For the last several Sundays at church a candle has been lit for Advent. This past Sunday was the candle of JOY. Everyone that is close to me knows that JOY is my word and especially at Christmas!

As I have told in past blog posts, JOY, was not always my word. My emotions went through many years like roller coaster rides….up and down and down and up again.

I have a close friend that is a pastor and he just lost his mother 4 months ago and this is his first Christmas without her. I write this tonight in memory and honor of her and of others who have lost love ones and this is their very first year to go through the holidays.

Holidays and Birthdays and Date of Death days are the very worst. The first year to go through all of these events is horrible!

I already had my crying spell this year just like all the years before and I never know exactly what will trigger it. Usually it will be a song from years past and the words will take me back to a certain time and a special Christmas. Alabama’s song entitled Christmas Memories will get me every time.

I have so many loving and fond memories of our son, Danny. The tree that was dying and we made into the tree house is the special tree that Danny climbed branch by branch years ago and put blue lights on every limb. Danny was my decorator. He loved decorating and putting up Christmas as much as I did and still do. No one else in the family got that trait and I miss it so much. I look at my tree house tree a lot of days and it makes me feel close to Danny and I like to sit on that tree house porch and just enjoy the peace and serenity that it brings to me.

I chose from the very beginning to let Danny’s death be a testimony of his life and I try to honor him each and every day of my life. He was such a kind hearted individual and would give the shirt off his back to anyone. He had a heart for the down trodden and the hurting and wanted to fix things for them.

God gave me JOY to handle my grief. In the second week after Danny’s death, Satan came at me strong and tried to hurt me to the point of laying down and quitting. I was weak and vulnerable and God sent a special lady to my house during that time with words that she felt led to say. It was a God send for me and brought me back to the JOY that was there all along but shadowed by the darkness of Satan’s lies.

JOY can get you through things that you thought you never could live through. I always tell my children that when you are really hurting to reach out and find someone in need and start helping them and by doing that you will forget your problems and you can count it all JOY!

Yes, all of it you can count as JOY. It is possible because if your JOY rests in the Lord then no one can rob you of that. JOY and Happiness are two different words with two different meanings. You can be sad in your circumstances but still have an everlasting JOY in the Lord.

 I like this little saying so much. It is hard to thank God for each and every thing that we go through but if we will make the effort then God will honor it 100 times over.

Tonight I was working on something that needed a hot glue gun and I went and found a small box of glue sticks and glue guns that my dear Danny left behind when he passed from this life. If you look closely you will see his handwriting on the box. I cherish that little box and I cherish the memory of having my son for 37 years. God loaned him to me for a short period of time and it went by fast but I am so thankful for the years that I had and the many, many memories.

Most of all I cherish the gift of JOY and I am a very blessed Grandma this Christmas and I acknowledge that most and foremost to my Lord and I thank Him for giving me His love and His JOY!

Merry Christmas and may you have a JOY filled New Year!