All Time Favorite Christmas Memory

Every year, for as long as I can remember, I always asked my dad if we could open a present on Christmas Eve. To which he always promptly replied, "You can open all tonight or all tomorrow. It's all or nothing." It always killed me as I ached with excitement to open presents!

Two years ago today Daniel and I were a happily dating couple. We said goodbye at the airport a few days before and I headed to Florida while he headed to Ohio (or so I thought). On Christmas Eve afternoon he called me and just started making small talk. I thought he was driving to his parents at the time. Everything was going normal until he asked me this question:

"Every year you ask your dad to open a gift on Christmas Eve and what does your dad say?"

"He says, 'All or nothing,'" I said back.

"Well, I sent you a gift ahead of time to open today," Daniel said.

So I started looking under the tree for said gift. As I was looking around trying to find the gift I came up from the tree and in walked Daniel through the back porch door of my parents house. He was wearing a suit. I was not dressed so spiffy. In fact, I hadn't showered in a couple of days and I am pretty sure I hadn't brushed my teeth yet. I mean, I was on vacation and I certainly didn't think my boyfriend would be showing up!

He got down on one knee and well, you can watch the rest here. The rest is history. Today we opened a gift together to keep the tradition started by Daniel. I finally get to open a gift on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas all!

Countdown to Christmas

There is a lot of Christmas cheer going on around the Reissig apartment right now. The tree is lit. Presents are wrapped. Candles are burning. On Thursday night (after Daniel gets off work) we begin our trip to Florida to stay with my parents for Christmas. We are staying the night in Atlanta and will make it to the Sunshine State just in time to go to the Christmas Eve service on Friday night. We only go to my parents once a year, so I am practically giddy about it.

Here are a few things that are getting me in the Christmas spirit these days:

1. Our tree (as pictured above). It's a sweet little tree that Daniel got for free long before we ever met. But I like our little tree. It's got some character.
2. This book, as I mentioned yesterday.
3. Thinking about my mom's chocolate covered peanut butter balls. Divine. Seriously. I'm not even sure she will have any left over when I get home, but a girl can hope, right?
4. The thought of sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. It's my vacation time too, so I'm taking full advantage. Works been crazy and I'm excited about the little break.
5. No agenda at all. I live by agendas and schedules. Sometimes to my own detriment. But I have no agenda besides sleeping and hanging out with my family. And snuggling my sweet nephew of course. Which leads me to my next point.
6. I can't wait to see my nephew, David. He is 15 months now and we haven't seen him since March. I just smile when I think about getting to see his sweet face.
7. Cinnabon cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. It's a family tradition that is wonderful. I can smell them now!
8. Pizza on Christmas Eve. Another family tradition. What can I say, food gets me excited at Christmas!
9. My husband sneaking around the apartment as he tries to wrap my gifts without me knowing. He is so sweet to me.
10. The precious gift of being able to see almost all of my family this Christmas season. I am so thankful for them.
11. Hark the Herald Angels Sing is my favorite Christmas song right now. I could listen to it all day long. "Hail the heaven born prince of peace, hail the Son of Righteousness!" Amen!

Well, that's all for now. Just some Christmas ramblings for this Tuesday before Christmas.

Jesus is the Fulfillment of Our Longings

For the last couple of years I have read through the short book Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus during the Christmas season. Even though I have read these short meditations on Christmas before, every year brings fresh truths to light for me. Each chapter brings me closer to the Savior and causes me to wonder in the fact that God came to earth. To win us back. It is astounding.

Each chapter is really good, so it's hard to pick a favorite. But the one that has ministered to me most this year is Joni Eareckson Tada's called "A Christmas Longing." Here is a taste of the richness of her words.

"On this side of eternity, Christmas is still a promise. Yes, the Savior has come, and with him peace on earth, but the story is not finished. Yes, there is peace in our hearts, but we long for peace in our world. Every Christmas is still a 'turning of the page' until Jesus returns. Every December 25 marks another year that draws us closer to the fulfillment of the ages, that draws us closer to...home. When we realize that Jesus is the answer to our deepest longings, even Christmas longings, each Advent brings us closer to his glorious return to earth. When we see him as he is, King of kings and Lord of lords, that will be 'Christmas' indeed."

She goes on to say.

"Heaven is about to happen. The celebration is about to burst on the scene. We stand tiptoe at the edge of eternity, ready to step into the new heaven and the new earth. And I can hardly wait. I can't wait to sing 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' as I gather with my friends and family to worship the Lord in heaven...Christmas is an invitation to a celebration yet to happen. If you've got Christmas longing, you're about to be satisfied, too. Just hold on and say with me...Maranatha! Come Lord!"

Praise God that he has come!

Friday is for a Favorite Christmas Memory

Thanksgiving and Christmas are filled with traditions in my family. My brothers and I love all of the various traditions our family does, and it is even more exciting when we have invited other family or friends into our traditions on Christmas morning. We didn't grow up around our grandparents or extended family, so our Christmas' were just us 6 Tarter's. I can think of two particular years where we had family or friends as "guests" on Christmas morning. Christmas can be a lonely time for many people. For older people with grown children it can be a time of great sadness and longing for what once was. For others it might just be that you can't afford to get home this Christmas. It just makes me so sad when I think of people being alone on Christmas Day. But that's another post. Back to the memory.

One year we had my mom's best friend, Sonja, stay with us for Christmas. Sonja's parents were missionaries and she wasn't able to go home for Christmas. We LOVE Sonja. She babysat for us when we were little, and now she is a dear friend to all of us kids. But this particular year she stayed the night on Christmas Eve and woke up with us on Christmas morning. It was so much fun watching her enter into our traditions like watching It's a Wonderful Life with us on Christmas Eve or eating cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.

The other year, my Grandma Tarter was with us for Christmas morning. Usually I think of Christmas excitement as being all for little kids. Not so for Grandma this Christmas. We all got her presents and she was like a child opening all of her presents with us. It was such a sweet memory!

In recent years we have had my Grandpa Garrett with us for Christmas time. I always loved watching him open his gifts. He was so hard to shop for, but pictures of his grandkids as presents always made him excited. And any candy or sweet, of course. This will be the first year that he is not with us, but is with Jesus on Christmas Day. I am so thankful we had the time with him for these holidays before God took him. But I am also so thankful we have these other memories of Chirstmas mornings with family and friends that we love.

Next week...My absolute favorite Christmas memory!

Hope for the Holidays

The holiday season in a time of loss can be overwhelming and distressing. For us, it is a reminder that we are not excitedly buying little gifts for our expected child, or feeling him or her kick, or giving him a name. For others, it might be the noticeable absence of a beloved spouse, a child you knew and loved, or a parent. Holidays have a way of bringing the sting of loss to the surface in real and excruciating ways. It’s easy to feel forgotten, to doubt God’s care and concern for you. You might feel passed over for blessing this Christmas time. I know I have felt that way in recent days.

I’m sure Hannah felt that way, too. Every year was a sad reminder that she was barren and her rival was not. Year after year she watched her bring children into the world, while Hannah’s womb stayed empty. In his perfect timing, God opened Hannah’s barren womb. She was given the child she longed for.

Does hoping in the God of the Bible mean we get all that we long for? No, it doesn’t. But I wonder if God gives us these stories in the Bible to show us that he doesn’t forget us—even in our darkest moments. Hebrews 11 tells us that some will shut the mouths of lions and some will be sawn in two. Some of us will live seemingly “abundant” earthly lives, while others will flounder in suffering. Both cases are exactly God’s design—the race he has set before us. While the Bible doesn’t give us any indication that our lives, or holiday season, will be made any merrier with a lightening of circumstances, it does tell us that we have reason to hope, even at Christmas time.

You see, this baby we celebrate wasn’t born into flowery circumstances. He was born into suffering and sorrow, all so we could have a great Savior who understands our suffering and sorrow and promises to walk with us through it (Heb. 4:14-16). We can know that God hasn’t left us at Christmas for the very reason we celebrate—God sent his Son to earth for us. And not only did he send his Son, but he sent his Son to die. Christmas is about the coming suffering of the Savior and the great loss the Father would experience when he momentarily turned his face away from his Son on the Cross. All so that sorrowful Christians, like you and me, could know that God loves us.

The clouds might be heavy and weighing down, and God is behind every dark cloud that hovers. He is Immanuel, God with us—with us when we are happy and with us when we are sad. We are not passed over this Christmas, or any day of the year.

Help After Miscarriage: Time Doesn't Always Heal

I’ve heard it said that time heals. I suppose it does. But not always right away. In the months following a miscarriage it might seem to the outsider that much time has passed, therefore healing is inevitable. Each passing month for me has brought its own set of challenges. In some ways, I have healed a lot. But in others, the time has only intensified the sadness. I don’t cry nearly as much as I used to, but there are days that I just can’t shake the sadness—the sad reality that I thought I would be feeling a kicking baby by now.

One of the helpful things for me has been my friends letting me know they are still here. They haven’t moved on. They are still praying. And they still remember.

Part of the reason that time isn’t always the great healer is that time moves so quickly. It moves when we can’t seem to move any faster. There were days where I just wanted to go back to the few moments of pregnancy and take it all in—but I can’t. Time has moved on.

Because time moves on it makes you realize what you don’t have. The holidays/milestones can be a sad time of remembering what things were supposed to be like. Time represents shattered hopes and dreams—especially when time takes you to the anticipated due date.

So in this final post on help after a miscarriage, know that time doesn’t always heal as it moves. Sometimes it stings badly. Your friend will be blessed and encouraged by you not moving with the time, but instead remembering with her, stopping with her, and crying with her—even after all this time.

Facing our Fears: Part 5

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, or Part 4

When the shepherds were greeted by the angel in Luke 2 the first thing they heard was “fear not.” Anyone who sees an angel coming out of the sky has reason to fear. It’s unknown. It’s scary. But they are told not to fear. Do not be discouraged if you are fearful today. We all are fearful of something. Some of us fear more than others. The reality is we live in a scary, sinful world. Bad things happen all of the time, and sometimes to people we love deeply. The curse is everywhere. And Jesus came to reverse the curse. By his death and resurrection, sin is conquered. Which means fears are conquered. We do not have to live as slaves to our fears any longer. Whether your fear is what people will think of you, or that your husband will leave you, or that you will never have enough food to feed your family—those fears find their death at the cross of Jesus Christ. As Christian women our hope in times of fear is God. God is working all of our pain, all of our suffering, all of our fears, and all of our happiness for our ultimate good and joy in him. Romans 8:28 says that for those who love God all things are working together for good.

That means our fears too.

Our fears, and the outcome of our fears, are working for our good and joy in Christ. That is our hope. He will do for us all that he has said—but sometimes it’s not until we get to our eternal home. I may never bring a child into this world alive. The outcome of that fear for me might mean barrenness. Or it might mean great fruitfulness from my womb. But God has not ceased being God. And he is still my only hope in times of fear, even if he never gives me a living child. So I ask you again, what are you fearing today? Are you reluctant to trust God’s goodness? Or are you clinging to him, like Sarah, as your only hope in times of fear and anxiety?

I will end with Isaiah 41:8-13 and Isaiah 43:1-3

“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, ‘you are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off;’ fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you , O Israel; ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

The flames of this life will not overtake us, dear sisters. They might burn us, and maybe burn us badly. But they will not ultimately destroy us. There will come a day when all things will be made new. We will see this grand hope he has called us to—our final salvation. And we will be with King Jesus forever. God created us and saved us for his glory. To serve him and worship him alone. He will keep us to the end. That is our hope in fear. As 2 Corinthians 4:18 says we look not to the seen, but the unseen as we wait for our expected hope, the outcome of our faith.