by Bonny Beebe
As the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas are very soon approaching, I am reminded of so many things. Is my Christmas list current? Have I bought my holiday cards? Where will I spend the holidays? Do I have current addresses of where to send my cards? The hustle and bustle of the approaching holiday season often throws me into a great frenzy.
When I get so caught up in the “mechanics” of preparing for the holidays, I often remember one Christmas while I was still in college. I was at my mother’s home in Virginia, and miraculously, with all of our very busy schedules, my mother, two sisters, and I were able to spend a whole day together. We had gone shopping this particular day, and we were in a shopping mall. My sisters and I were enjoying ourselves, laughing at fighting mothers in toy stores and frantic, last-minute shoppers. I looked at my mother, and she had tears in her eyes. I asked her what was wrong, and she put her arm around me. “Bonny,” she said, “the greatest thing I have this Christmas is that I have all three of my girls with me. You girls are the most important thing.”
My mother really challenged my heart that day, and she reminded me of an important truth. Not just at the holiday season, but all year around with the busy duties of everyday life, we cannot forget the most important things.