Hallmark Movie of Our Own

We don't typically get to see what's behind the work that goes into preaching a sermon, but Alex, our preacher, has been walking us through the process on Sunday mornings with his white on stage. Every story consists of four main things... setting, characters, conflict, & resolution. Conflict is in every story ever written because conflict began in The Garden. The clash of Light and Darkness. Everything was just perfect until the Serpent slithered on the scene. Actually, that whole scenario is for another blog, today I want to tell a beautiful Hallmark Christmas story that unfolded before my very eyes this past Saturday afternoon.
Dennis, my thoughtful husband, wanted to go get his 92 year old mother from the nursing home, where she has lived for the past 2 1/2 years and take her with us to his cousins annual Family Chili Dinner. I was a bit leary. As precious and as sweet as my mother-in-law is...she can fly off the handle, begin cussing and become rather irrate at the toss of a hat. So, needless to say, I was hesitant to take her away from her familiar surroundings for any length of time and since Dennis made the chili we would need to stay long enough to eat.
When we arrived at 3:00 pm to get her, she was in bed and only partially clothed. She wasn't asleep, but she began questioning and cussing and fussing as if she weren't totally thinking straight. I thought, "Oh, no." I looked at Dennis and he gave a little grimace. (THE CONFLICT, not between us, just what to do? Take her with us and risk this being a bad decision, or leave her behind to spend another lonely evening in her bed or chair. That was the conflict.
As we sat her up and began to talk to her about going, she said she wanted to go and thought she could make it just fine. I got her dressed, Den put her shoes on her, we bundled her up in my red neck scarf and her new gloves and started for the door, walker in tow. Half way down the hall she had to go to the bathroom, so Dennis went to get the car and I took her back to her room.
We finally got in the car, put the walker in the back and her in the front with Dennis were half way to Judy's when I realized I didn't have my purse! I'd laid it down in her chair when I took her back to go the bathroom. So we turned around, went back and got it. No unkind words were spoken...whew! But, it's now 4:20 and we were supposed to be there around 4:00. We got caught in Mall traffic and when we finally got to her house it was 5:00 and we were the first ones there. More conflict...we couldn't stay very long and we brought the "main course."
The first words out of Judy's mouth when she saw Ginny were, "It's a Christmas Miracle." She was so glad to see her favorite aunt, whom she hadn't seen in 3 years. Well, the time there was sweet and everyone finally got there and we ate at 6:00, took some pictures and at 7:00 and something like 10 degrees outside, we got Ginny back in the car and headed home. She began to get a little concerned that Dennis didn't know where she lived and fretted just a bit, but he assured her that he knew just where she lived and had everthing "in his pocket." That's what she asked him, "Do you have it in your pocket?"
The miracle is, she went to a family Christmas Party, she didn't lose it, she had a good time, she didn't fall down or apart. It was a perfectly happy ending. Dennis felt so proud that he was able to take her to see family. She thanked him profusely upon return to her room where the aides were waiting to help her get ready for bed...as if she remembered that she'd been to a party. She was grateful, even if she didn't remember it in the morning, she remembered it long enough to say "Thank you, Sweetie, for showing me such a good time." Precious memories, how they linger. It was a Hallmark movie of our own.

Depth

We had our "friends" Christmas 'party' last night. It's difficult to know what to call it, because it really wasn't a 'party'; not like we used to have. It's interesting to reflect on how things have changed over the years. Not bad by any means, just deeper. Deeper, more real, more reflective or our journeys.
We had a wonderful time. Everything was elegant and beautifully decorated. The meal was delicious. The fireside conversations enlightening and Paula gave us a gift...a challenge to consider how God has used this particular group of heart friends to grow us individually in the Fruit of the Spirit.
Though not everyone was there, she told how God had revealed a specific fruit for each of us. I went to bed thinking about how blessed I am to have friends who live out the list of fruit of the Spirit in my life, as well. After all, that was the challenge. Some were immediately clear, others could be several or multiple options. This year, 2009, I'll be more aware of how freinds reflect God's love for me and praise Him for His precious gift of forever friends.