"It Won’t Be the Same This Year"

Snow…You have forced me to change my plans for the day…I came home from running an errand, put my pajamas back on, and drank a cup (or cups) of Reindeer Blend from Caribou Coffee…Ahhh…That makes the snow a LITTLE more bearable…Now, I just hope the streets are plowed when I have to go to work at 4am tomorrow. ;)

On the way home from running my errand, I heard Switchfoot (I <3 Switchfoot…Haven’t heard them in a LONG time!) singing, “Dare You to Move”…Is someone trying to tell me something? ;) Hawaii, Florida…I could open a coffee hut on the beaches of Hawaii, a beach ministry…A woman can dream, right? ;)

I was going to visit a friend and former coworker, Kathy, at the hospital where she is at, but as I said, the snow changed those plans…I called her and talked to her on the phone. She was happy to hear from me and thankful for the well wishes from other friends…She sees the light amidst the darkness. She just wants to be home in time for Christmas, recuperating in her recliner…The little things we sometimes take for granted. When a staff member came in the room, she told him or her that she was on the phone with her “personal pastor.” What a sweetheart…I love that woman and hope she has a speedy recovery…She has been so encouraging of my journey…We have been through some trenches, and you just “don’t know” unless you have been there…The testimony is being able to come through it and tell the story. Please keep this wonderful woman in your prayers. :)

I found my Vince Gill Christmas CD, “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” and started listening to it…I have had the CD since it was released in 1993. On the CD, he has a song called, “It Won’t Be the Same This Year,” which he wrote after his older brother passed away. Here are the words:

It's time to pack our bags and hit the highway,
And head on out for Christmas holiday,
I'll fall apart when I pull in the driveway,
It's my first time home since brother passed away,
His favorite time of year was always Christmas,
We'll reminisce about the days gone by,
Oh how I wish that he was still here with us,
My memories with him will never die,

(Bridge)
But when the stockings are hung,
And silent night has been sung,
And Christmas is finally here,
It won't be the same this year,

Losing my big brother hurt so badly,
It's help me learn what Christmas really means,
There's nothing more important than your family,
We're all the children of the King of Kings,
(Bridge)

I have heard the song numerous times, but this year it strikes a special chord…For anyone who has lost a loved one in the last year, it’s the first Christmas without that person. For me, it’s my oldest sister, Char…

I remember last Christmas, she wasn’t feeling well…It was only a couple of days later when she went into the hospital. After we finished opening gifts, she asked me to keep her in my prayers, because she was scared (“Tweet, please pray for me…”)…She wasn’t feeling well. Of course I would…And I did. I just didn’t realize just how sick she actually was. It took all the energy she had to come over on Christmas. I thought she would get better. It was such a shock when she didn’t.

This has been a tough year…I gave a sermon in preaching class on rejoicing in trials…I joked that it was a shame I didn’t have any material for it. ;) Only one—maybe two—of my classmates knew about what happened with Char…I talked about it in the sermon, among some of the other things that have transpired this year…Ironically, I finished writing the sermon on what would have been Char’s 54^th birthday, Nov. 30th. I gave the sermon in class two days later…I received great feedback and a good grade, which further cements for me my call to preaching. :)

One of my classmates asked if it was a healing experience for me, and it was…Char’s birthday was a little tough. I told her how I finished writing the sermon on Char’s birthday, and she commented that it was no coincidence…True…As I believe, coincidences are those instances where God chooses to remain anonymous. ;)

Char really wasn’t one for holidays…Or “warm fuzzies.” As my other sister Karlene reminisced yesterday at the cookie exchange, when Char was unresponsive at the hospital, and I said, “Warm fuzzies,” her blood pressure actually went up…I know she would have slapped me if she could. ;)

I still have my “Christmas spirit”…Helping to decorate Caribou Coffee for the holidays helped. School put a bit of a damper on my preparation for Christmas, because due to the homework, I haven’t done ANY shopping yet nor Christmas cards mailed…The weather has also taken time away from those things. But, Christmas isn’t about those things…It is celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ…Hallelujah! :)

I will be celebrating that with my family…And, it will be a different Christmas this year without the boisterousness of Char…That loud laugh of hers…But the memories of her will live on forever in the hearts of those who love her. There is a wonderful poem called, “Christmas In Heaven,” by Wanda Bencke…It’s also known as the “Spending Christmas with Jesus Christ This Year” poem…She wrote it when her 13-year-old daughter who had cerebral palsy had a seizure on Christmas Day 1997…Her daughter was in a coma for five days before she died. This is what the author says about that time:

During those five days God kept showing me scriptures about Heaven. As a result, I wrote the poem Christmas in Heaven. Christmas has always been my favorite season because the whole world is singing about our Savior, Jesus Christ. The fact that God took Lysandra home in the season when everyone was singing His praises seemed strangely fitting and appropriate. The poem speaks so deeply to the hearts of people because it is based on scripture and God speaks to us through His word.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk with them.”
~ Ephesians 2:10

“...in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me,
when as yet there were none of them.”
~ Psalm 139:16

If this is your first holiday without a loved one, my prayer for you is one of peace and comfort…Char is spending Christmas with Jesus this year…She always had to be the first to do something. ;) Love you, Big Sister. :)

P.S. Can you put a word in for alleviating some of this snow? ;)

I see the countless Christmas trees
Around the world below,
With tiny lights like heaven's stars
Reflecting in the snow.

The sight is so spectacular

 please wipe away that tear
for I am spending CHRISTMAS

 WITH JESUS CHRIST this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs

 that people hold so dear
but the sound of music can't compare

with the CHRISTMAS CHOIR up here.

I have no words to tell you

of the JOY their voices bring
for it is beyond description

 to HEAR THE ANGELS SING.

I know how much you miss me,

I see the pain inside your heart
for I am spending CHRISTMAS

WITH JESUS CHRIST this year.

I can't tell you of the SPLENDOR

or the PEACE here in this place
Can you just imagine CHRISTMAS

 WITH OUR SAVIOR face to face

I'll ask him to lift your spirit

as I tell him of your love
so then PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER

 as you lift your eyes above.

Please let your hearts be joyful

 and let your spirit sing
for I am spending CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN

and I’m walking WITH THE KING.