Our first Christmas without my sister has been extra special. The best part was having my niece and brother-in-law present my mom with a Christmas card my sister had intended to put in the mail for her (with extra stamps on it and everything) but must have forgotten because it was found in cleaning out her stuff shortly after her death last April.
She had marked on the top of the inside of the gold-embossed card with roses all over it: “XMAS 2010.” Written on it was, “To Mommy, Love from the bottom of my (she drew a heart on it as she was famous for doing—going back to childhood) to you Always. Thankful for YOU! God Bless You ALWAYS. Rita (with another heart drawn as an extension to the “a” at the end of her name).
The card itself read, in part, “For a wonderful mother. Life has been so wonderful Because of all you’ve done, And of all the gifts you’ve given, Love has been the greatest one. At Christmas And Always, You’re Loved So Much.”
I didn’t even know about this strangely found greetings card (from the card company Ambassador, of all things!) until I caught my mom exiting the living room (where we were all unwrapping presents) with tears in her eyes. She passed me the card and then I was the one tearing up. My brother was next.
It was a wonderful reminder of Rita, who was having the struggle of her life at this holiday time last year, trying her hardest to cope with a multitude of serious ills while simultaneously attending hearings, etc., in her suit against former employer Wal-Mart--a case that is still moving forward and will hopefully one day give some sense of retribution (if that’s even the right word) to our family.
The great gift that we all have is knowing she is home now with the Lord, safe and secure in His loving arms. She loved that very famous painting of an image of a long-haired Jesus Christ in a robe, hugging someone.
My gift from my mom was an iPod Nano for downloading music. It is quite the shift from my Sony Walkman!!! Yes, I’m someone who’s still tugging along a Walkman for jogging, walking, listening to sermons in my car, etc.
The first download I made was, “Bridge over Troubled Water,” from my favorite group from childhood—Simon and Garfunkel. Then, without much thought, I downloaded a favorite old piece—“I’m Your Captain/I’m Getting closer to My Home,” by Grand Funk Railroad. The third quick $1.29 download was, “Only the Beginning,” from “The Best of Chicago” album. I can already see how easily addictive (and expensive) this all is!
After hearing a favorite song this morning watching Shorewood online, “Fairest Lord Jesus,” I’ve already started investigating the iTune store’s old hymn offerings. I know it’s gonna be hard to even think of using my Walkman after this MAJOR technological advancement for me!!!
Well, just wanted to shout out a “Merry Christmas!” and give a big thumbs-up report on how mine is going!
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