Posted on 12/23/2013 8:14:10 PM PST by boycott
First of all, my father won't be here to give it to her this year. He passed away a few weeks ago.
My father had cancer. He wasn't able to walk the last few months of his life so he was pretty much forced to stay in bed.
He had picked out some jewelry he wanted to give my mother for Christmas and asked my sister to get it for him. Way too much was going on for all of us because of my father's condition but he was persistent and continued to ask her to go get the gift.
Anyway, before he passed away, she went and picked it up for him. She took it to him to see if it was what he wanted. He was barely able to see it because he was almost blind from all the chemo. He held it close to his eyes and felt it in his hands. He kissed it and tears rolled down his cheeks. He then said, "This is for my babydoll."
I haven't seen the gift yet but my mother will be getting it for Christmas. They've been together for 57 years. My father always thought of her and others before himself.
Christmas will certainly be difficult for us this year but we're still going to celebrate it. My father wouldn't have it any other way. We're going to celebrate it because we know it's a celebration of the One that came for people like my father and all the rest of us.
Wow, my screen just got blurry - thank you for sharing this account of a loving father and husband. I was blessed with wonderful parents too - lost Dad just after Christmas, in January 2008, and spent Christmas 2007 and the New Year with him in the intensive care unit. The love of his life, our Mom, had gone before him just 15 months earlier.
Your decision to celebrate Christmas is understood - as you said, it is about the One who came, God with us, to give us real hope and joy. I Thessalonians 4:13 - we grieve, but not in the same way as those who have no hope.
You will be in my prayers. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Thank you. God bless and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I am sorry for the loss of your dear father. Men who show so much care, love and respect for their wives are getting fewer and fewer in these times. You can take comfort in knowing that he has arrived in Heaven and is in full joy and peace.
I’ve lost my Grandmother this year, and it certainly does put a damper on Christmas. I remind myself that my Grandmother, who was a true Christian woman, would not WANT to return to earth now that she has the joy of being with Jesus.
I’d love to hear how your Mother is doing after opening her gift. What a lovely thing he did for her.
God Bless you and your family.
I don’t believe your grandmother would want to come back here either. She is in a much better place. My father suffered a lot before he passed away. I know he wouldn’t want to come back to that.
Merry Christmas and God bless you and your family.
Merry Christmas
Your family is blessed.
Thank you, boycott, for your beautiful post at Christmas. Donnafrflorida, many of us have had our hearts ripped out by the suicide of a beloved family member or friend. Our friends have rallied once again to support a member.
Free Republic is a wonderful place to find solace, understanding, unity and brotherhood. I’m praying for you today and forever more.
Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us this community.
Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season to all.
if anything - we have a Father whos Grace and Atonement in the blood of Christ is enough to cleanse us all…..
Personally, Im of the mind God knows thier pain and is compassionate enough to hug them rather than shun them
i think it depends. i think motive and intent factor in. whether you’re all mentally ‘there’ too factors in.
depressed people are suffering people. they may have a real medical issue going on that may or may not be helped by certain meds. i believe God has compassion and knows that the person wasn’t in their right mind an due to their brain imbalances, chemically, wasn’t thinking straight.
i had a friend at church who committed suicide. never even knew he had a depression problem or took meds for it. i think he went off the meds and in two weeks he got to that point.
A testament to family.
With God, all things are possible.
Merry Christmas to you and your family. Thanks for sharing that story (even though you made me cry!).
Your father sounds like a really sweet man who loved your mom A LOT!
Thank you for taking the time to share the gift of your father (who he was) at Christmas...
Depression is a tremendously difficult condition to overcome. I’ve seen it emotionally shred people I love. It is truly something I can see spinning well beyond someone’s ability to overcome and drive decisions they would not normally make under healthy circumstances.
I’m truly sorry for your loss ... and saying “Merry Christmas” almost seems cruel, on the surface of it. BUT ... this is precisely why Jesus came ... to deliver death, it’s “death blow” — and for us, everlasting life — which he has.
SO ... with that ... Merry Christmas ...
Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
Luke 1:26-35
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 2:4-20
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,;
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
John 1:1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ “
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Thank you so much. God bless you and your family and Merry Christmas.
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