Christmas Potpourri

I hope you’ve had a beautiful Christmas. For me, it has come in bits and pieces this year: quiet moments of reflection in the midst of our busyness.

It came - as it always does for me- in the music. The carols played in my classroom throughout the days of December, and I don’t think my students will ever forget learning “A Song of Peace” for we all felt God’s Presence among us during that lesson!

There were the times of Advent worship at church, always so thought-provoking and meaningful. Each Sunday was a gift. And the special traditions of our church body, especially the annual Christmas supper, were times of warmth and joy.

Christmas Eve candlelight services have been a long-standing tradition for our family whenever possible. This year, we attended two services on Christmas Eve.

One was a homegoing service. When we got the news that Becky Dzieken had lost her battle with cancer just a few days before Christmas, my first thought was, “What a tragic loss for her family. And why now?” But as I reflected on the radiance of Becky’s life, I was reminded of John 1: “In Him was Life, and that Life was the Light of men.” I’ve never known anyone who reflected that Light any more clearly or transparently than Becky did. Besides her gift for communicating joy and faith, Becky was blessed with an incredible voice, and her memorial service closed with her own rendition of “Cornerstone.” It felt like Christmas.

Later that evening, we attended a simple, unhurried service in town. In the quietness and darkness of that candlelit sanctuary, the message and meaning of Christmas settled into our spirits. For us four busy Hunts, Christmas had come.

On Christmas Day, as we talked to family scattered across the country, someone must have asked Brooke if she had had a good Christmas. All I heard was her reply: “Yes, and it’s not over!” All the packages had been unwrapped. Christmas dinner was done. But Brooke was still having Christmas.

So was I. I still am. And I hope that you are too.