{"id":12376,"date":"2017-01-01T19:51:05","date_gmt":"2017-01-02T00:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=12376"},"modified":"2017-01-01T19:51:05","modified_gmt":"2017-01-02T00:51:05","slug":"new-years-day-rewind-sometimes-christmas-makes-me-cry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=12376","title":{"rendered":"New Year’s Day – Rewind – Sometimes Christmas Makes Me Cry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Blog<\/a>\u201cBlessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.\u201d<\/em> \u2013 Matthew 5:4<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s New Year’s Day – the first day of 2017. Yet, this Christmas was altered with the death of our father. All the observances of family gathering and celebrating his life sidelined some of Christmas for us. There just wasn’t room in our hearts for both. This leaves me, on New Year’s Day, not quite ready to close Christmas for 2016…including savoring the memories, not just of Dad, but of Mom as well.<\/p>\n

[Following adapted from a previous blog<\/a>]<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 14 Christmases since Mom died. With all the joy that\u2019s wrapped up in the great gift of being her daughter, there is that mix of sadness, especially at Christmas. I miss her still. After 14 years.<\/em><\/p>\n

This Christmas, we have two wee grandchildren. What a gift again are these little ones. I knew it would be so from all around me with grandchildren\u2026and I knew it first because of the deep joy her grandchildren brought to Mom.<\/em><\/p>\n

When we boarded a plane, over 20 years ago, taking 3 of those grandchildren overseas, there were tears all around. We would miss so many Christmases together. Joy and sadness are a strange mixture but a deeply human, common experience. Common to us all.<\/em><\/p>\n

As we celebrate the wonder of Christmas \u2013 the birth of the Messiah, the Savior \u2013 we know penetrating joy, infusing and informing all else in our lives. Entangled in that joy are the sorrows \u2013 the family we won\u2019t have with us this year, the disappointments we never imagined, the loves in our life fighting to live to another Christmas.<\/em><\/p>\n

So many stories we bring to the table with us. So many longings are unwrapped along with the gifts under the tree. There is an unspeakable silence in the Silent Night<\/a> of Christmas\u2026 Both the joy of celebrating the coming of Christ and the ache of dealing with what is not yet.<\/em><\/p>\n

As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, we must be gentle with ourselves and each other in the sorrow and the joy\u2026 We are all together in this very human in-between.<\/em><\/p>\n

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. <\/span><\/strong>\u2013 Psalm 34:18<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe try so hard to fight for our joy, don\u2019t we?<\/strong> \u2026But underneath, many of us still carry wounds ripped open by the reminders of relationships and situations that are no longer. And it hurts. And it\u2019s hard. And we\u2019re not sure what to do with it all. But while it can try its best to turn those beautiful gifts into bitter reminders of what\u2019s missing, the sadness can\u2019t compete when we remember that today is full.<\/strong> Full of pain, yes \u2013 sometimes. But also full of blessings and joy and things both big and small that God has given us to remind us of His love and faithfulness.\u201d \u2013 Mary Carver<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: Positive Hits PER<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Singer\/songwriters Mandisa<\/a> and Matthew West<\/a> collaborated on the song Christmas Makes Me Cry. It\u2019s not a worship song but more a narrative on our lives. Still, it takes us to the God of all comfort.<\/em><\/p>\n

Worship<\/a> with me as we pause a moment in this celebration of Christmas and reflect on the side of it that brings tears, either on the inside\u2026or out\u2026tears of joy or tears of sorrow.<\/em><\/p>\n

I think of loved ones who\u2019ve passed away<\/em>
\n And I pray they\u2019re resting in a better place<\/em>
\n I think of memories of years gone by<\/em>
\n And sometimes Christmas makes me cry<\/em><\/p>\n

I think of soldiers across the sea<\/em>
\n Sometimes I wonder why it\u2019s them instead of me<\/em>
\n But for my freedom they give their lives<\/em>
\n And sometimes Christmas makes me cry<\/em><\/p>\n

Tears of thankfulness, tears of hope<\/em>
\n I cry tears of joy at Christmas because I know<\/strong><\/em>
\n There is peace on earth for every heart to find<\/strong><\/em>
\n And sometimes Christmas makes me cry<\/em><\/p>\n

I think of family, I think of home<\/em>
\n And say a prayer for those who spend this time alone<\/em>
\n \u2018Cause love can reach out into a silent night<\/em>
\n And that\u2019s why Christmas makes me cry<\/em><\/p>\n

Tears of thankfulness, tears of hope<\/em>
\n I cry tears of joy at Christmas because I know<\/em>
\n There is peace on earth for every heart to find<\/em>
\n And sometimes Christmas makes me cry<\/em><\/p>\n

I think of Mary and the virgin birth<\/em>
\n And I\u2019m amazed by how much God thinks we are worth<\/em>
\n That He would send His only Son to die<\/em>
\n And sometimes Christmas makes me cry<\/em><\/p>\n

Tears of thankfulness and tears of hope<\/em>
\n I cry tears of joy at Christmas because I know<\/em>
\n There is peace on earth for every heart to find<\/em>
\n And sometimes Christmas makes me<\/em>
\n Oh, sometimes Christmas makes me<\/em>
\n Christmas makes me cry<\/em>
\n Christmas makes me cry *<\/em><\/p>\n