I have always loved sending and receiving Christmas cards and letters. Christmas is a lovely time to connect or reconnect, even if just for a moment.
As I put our Christmas letters in each envelope, I really think about the person(s) to whom the letter is going. It’s not just an envelope stuffing exercise to me. It’s personal.
I remember the events in life that brought us together. I remember the events that moved us apart. I sometimes smile or laugh when I think of good times shared. I sometimes cry when I think of sad times shared.
I feel sad when I must remove someone from my list because they no longer live on earth. But I am grateful to know with assurance that most of them are surely in a place of celebration that tops any earth celebration.
I realize with surprise how many of us say each year we want to get together in the next year … but somehow never do. It is a true wish to reconnect … and certainly worth saying again, hoping it will come true this time.
Our Christmas letters, like many of our Facebook or blog posts, chronicle the best times of our lives. We make the effort to tell the most positive parts … or at least put the not so positive in a better light.
We started sending letters when we first got married in 1977. I have saved each in a book. It is a history of our family. We can see all the changes over time and realize that even while changing, some parts of us are remarkably the same.
And one part that has never changed is our desire to be connected with friends and family. It is not just about sharing our lives with them. It is our hope that they will share their life with us too.
As we think of each one, we pray for them … that God’s Perfect Will be revealed in their life and that they experience His Peace, Joy and Love. We pray the same for all who read this blog. Merry Christmas!
