Twinsight 38 of 50: Write Memories on Your Heart

Christmas 1998 with Mom, Chloe and Leah

Welcome to the wonderful craziness of  December where real life coexists (and sometimes collides) with the wonderment of the season...day-to-day work pressures intermingled with Christmas concerts and services...homework and finals alongside holiday parties...the pressure to sell wreaths followed by the joy of delivering one to the neighbors...shopping (which at least can start out fun) and hopefully leads to the satisfaction of finding something that will bring a smile to someone else.

You are in for a treat this month on Twinsights because you’re going to hear from my family. Our dog, Pabby, will share his perspective on life next week, and then Steve, Chloe and Leah will each share their highlights from 2011 in the ensuing weeks.

Today I'd like to encourage you to hit the pause button in life and think about Christmas memories that are etched in your mind. In her book, Cold Tangerines, Shauna Niequest writes, “When you’re with someone else, you share each discovery, but when you are alone, you have to carry each experience with you like a secret, something you have to write on your heart, because there’s no other way to preserve it." 

Like me, you probably have some memories that you've experienced with family members, friends and even strangers, and others you've experienced on your own or with loved ones who have passed away. But each of us has a collection of memories of Christmas that is uniquely ours. What memories are etched on your heart? Here are some of mine.

In My 10s
Friends in my home town dropping off plates of goodies because they knew that my mom didn't like to bake. My mom and I filling the trunk with 10-pound bags of beautiful red potatoes and delivering them to friends around the county. Feeling sad that we only had three people in our family and then mom inviting friends with no family to join us for Christmas dinner. Watching my dad take off to go on his annual Christmas shopping trek (to the Citizens State Bank on Christmas Eve morning where the color of the gift was always just right - green). Lying on my bed and opening up my Bible for the first time to learn more about the Jesus I heard about.

In My 20s
Driving into the driveway and bounding into the house after college finals to the familiar aroma of smoked Hangikjot filling every square inch of the air. Hearing about Steve's small town experience of being picked up for speeding on his way up to spend Christmas with our family when we were engaged. (Officer - "Where are you going so fast, young man? ...Oh yah, Bill and Bernice...I know them and Joaaaaaann. Nice family. But I still need to give you a ticket. That will be $20.") Learning to appreciate new traditions with the Swenson family - especially singing carols and playing our instruments (but avoiding some of the Swedish foods).

In My 30s

Watching my dad fall in love with Leah when we brought her to North Dakota for her first Christmas after he had been skeptical about adoption. The joy of having children around. Establishing our own traditions - some from our childhoods and some of our own, like going to the Holidazzle on the night after Thanksgiving to launch the season.

Dad with Leah on Christmas 1993

Chloe on Christmas morning in 2003

In My 40s
The fun of working downtown during the holidays with the decorations, music and activity. Pausing from the normal speed of life to ponder the impact of Jesus' birth on my own life and how embracing His love can translate into loving others more completely. Driving to church on Christmas Eve in 2009 only to receive a call from my mom's doctor that she might not make it, and the four of us surrounding her hospital bed in tears and her pulling through that Christmas and giving us a couple more very sweet weeks.

This is my first Christmas in my 50s so I don't have any memories yet! What I most desire to do this season is to carve out little snippets of time to enjoy a concert, read the Christmas story with our family, and simply have a cup of coffee (or Chai for me) with friends. One of my college roommates, Cheri, wrote this poem that I wanted to share with you. It's so simple, yet so deeply true. 

With college roommates Cheri & Ruth last summer

Dear friend

Come sit awhile with me

The coffee’s familiar aroma

Brings pause

The world’s sadness, our intimate

Brokenness

Always there

But for now, please

Sit here with me, I want to

Laugh with you

And dismiss the seriousness

At Christmastime

We recall,

He comes for all times

Laden with gifts

Our necessities

Comfort,

Hope,

Joy

Dear friend

Merry Christmas!

- Cheri Brady

Blessings on your Christmas season as you cherish old memories and create some new ones.

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