“…and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:19

There was this time…

My family was on vacation over the holidays, in our 1980’s Ford LTD 2 station wagon. The car began to sputter and finally died. My dad and brother took off down the road to get help in a nearby town, while my mom and I waited with the car. Miraculously, my mom got the car to start again, so we drove into town, but had no idea where to find them. Just by chance, we saw them walking outside a service station. The vacation was saved! We made a memory.

There was this other time…

My mom invited one of her friends over to our house for Thanksgiving. This was after my first semester at college, and I was livid. I wanted us to be just a family for the day. I threw a fit. In the end, my mom put her foot down and her friend joined us. It turned out to be wonderful. At one point, I couldn’t tell you why, but we all put our napkins on our heads and posed for a picture. We made a memory.

And this other time…

My family gathered in Alabama at my mom’s house for Christmas. It was one of the first times my mom and dad were in the same space after their divorce. My mom and my dad’s new wife instantly bonded and became great friends. Not only was that a cause for joy, but we all brought our dogs with us. The house was filled with barking and laughter and plenty of fur flying. We made a memory.

Last one…

I wasn’t there for this one. A young woman and her newly married husband went to a town in the nearby region for a census. She was terribly pregnant, and the journey was arduous. They got to the town and all the hotels were booked. A kind innkeeper let them stay in his little cave out back where they kept the animals. Right then and there, she had the baby. Later, some shepherds came by, praising God for the newborn, and affirming what she already knew: A savior had been born. It was a difficult, difficult night. But they made a memory.

What memories have you made over the years? It’s interesting to me how many memories I have of difficult times that surprisingly revealed grace. There’s something about that contrast between challenging and revealing that makes those memories stand out.

As you go through these holidays (Holy Days) I hope you’ll be poised to make it through any obstacles that might be thrown in your path, and there certainly will be some. It is in the way we choose to live through those tough times that we can catch a glimpse of the glory that shines behind it all. The mystery of that Goodness is something to cherish and ponder in the days to come.

May your Christmas be imperfect,

so that you’ll have a great story to tell

next Christmas.

Have a great week,

Mitch