Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: It's a Colorful World (12/03/09)
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TITLE: Memories of Past Christmases | Previous Challenge Entry
By Mildred Sheldon
12/07/09 -
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My dad suffered from alcoholism and whenever he had money he drank until he was so drunk he could hardly function. What little money that was left from is pay check is what mom lived on that week. How mom managed was beyond me but God is good.
Mom was a strong woman and stood her ground when it came to the children. She managed to buy each of us one gift apiece but Christmas was magical. We did not realize we were poor. Poor to us was someone who lived on the streets and didn’t have a place to call their own.
We always had a Christmas tree and she decorated that tree with lots of colored lights, tinsel and icicles. We were blessed beyond measure and happy.
When dad was sober he was so loving. He showered us with love and enjoyed playing with us, but when he was drunk he became mean. Mom was our protector and kind of reminded me of a mother lion.
Growing up at that time was pretty hard but somehow we survived those hard years and now we are stronger for those hardships. God is so amazing and I have to give credit where credit is due. Looking back all I can say is that God was and still is my shield and protector.
Some would consider my world bleak and colorless back then, but I would have to differ with there opinion. Mom always made our world one of beauty filled with all the colors of the rainbow. Not all women are as strong willed and filled with God’s strength as much as mom was. She has been gone for many years, but still today I cry when I think of her. She was not only my mother, but my confidant and friend.
Dad finally quit drinking all thanks to God, but by then we were all grown and on our own. Going home for Christmas with my children was truly beautiful. Those Christmases were magical and wonderful. Dad would hold my children on his knee and play with them. It was so wonderful seeing my dad truly sober. He was so different and talking to him was a joy beyond measure. He hugged us and told us he loved us which filled our hearts to overflowing.
Dad passed away April of 71, but that last Christmas he spent with my children was a magical Christmas filled with love. Their house had a wreath in every window and filled with joy that surpasses understanding. Seeing the love they had for each other was so beautiful. It takes a special kind of love to overcome such adversity but as I said before God is good.
That Christmas holds a special place in my heart. It was filled with more love, laughter and fun then I can ever remember. It was as if this old world had been remade. It was bright and filled with all the colors of joy.
That Christmas had lots of snow and the big pine trees glistened when the sun hit them. The icicles when they started to melt were fantastic. If you stood quietly and looked through each droplet of water you were sometimes blessed with witnessing the colors of a rainbow.
I thank God for all those special wondrous memories. That day this old world turned from one of various grays to all the glorious colors created by our heavenly Father.
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