Merry Christmas to all

It has been a long time since I have been on my blog.  We have had an eventful past two months.  It was the months of mothers! 

First my mother-in-law became ill shortly before Thanksgiving, I think.  She was in the hospital for almost two weeks.  Actually in two different hospitals.  Then it was the process of looking for a nursing home, as she is 93 and can no longer look after herself.  And one thing follows another as we know....the next step was closing up her apartment and all that entails.  I have to say that most of this fell on my sister-in-law.  But we were involved as well.

The Lord is good and she is finally starting to adjust.  She has made some new friends and is doing as well as can be expected for a 93 yr old women with a bad valve to her heart.

We had about a week after that in which I was trying to get ready for Christmas.  Then my mother became very ill.  She almost died.  She has kidney failure, congestive heart failure and on top to that she had a serious case of pneumonia.  All this complicated by her diabetes.  We have just got her into a nursing facility in a city where she can receive the dialysis she needs.  Now we need to get her affairs in order and clean out her apartment.

So this has been a different kind of holiday season for us.  In each situation I am trying to do as Jesus would do.  Can't say that I have achieved this, but I am trying.  Parents, although we love them, can be challenging.  They come from a different era and don't always understand the hows and whys of how things are being done.

Thank God for the strength we have in Him and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  A man came into the store where I work the other day and shared something he had heard on Christian radio.  In old English, the word merry meant "to have joy and confidence in something".  So when we wish someone a Merry Christmas we are really saying be joyful and confident in Christ.  Isn't that awesome.  I never knew that. 

Merry Christmas to all...

Mary Reddel