Usually when we hear those words we think of a couple with a new baby. This year it takes on new meaning, for it’s my first Christmas without my husband. Valerie and I have been watching some of the Hallmark Christmas movies. Some of the stories are very touching and some a little too pat. After seemingly insurmountable odds, the hero and heroine realize they love each other and the story ends with the expected clinch. Its not always reality. I do love a good romance and always include one in each of my books. For those who have lost loved ones, there are many firsts:ie The first anniversary alone, the first Thanksgiving and Christmas, and sometimes a more than quiet New Year’s Eve. Yet for those of us who know the Lord, there is a sustaining presence. Strength beyond our own and the comfort of His Word, which says “I will never leave you or forsake you…” When the nights are still and I lay there listening to a bird calling into the darkness, there is something melancholy and yet comforting in the sound. Life is all around us and small miracles if we watch for them. I can look up at the stars and contemplate their patterns, so predictable as they take the places in the night sky they have occupied since the beginning of time. I can imagine heaven and the home that is waiting for me some day. It’s a comforting thought. I’m not ready for that journey yet, I feel the Lord still has things for me to do. When I walk my dog in the mornings, many times I’m privy to a glorious sunrise. It makes me thankful for each day He gives me.
A First Christmas
