True Meaning of Christmas
by Jan Taber
Because the holidays are such a difficult time for our children, I'm trying to imagine what Ash's holidays were like before she came to us. She was responsible for babysitting her two younger sisters. She was four. I found a photo of her taken on Christmas Day at that age. She was smiling that RAD toothy smile and her eyes were soooo sad.
Christmas when I was young was a magical time, with Christmas Pagaents, caroling, ice skating by a big bonfire. I got to be the angel who stood by the baby Jesus one year. Ash never had those thing that I so took for granted.
If I try to see Christmas through her eyes, it must be incredibly painful to remember. Her mother has kept the last three babies but not Ash, who was her first born. How could she ever understand that? I can't even understand that and I'm an adult who has seen much of life.
I get so angry when she acts up around this time; gets Autumn going, Jonny crying and Molly Jane screaming. Please help me to stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas and to help my children to focus there also.
