Christmas Gift
A miracle is Born in Bethlehem
Angels Rejoice
and sing praises to Him.
A star in the East shines so
bright
Shepherds Adore
the wondrous sight.
Imagine the Delight of this
glorious night!
The Prince Of Peace was born
to give
His life For
ours, that we might live.
How can we honor such a Loving gift?
In a simple word – It’s how we
“uplift”
How well we Focus on the
needs of others
Shows Eternal gratitude
for Christ, our brother.
Love,
The
Stewart Family 2008
The Rest of the Story
As you know,
I enjoy writing poetry that can be given away as a gift. However, even better
is when I can pair that poem with some other small token of affection. Whether
it’s a vase of flowers, a bag of sweet tarts, or even a package of diapers, no
gift is complete without the touch of personalized poetry.
When we
lived in Sheridan, it was customary to give a small gift to your neighbors
around Christmastime. Sometimes it was an ornament to hang on your tree and
other times it was an assorted plate of homemade baked goods that the kids
would barter over. If the gift was a plate of baked goods, a family recipe for
one of the items was often included with the treats. I always thought that was such
a great idea. However, the one thing I wanted to bake this particular year was
a mini loaf of my Grandma Wakefield’s Buttermilk Banana Bread. The only problem
was that I was sworn to secrecy. I was not allowed to share the recipe with
non-family members as long as my mom was still living. Well, she will be 78
this year, and so far I’ve kept my promise.
Instead,
I did the next best thing and decided to write a poem to go with it. I guess I
was getting a little bored with the traditional letters down the side of a poem
that spelled a word or phrase. This time I wondered what would happen if I
wrote the words “BREAD OF LIFE” straight down the middle of the page? I had to
find out. I took a blank white sheet of paper and boldly wrote down the page as
described. Then, I started to think of how that phrase related to the time of
year.
I have
to laugh a bit looking back on the poem today. Preach it Jenn! That last stanza
is definitely my mantra. I’m all about lifting others, giving back, and paying
it forward. Service has always been the key ingredient to my happy outlook on
life, despite the difficulties and inherent challenges we all face. Don’t get
me wrong, I’m just as prone to a good pity party as anyone else. I don’t think
there is anything wrong with having one either. In fact, I think it is good to
get all those emotions out on the table and recognize them for what they are so
you can let them go. Just don’t stay too long at the party—no one likes the
person who lingers longer when it’s time to go home.
Do you
have a favorite family recipe that is sworn to secrecy? Feel free to share it in
the comments below—I won’t tell on you!
So my family does not have any secret recipes. However, growing up my mom always made a point of getting us kids together to make a gift for some group or another. Sometimes we would collect food items or crochet hats and scarves for the homeless. One year, we used those film development cylinders (I can't remember exactly what they're called) and filled them with small nick knacks and scriptures. We ended up giving them to people in a retirement home. I remember this so vividly because many of the people living there didn't have family to visit them during the holidays and were delighted to have children giving them little gifts. This is definitely a tradition I want to continue.
ReplyDeleteWhat great mom you have Brianna, who gave you such a gift with those special memories! And that's not even mentioning the general life lessons she instilled in you on how to be a good human being.
ReplyDeleteYour retirement home story rings close to home for me this past year. My hubby, kids and I all adopted 1 resident each at a retirement home in town for Christmas and also had a chance to spend time with them and give them small gifts. I didn't realize that two of them were located in the memory care unit for people with dementia and Alzheimers. I've never visited a home dedicated to these kinds of patients before, but it was one of the most amazing experience ever. I loved, just loved, visiting with the folks in this unit in their common living space/area. Just spending time listening and talking to them filled my heart so full.
I'm with you -- these are the kinds of traditions I want to continue as well! Thanks again for sharing your story!!