Christmas Cheer
Posted in Homeschool View on Thursday, December 4, 2008
"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed" (Proverbs 31:26, 28a).
"Let's go, Mom! Everyone is waiting for us in the car," cried my daughter, as she ran out the door for the Christmas Eve program at church. I smiled at her enthusiasm and thought back to days when I was a young girl looking forward to Christmas. My Christmases were filled with visiting relatives, eating oyster stew, snacking on chocolate covered cherries, attending Christmas programs at church, and opening gifts knee-deep in paper with my family of nine. However, of all my Christmas memories, perhaps the most cherished were the times spent beforehand with my mother, as we wrapped gifts for our entire family.
Without question, my mother had an insatiable love for celebrating Christ's birth. She shared God's love through brightly lit decorations, great food, and presents. Yes, my mother loved to give presents, and she chose me to help her wrap them. Together, we spent hours making perfect bows and wrapping "just one more box." I considered helping her a great honor because she trusted me not to tell my brothers and sisters what was in their packages.
When I grew older, I realized why my mother and I had so many gifts to wrap each year. Knowing she couldn't afford to give us much, my loving mother cleverly wrapped each part of a gift into as many boxes as possible. She knew our young minds didn't necessarily comprehend value, but we could count. To a young child, the more presents you had, the better.
Tonight, I stood in my mother's place. My homeschool family was smaller, but the money was just as short. As I turned to shut off the light and walk out the door, I smiled as I saw the huge pile of gifts waiting to be opened when we returned. My daughter and I had just finished wrapping them. Some Christmas traditions are just worth passing on.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the sacrificial love of mothers. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, give me wisdom to love my family with special acts of kindness. Show me how to make every homeschooling day a special gift with the same unconditional love that was given to me on Christmas. In Jesus' name, Amen.
"Let's go, Mom! Everyone is waiting for us in the car," cried my daughter, as she ran out the door for the Christmas Eve program at church. I smiled at her enthusiasm and thought back to days when I was a young girl looking forward to Christmas. My Christmases were filled with visiting relatives, eating oyster stew, snacking on chocolate covered cherries, attending Christmas programs at church, and opening gifts knee-deep in paper with my family of nine. However, of all my Christmas memories, perhaps the most cherished were the times spent beforehand with my mother, as we wrapped gifts for our entire family.
Without question, my mother had an insatiable love for celebrating Christ's birth. She shared God's love through brightly lit decorations, great food, and presents. Yes, my mother loved to give presents, and she chose me to help her wrap them. Together, we spent hours making perfect bows and wrapping "just one more box." I considered helping her a great honor because she trusted me not to tell my brothers and sisters what was in their packages.
When I grew older, I realized why my mother and I had so many gifts to wrap each year. Knowing she couldn't afford to give us much, my loving mother cleverly wrapped each part of a gift into as many boxes as possible. She knew our young minds didn't necessarily comprehend value, but we could count. To a young child, the more presents you had, the better.
Tonight, I stood in my mother's place. My homeschool family was smaller, but the money was just as short. As I turned to shut off the light and walk out the door, I smiled as I saw the huge pile of gifts waiting to be opened when we returned. My daughter and I had just finished wrapping them. Some Christmas traditions are just worth passing on.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the sacrificial love of mothers. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, give me wisdom to love my family with special acts of kindness. Show me how to make every homeschooling day a special gift with the same unconditional love that was given to me on Christmas. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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