Dear Reader:

When we were growing up weren’t we all guilty (at one time or another) of letting loved ones know our disappointment Christmas morning if we didn’t get the one “ticket” item we wanted?

As we got older we became better at disguising the disappointment and pretending we really didn’t want it anyway…but, still, down deep we compared our “loot” with others instead of realizing that we were born into a family who loved us…and that was all the Christmas we needed.

Maybe there ought to be a “medical special” procedure advertised/offered each Christmas holiday when cardiac- surgeons offer an unique surgery, at a very low price, in which our hearts can be stretched three times their original size, like just what happened to the Grinch!

My younger brother David was born today and that occurrence bumped me into the “middle” child status. But I never felt resentment at David for taking away my “youngest” sibling status since I was the only girl…I had my own unique place in the family and enjoyed saying I had a “big” brother and a “little” brother. (who was the tallest one in the family)

My only regret was/and is that I only had a “little” brother for 21 short years. Happy Birthday David…you will always be my beloved little brother and “forever young.” I miss you every day but especially on your birthday and at Christmas!

I forgot to get this Guidepost story  in the blog around Thanksgiving…but I think the title could just as well have Christmas in it… as you will see when you read it.

The Gift of Healing for a Thanksgiving Miracle Baby

Paula O’Donnell

It was the day before Thanksgiving. But I wasn’t feeling very thankful. 

I threw some clothes into an overnight bag, tried to keep my hands from shaking. I’d just gotten off the phone with my sister Toni. She’d given birth to a baby boy, Bradley, a week earlier, but he’d been born with a congenital heart defect. The doctors didn’t think he was going to make it.

My mom and I would be driving up to Kansas City to spend Thanksgiving with Toni and her husband at the hospital. I wished there was something I could do for them. But what they needed most was assurance that Bradley would be okay. How could I give them that?Please, God, I prayed, tell me what to do!

I wasn’t expecting an answer. But a strange sense of peace came over me. A thought popped into my head. Go ahead and buy the Bible.

Before Bradley had taken ill, I’d planned to buy him a white children’s Bible with his name engraved in gold on the cover. But it hardly seemed appropriate to bring a gift like that now. What if Bradley didn’t make it? That Bible would be a constant reminder to my sister of her loss. I couldn’t risk that.

The little voice inside persisted, though. Buy the Bible. Get it engraved with Bradley’s name.

The next day, I drove up to Kansas City with my mom and we camped out in the waiting room with Toni. I pulled my sister aside and handed her a wrapped package.

“God told me to buy this,” I said. “He wouldn’t have if Bradley wasn’t going to make it, I’m certain.”  My sister unwrapped the Bible, tears in her eyes, and hugged me tight.

That Bible gave my sister the faith to stay strong. The following week, Bradley underwent surgery and lost a lot of blood. He was too weak to survive another procedure, and yet the surgeon had no other choice but to operate again. My sister signed the release papers while clutching the little white Bible. Minutes later, the surgeon popped back in the waiting room.

“The bleeding just stopped!” he said. “I don’t know how, but Bradley won’t need additional surgery. He’s going to make it.”

Thirty years later, Bradley is healthy and happy, and still has that little white Bible. A constant reminder of everything we have to be thankful for.

………………………………….

*(I am sure that year Christmas was definitely not found under a tree but in a crib!)

This is a picture I took of my desktop screen with a new icon now on it….this magic globe takes you into a beautiful seaside town where all kinds of activities and scenes take place…it is an advent calendar; one in which you can click on a Christmas decorated ball each day (numbered 1-25) and have a different (amazing) surprise. For December 2 (yesterday) I got to decorate three snowmen…it was so much fun.

Here are two photos of my snowmen in all their attire…

This unique “tech” gift came from Chris Frasier and I emailed her to let her know how much fun I am having with my advent calendar each day…can hardly wait to open it each morning. Thank you again Chris! (I am finding Christmas on my computer screen…not under the tree….especially since it isn’t up yet…but soon!)

So until tomorrow…Let us keep Christmas in our hearts 365 days of the year. God does. Christ does. The Holy (Christmas) spirit does!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh