It's The Most ???? Time Of The Year

Today is the 16th of December, 2010. Drawing near is the close of another year in my life, and I have to be honest, this one's been the toughest of my forty-seven years on this planet. The Christmas season is in full swing for most people, yet for me it is just another series of days to get through. Don't get me wrong, I'm still so very thankful for the birth of my Lord Jesus, because without Him, me and my family would not be in as good a shape as we are.

For years I've heard how hard the holiday seasons can be for people who have lost someone to death, and truthfully I've not given it much thought. Not because I'm a callous person, but you know how it is. If you're not having to deal with that type of thing, it really is hard to realize what others go through and even harder to empathize.

This year at the Felts household there has been little joy in the holiday season. As a family we decided that we would not do our traditional Christmas decorating. (Having Micah not do the Christmas tree skirt dance will be missed though.) We have however trimmed our windows with garland along with some new L.E.D. Christmas lights. And when I say "we" I mean my bride has. And in lieu of our traditional Christmas tree with all the ornaments we've collected over the past twenty-two years we purchased a Charlie Brown tree, and put it on top of our television. It does make us laugh a little.

I want to celebrate Christmas; I want the big, old fashioned family Christmas as bad as Clark Griswald wanted one in "Christmas Vacation", but my feelings are raw and putting on the "happy face" isn't as easy as it once used to be. This is not to say that Jesus hasn't showed up and rescued me, He has on numerous occassions, often through my band of brothers & sisters in Christ that have continued to lift me and my family up in prayer.

And while this year's festivities may be lighter than in years past, my family will survive this Christmas holiday, and make it through. We are about to reach a hurdle, probably one of the hardest next to the actual anniversary of Noah's death, and I am thankful that my Lord Jesus has continued to walk with us every step of the way. So even though this is a difficult time in my life, I will make the best of it, spending as much time with friends as possible and loving my family a lot. Because truthfully, it's the people that you will take with you into eternity, not the presents. Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!