My mom passed away in 2016. She loved Christmas and made it a lot of fun for our family. Still, she never forgot we were celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. So December of 2016 was a sad month for me, but my loving God had a special surprise as I reluctantly trudged through what I thought was a burden. This week’s blog is an article I wrote last year. Here it is:

It was time to decorate for Christmas. Something I really don’t enjoy doing. When I watch TV shows where everyone sings and decorates with such enthusiasm, I wonder, is there really any family like that? I try to make it all schmaltzy – Christmas music and homemade cookies- but to no avail. My son used to put up two decorations and say he would be right back and ½ hour later he was still AWOL.

The kids are all grown now, so I don’t even pretend to like decorating. For the last several years my husband and I figured a way to make this tradition a little less painful. We cover our fully decorated tree and store it in a corner of the office. We just pull it out and fluff it up each year.

Thanksgiving is over and its time to move on to the next holiday. My husband dragged the tree out to its spot in the living room. I began fixing the tree limbs and picking up the ornaments that fell on the trip from office. This year my heart was less into decorating than usual. You see I lost my Mom on June 29.

Memories flooded my mind and I began to cry. As I moved to the front of the tree I noticed a little red Santa hanging front and center.  Thinking that grief was making me see things, I wiped the tears from my eyes. My hand was actually shaking as I reached out to touch the mysterious decoration. Sure enough, it was real. I sobbed as I held the decoration close to my heart.

My husband who was still bringing boxes from the basement entered the room and asked me what was wrong. I wasn’t able to talk so I held up the Santa. He too had a stunned look on his face. “I think this is a message from God.”

You see this Santa has a long history. An aunt gave this Santa to my mother on her first Christmas. Each year it was hung on the family tree. Sentimental, my mother took the ornament with her when she married and subsequently hung it on our tree every year. It was a staple of my childhood.

About five years ago when my parents no longer had a tree, my mother gave me this Santa. She wanted me to carry on the tradition. I happily complied. Each year it was one of the ornaments that were rearranged on my fully decorated tree.

A couple of years later I couldn’t find the ornament hanging on the tree. Could I have put it with the other decorations? I painstakingly searched each box. I then went to the basement and scoured the storage area where we stored the decorations. Of course, I also combed the office. To no avail, the purse had vanished. I was frantic. How to tell Mom?

When she came to my house to celebrate Christmas that year, I told her I couldn’t find the ornament that she had kept safe for over 80 years. I know she was disappointed, but as always she accepted the loss graciously and didn’t make me feel guilty. In fact, she said it would probably show up in the least expected place. I didn’t think so. I assumed it fell off the tree and was thrown away with wrapping paper or discarded boxes the year before.

Another year or two passes and Mom and Dad are experiencing health problems and needed my attention. I lived 1 ½ hours away and couldn’t be there as much as they needed. So, to make it easier for me my parents sacrificed church, friendships, and the house they had lived in for over 50 years, and moved north to be closer to me. A little over a year later another move was needed – this time into my home, where she passed into the arms of Jesus a couple of months later.

So now I stand in front of the tree holding the ornament. I don’t know if she ever thought about the lost decoration, but she never mentioned it again. That was so my mom. However, I couldn’t help but think she was right again. It did turn up in the most unexpected place.

This was a surreal moment. It isn’t like I found the lost ornament in the dark corner of the basement – a place I missed when looking previously. Nor was it in the bottom of one of the boxes. It was in full view hanging on the tree! How could this be? What does it mean?

My husband is right. God was speaking to me that day. The Santa found its way home and was right where it was supposed to be. I believe God was answering my prayers for comfort and letting me know that Mom too found her way home and was where she was always meant to be – with Jesus.

God Bless You, Mom. See you soon.

If you care to share, I am sure others would love to hear about a time God spoke to you. These precious times are an encouragement to others, and I believe meant to be shared.

I will blog the next couple of weeks, but there will be no devotions after this week until January 2018.

In the meantime don’t forget to check out the devotions this week. Our word of the week is money and the children are studying 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The children’s devotion focuses on having confidence in God while the toddlers learn why hospitality is important.

Merry Christmas!