Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008.........
While all of my family gathered in the home I provide on Elizabeth Court, I was traveling to Oklahoma City to be with my mom and my sister and her family. The Christmases on Elizabeth Court have held deep meaning and fun for all of us. This year in particular would have been a wonderful time to experience due to this being Eliana Hope Wheeler's first Christmas in America with her loving parents, Chris and Lindsey Wheeler. What joy! What incredible joy! The first Christmas of my first grandchild and I am not there. You might ask "why?" I wish I only knew. There is much emotion that is conjured up in my being over all of this. It is somewhat like being a leper and no one wanting to be around you.

It is sad that you have receive an invitation to the very home that you have provided for so many years and continue to provide. But, be that as it may, it is what it is. And, yes, I'm not so stupid that I don't realize that there are consequences to actions that were wrong, but, on the holiday one would have thought that some things could have been put aside, and, I could have been included.

With all that said, my Christmas is blest nonetheless. An absolute blessing to be with my 92 year old mom... to be with my sister and husband and their two children.... all are blessings. Christmas eve... Brent (my nephew) and Melissa (my neice) and I went to the Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols at First Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City. The structure of the church is massive greystone and built in Gothic architecture. We arrived during the instrumental prelude which included flute and harp. People from all walks of life entered the huge doors of the Sanctuary... the very rich with the ladies in their expensive furs... the middle class in sweaters and jeans... and the poor, dressed in whatever they had, but, nonetheless, very glad to be in the house of the Lord. The minister began the service with "we are all here from many varied walks of life. We are here to worship the One who gives us the very life we have. I invite you to experience the Christ child." With that the processional began... "O come all ye faithful" I could but ask myself... have I been faithful? have I been joyful and triumphant? have I adored Him? have I sung in exultation? have I given Jesus the glory He so deserves? Truthfully answering these questions was difficult. The true answer was "NO". I have wallowed in self-pity. I have felt sorry for myself.

The service continued with exhortations to be bold in our faith...to cast all of our cares on Him who came as a Baby. By the time we reached the end of the 9 page order of worship it was 12:27 am in the morning, and, we all had experienced something that would make us different from now on.

I'm grateful for that 2 hours and 27 minutes.... I will not be the same.

Merry Christmas,
Greg