It Won't Be the Same This Year

Her favorite time of year was always Christmas,

We'll reminisce about the years gone by,

Oh, how I wish that she was still here with us,

My memories of her will never die

I always loved helping Grandma put up her Christmas tree. I can remember one year she taught me how to sew (yes, I know -- scary!) little stocking ornaments. Of course, all of mine looked more like maps of foreign countries rather than stockings, but you know what? She still hung them up. And the village -- she would get all of the figurines out of the boxes and set them out, but she wouldn't organize them in any way. I can still hear her say, "Here, Sarah. You make these look good." One year I didn't make it over to help her, and the next week when I arrived at her place, there it sat -- unorganized, waiting for me to "make it look good." Several years ago, I told her she was missing a star over her "little town of Bethlehem." She said, "Well...that's alright, you can fix it." So off to the kitchen I went, and the past several years, she has had a star over Bethlehem -- made out of aluminum foil. :)

Losing her has hurt us so badly,

It's helped us learn what Christmas really means,

There's nothing more important than your family,

We're all the children of the King of kings.

I keep thinking about Grandma's last Christmas...2010. I keep looking at the pictures from Christmas Eve. Who would have guessed that it was her last one with us? She had come up to Steph's house to have dinner with us. I wasn't able to make it over to see her because Gabriel was so, so sick. Oh, how I wish that we would have been able to spend it with her, but I am so thankful for all of the other years that we were together. And, I am forever grateful for the years that Maya and Gabriel had with her.

When the stockings are hung,

Silent night has been sung,

And Christmas is finally here,

It won't be the same this year.

Grandma ~ I can't imagine what it's like...your first Christmas in Heaven! I'd love to be in on THAT party! I love you and miss you more than you'll ever know. Give hugs & kisses & Merry Christmases to everyone I love Up There.

xoxo,

Sarah