted tree with all the brightly wrapped presents underneath? How many will go hungry? How many have never even had the Christmas dinner with all the trimmings? How many will stand in line somewhere on this planet to wait their turn to get food at Salvation Army or many of the homeless shelters?



From those thoughts, my mind turns to the ongoing war. How many families will be having Christmas without their parent, child, sibling or spouse due to that courageous person fighting for our freedom? Worse, how many will visit the grave of their loved one who died for the cause?



I find myself thinking of all those who will visit those numerous Christmas parties and drink one too many and then get in the car and perhaps in their drunken state drive into a car filled with a family. How many times have we all heard the stories of families driving to see their loved ones only to meet a drunk driver and not survive?



My husband asked me the other night what he could get me for Christmas and all I could say was, "my grown-up Christmas list." Poor guy, not knowing what is on my mind, he was completely confused and so I had to tell him, "No more lives torn apart, that wars would never start, and time would heal all hearts; everyone would have a friend, and right would always win, and love would never end..." Since I recently shared with him the direction I plan to take next year and the new calling that has been placed on my heart, all he could do was watch as my eyes filled with tears and nod his head in understanding.



So, this year, my Christmas wish is more of a prayer that God would watch over those we love, protect them as they drive to work or to see family, that He would soften the hearts of those that are cold towards Him and the "Reason for the Season," and most importantly, that God would give those Christmas miracles to some of the children out there and God bless us everyone, the good and the bad, the happy, the sad...God Bless Us Everyone!"



It's December 1, 2010!!! I hope everyone has a great Wednesday!