Merry Christmas!

This year, Christmas feels a little different. Our first born son, Luke, "came home" for Christmas. He just moved out this past summer, and he only lives a few miles away, but it was a little strange saying good-bye to him Christmas Eve night and welcoming him home Christmas morning, to open stockings with his sleepy siblings.

I remember our first Christmas with Luke. His name means "light"--so I think of Jesus, the light of the world, and how he told us to be his lights in our dark world. We read from the gospel of Luke at Christmas time. At our first Christmas with our baby, we were asked to be Mary and Joseph in the Sunday school Christmas program, and Luke played the baby Jesus. Instead of swaddling clothes, Luke was dressed in a blanket sleeper, covered with little lambs.

Our "little lamb" was very good--I remember being nervous that he might make a fuss, but like the Little Lord Jesus in "Away in a Manger," "no crying he made." Tim and I didn't have any lines, we just looked down lovingly at the baby (I don't think we put him in a manger.)

Now, 19 other Christmases have come and gone. Yesterday, Luke brought two movies for us to watch, and after our Christmas Eve dinner, Tim watched football while the kids and I watched "Elf." After church, Tim joined the kids and me to watch a second movie Luke had, "Big Fish." Both were delightful. Even Raven joined us for the second movie--crushing his weight on me and Christina as we snuggled under blankets on our sectional sofa.

Our gifts have been opened, and the wrapping paper that was so carefully cocooned around each present has found its way to the garbage. The work and anticipation of the morning is behind us. But the memories will last. And the most important thing, the love of our Savior, will be with us past our lifetimes. This is the one gift I wish for my family and for everyone--to know Jesus Christ and have him in each heart.

I would like to wish a merry Christmas to my family--my immediate family, Tim, Luke, Mark and Christina, my in-law family, and my mom, dad, brother and sisters and their families. Wish we could all be together! And to our exchange student children in countries around the world--Carla in Bolivia, Marcelo in Ecuador, Mai in Japan, Noh in Thailand, and Inga in Moldova--Merry, merry Christmas! We love you all and pray for a wonderful and safe new year.

Love,


Suzi