This is the 3rd year for my “JOY” tree. I think back 3 years ago and I had decided to not put up a Christmas tree. I just couldn’t do it…I thought. God let me ponder on this a week or so and then it happened. I wasn’t going to put up a Christmas tree…HE needed me to put up a JOY tree. God had been so faithful to me by giving me my JOY back. Everyday HE made sure I saw JOY somewhere. I bought a few JOY ornaments to start my new tree. I knew I couldn’t go through my old ornaments or even look at the stockings. I had to change things up a little. The boys stockings and ornaments are packed safely away and one day maybe I will be able to use them on my tree. After all, God is God, right!! The first Christmas without Blake was so hard, I can’t lie. But, with Jesus, HE made it doable.
A few weeks into December 2012, I started receiving packages on my porch. Some with names and others without. Every present I received was filled with love and JOY. This went on for 11 days. On the 12th day we went to the Clark’s for Christmas Eve. It was my first Christmas Eve without Blake or Derek at home. Roger, Vickie and their sweet family made sure we felt so welcome and loved. I don’t really know what Randy and I would have done without our family and friends. They never left us!! At the end of the evening Vickie brought out a present for me. It is one of my greatest treasures. It was my sign that says “God is God-every moment”. I remember her asking me if I knew what the last 12 days had been about…I had a blonde moment and said “what do you mean?” She sweetly explained that I had been given the 12 Days of Joy. WOW!! Now I understood…sometimes I’m just a little slow.
I’m so thankful for that Christmas of 2012….God made sure we survived and even thrived that year.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that God doesn’t make mistakes…HE has a perfect plan, even though I don’t understand it. When the “what ifs” come, I have to remember that they are from Satan because God is NOT the author of confusion, but the Prince of Peace as my friend Janna always tells me.
I continue to seek and find JOY everyday. JOY is a gift and I never want to be without it again!!