Post-Christmas Post

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.  In my own home, it was one of the best ever because both of my children were on hand.  My spouse and I are truly blessed because our children still think we are "cool" and still love to spend time with us.  That (the time with them and with my spouse) was the best Christmas gift of all, beside the Greatest Gift that was given two thousand years ago. 

By late Sunday night everyone had left our humble abode and quiet once again had descended on the Meeks Residence.  I thought about how special this Christmas was, and about one of the things that had made it so special.  That particular thing was that Sherron and I decided to give the children "memories" that we had collected with them over the years.  And one added blessing was, as my wife and I went through the "memories box" to find the items that we would give our children, we rediscovered three little New Testaments.  You have probably seen these, or you may even have copies that were presented to you at the birth of your own children.  Just for a brief moment, as I saw the little Bibles there, I felt a prick in my heart as I remembered our little angel, Bryan, and his short life with us.  Although much of the hurt and sadness is gone, and I am greatly comforted that Bryan is with The Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus, just for a moment I felt myself wondering about this little boy and what his life might have been had he stayed with us just a little longer.  But two children remain and and have been a joy and a blessing in our lives.

Child A and Child B are both over twenty-one years of age, and my wife and I felt that it was time to pass on some of the memories to them.  For instance, when both of the children were younger, their favorite television show was "Gargoyles."  Several years ago we saved for each child a small "pop-up" book that contained a Gargoyle mini-adventure, so we presented the books to each child.  Later on we engaged the children in collecting all of the "state quarters."  Both of the children completed, with our help, the collection folders (well, mostly).  So this Christmas we gave each child his and her quarter collection.  Both of them had practically forgotten about the quarter collections and were surprised to get them.  We also passed along pictures of years past.  Don't worry, they got "real" Christmas gifts as well.

What I don't think the children realize yet, even at their grand old age of "over twenty-one," is that they each gave their parents the best gifts that we could have asked for....a few hours of their time on the day that the world has chosen to honor as Christmas, the birthday of Jesus...the Greatest Gift of all.