From Michelle. December 12, 2011
Dear friends and family,
As we approach the end of 2011, I am vividly reminded of where we have been and the ground that we have covered. Perhaps because last Christmas was so very unique, the memory of it is sharp. As I sit today in shorts, debating whether or not I am hot enough to justify turning on the air conditioner, I remember a house tucked away in Edmonds, Washington, a real pine tree at its center, and a cozy fireplace sheltering us from the winter winds outside. It was a wheelchair accessible home, and we still needed that then. Steve could walk from one room to the other with a cane or walker, but he still spent much of his time in a chair, and could not drive himself, or clean himself. He was not yet independent. We still hitched up the wagon to the wheelchair for outdoor fun with Papa, a blanket draped over Steve’s legs to keep him warm. We still had small goals – could he make it around Trader Joe’s? Would he be wiped out if we tried a bigger store? Costco’s was still out of the question, last December.
In the Christian faith, thanks in large part to our rich Jewish roots, we are good at remembering. If we are faithful, we remember the manger at this time of year. But every part of the year is carved out to remember something, some ancient act of mercy, some rescuing drama, some promise of redemption, some song of hope. Over and over again, each year, we remember and contemplate God’s goodness throughout history, told in a setting of sorrow and suffering easily mirrored today. If we are smart, we allow the rituals of remembering to flow over into our own personal histories. My life, though broken, is marked at frequent intervals by similar though less dramatic godly interventions. And crowded into the last 18 months are a lifetime of such moments, equally worthy of remembrance.
Christmas is a sentimental season, so I have allowed all of this remembering. In the Philippines, Christmas begins long before Thanksgiving. We were on the late side when, the week before Thanksgiving, the Christmas tree went up, along with the pine scented candles, the Advent calendars and the Christmas stories under the tree. Perhaps because of the overlap, and certainly because of the remembering, this Advent season has been marked for me by thanksgiving. It is a sweet fruit born of my deliberate meanderings into the past. It would be easy to look ahead and become discouraged. But in looking back, I can only give thanks. For how could one not rejoice over a house with stairs now possible to negotiate, though still difficult? How could one not bend a knee before a husband working again, though tired? How could one not weep tears of gratitude over wheelchairs gathering dust, though still waiting in the wings? I do not have enough Christmas cards to thank all who deserve our gratitude this year. But each card that I write is more of a thank you card than a nod to the season.
One way to remember, one way to give thanks has been to tell the story. We do not do it to draw attention to ourselves. But while it bears fruit for those who hear it, we will gladly tell it, as a monument of thanksgiving to the One who carried us through. It is our ritual of remembrance that bears the fruit of thanksgiving, and we are glad to share it with anyone hungry for its sweet nourishment. Two weeks ago, Steve walked onto a stage before a packed stadium to remember again and give thanks. The blessing came, as it has time and again, through the faith of one person, who believed and followed and made it happen. We simply allowed ourselves to be carried along on her faith. And as a result, thousands cheered and clapped and laughed and cried and ultimately praised. This was our very best Christmas present.
So in this season of remembering the miracle of God come down, of a babe born to heal the nations, and of miracles witnessed by the meek, we too remember God’s good miracle to us.
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! … Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done. 1 Chronicles 16:8-9, 11-12
May your season be replete with thanksgiving, remembering His grace.
With love and gratitude,
Michelle, Steve, Aidan, Jude and Zephyr