There But for the Grace of God.....

Christmas is just a little more than two weeks away. My home and schedule are crazy, and I'll bet yours is at least a little bit crazy, too. There are presents to buy, wrap and ship. There are cookies to be baked, candy to be made, decorations to go up and a a tree to trim. To top all of that off there are Christmas programs at school, church and a slew of holiday gatherings to attend. A phone call a couple of evenings ago prompted me to stop.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46: 10

Perspective is a beautiful thing. It snapped me out of my holiday oblivion just minutes after I took the call. A dear neighbor we met soon after we bought our home 18 years ago often asks my daughter to tend to her cats while she's away. Widowed and in her 70's, she's an active lady with a zest for life, a mouth that could floor a trucker, and an amazing heart of gold. She's quite a character. I knew that her son had been ill, but every time I prompted her to talk about it, she said she'd explain things to me when there was time. Sunday night's phone call was "time."

Her son has AIDS. He contracted it in the service many years ago. I didn't ask the hows or whys. That wasn't my business or my concern.

This next trip, for which my daughter would cat sit, would take her to her son's bedside as he began his journey through hospice care. He has a wife and children...the youngest a beautiful little girl with Down Syndrome.

As I pondered my neighbor's heartache and grief, it suddenly made the cooking, the shopping and the decorating all seem so trivial. It became time to stop and really make things matter this Christmas season.

Another neighbor is dying of a rare lung disease. He's my age. He retired at 50 and hasn't had the privilege of enjoying any of his retirement as he got sick immediately thereafter. His wife is a gem of a woman with an abundance of patience, and a beautiful smile that easily spans her pretty face...even in light of her dreary future.

"Be still, and know that I am God."

These words of Scripture resonated loud and long in my heart and soul. God is in charge. He has great plans for these wonderful men....plans we aren't to know about or question until we leave this earth. We can't change them. But I realized in my moment of clarity that I could do something to temporarily ease the burdens of these dear women. And I will. I'm not sure yet what it will be. It may be sitting with an ill husband so his wife can take a ride or buy a few Christmas presents. It may be making sure a meal is ready to be reheated in the refrigerator when a dear lady returns home from heartache.

In my pondering these situations, I came up with even more people for whom Christmas may not be filled with the joy I'll share with my own family, so I'll try to share a little portion of my joy with them as well.

How about you? You must know at least one person who could use a little dose of Christmas joy...delivered with no strings attached and a lot of love. It needn't cost much, if anything at all. Some cookies. A short visit. A card with a thoughtful note.

Stop today. I pray your phone doesn't ring with sad news. But someone you know needs your Christmas blessing today. I pray you find it in your heart to share a little joy with them.