I love Christmas, I always have. I love the music, the decorations, the smell of pine needles, the excitement you feel when you walk into the mall. I love it all, but this year I have not been excited about Christmas and after reading Cassie's blog (home) I have come to the conclusion that the reason for this is that I am not home. In 83 days I will be getting married. In five months I will graduate from college. I just moved out of the dorms and into a new house as well as have just started a new job. I am so busy It just doesn't seem like Christmas yet. I am by myself in this huge house, while the rest of my family is in Lubbock and my fiancee is in Houston.
I can think back over 21 years and there is only one Christmas I didn't enjoy. The reason that one has not found a fond corner of my memory is because that one Christmas my family wasn't all there. I realize that even though I love the music, decorations, and atmosphere of Christmas those things are not why I love Christmas itself. I love Christmas because of who I share it with. I can remember back five years ago when all of us were employed by the Raspberry Enterprises. As a family we were in all the restaurant business, flipping burgers, pealing sweet potatoes, and scooping chicken salad. Looking back those memories are good ones (even if we didn't think so at the time.)
Five years later we are all still in the family business but we no longer work in restaurants. Dad is now the founder senior pastor of Turning Point Community Church. Mom just finished her class work for her masters degree in counseling, as well as working as a full time pastor's wife. Carrie is the children's minister at Turning Point and is married to Kyle the youth pastor at Turning Point. Cassie is as well working on her degree in counseling at Southwestern Theological Seminary and it looks as though she will soon be married to Curtis, a youth pastor in Dallas. I am now working at Crescent Heights Baptist Church in Abilene as a youth minister and am one semester away from having my bachelor's degree in church ministry, and am 83 days away from marrying the girl of my dreams. Life is good.
While I am not excited about Christmas yet soon I will be on my way to Lubbock to see my family. And even if I do not enjoy Christmas this year I will most certainly enjoy the time I spend this next week with the people I love most in the world.
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1 comments:
Great post Joel.
As I noted on my comments to Cassie's post, you too are growing up and making many changes in your life. Soon you will start your family with Ashley and you will begin your own Christmas traditions in your home. Time really does not stand still and the best way I can advise is to remember the good times and put the bad times behind you letting them serve as education via the School of Hard Knocks!
Love Ya,
Grand Paw
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