It is Christmas time and I miss my parents. I wish everyone could have known them. They were good people, loving and compassionate toward everyone. They were the same wherever and whenever you met them. (Okay, they were human and occasionally moody.) They were most themselves at Christmas time. Mom especially loved this holiday. It brought together all the joys of her life. For her Christmas was an ongoing miracle and a celebration of life. She was a kid at heart and Christmas brought it out best.
If you knew my mother for any period of time you knew six things about her. She believed cooking for others was her duty and she was good at it. She loved her family and you didn’t want to get between her and them. She loved and was faithful to her church. She loved to bless and help others. She was fervent in prayer and knew how to touch God. She loved the Bible. It was for her the Word of God and it was all about Jesus, the lover of her soul. Her life revolved around these things: the kitchen, her family, her church, helping others, prayer, and the Bible.
If you knew my father for any period of time you knew nine things about him. He was strong. He was a hard worker. He was faithful. He was honest. He enjoyed a good conversation. He liked to make people laugh. He was a Christian (1971 forward). He strongly disliked the Masons and other liars (his perception). He was absolutely devoted to my mother.
At Christmas time all of these qualities were abundant. With them Mom and Dad swept everyone into the miracle of God-With-Us. Christ and children shared the central stage. It was a feast of food, fellowship, games and gifts. (Mom always had plentey of food and a few extra gifts tucked away just in case somebody stopped by who looked like they needed one.) Without theological reflection, they made Christmas an introduction to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. I wish everyone could have known my parents at Christmas time.
No comments:
Post a Comment