She slept fitfully, coughing and wheezing so much it was hard to rest. When she woke up, still coughing and congested, we decided it was best to stay in for the evening. Since it was Sunday here we decided to watch last weeks First Presidency Christmas broadcast. I was looking forward to it. For the past week I had been feeling surprisingly homesick. I love traveling and taking adventures away. Especially knowing that everything and everyone is being so well taken care of at home, there’s nothing I love more than to experience the wonder of wandering in a new country and culture. But for some reason this felt different. Of course we were here under entirely different circumstances than previous trips , but everyday I seemed to wish for and want to be home -- to have her home, to begin our routine and life with a house of six. I also missed Christmas -- the snow, the excitement of our kids.Sure they had Christmas trees here, Christmas music was played in the hotels and in the malls. In fact, We were impressed to see how often we heard or saw the phrase Merry Christmas posted. To this country’s credit, we haven’t once seen a Happy Holidays or Merry X-mas in this primarily Buddhist but mostly secular nation. Merry Christmas has been the mantra of the day. But for whatever reason, this season simply hasn’t felt the same and I confess to missing the boxes and baking the snow the shopping -- even all the Christmas chaos -- I missed it. I really did.
So as we sat down to watch the First Presidency Christmas devotional , I was looking for a Christmas lift to my spirits.
It was a beautiful devotional , formatted much differently than it had been in the past. I found myself quite emotional and as I watched I found myself considering Christmas quite differently . As talk after talk reminded me to forget the commercial bustle of Christmas and focus on Christ, I thought about something Todd had reminded me of: that we had a rare opportunity to spend time together and focus on nothing but her needs. No demands, no distractions. Our exclusive focus could be on her and building her relationship with both of us. I though of the Savior, who, throughout his ministry , though he preached to all, also focused on the one.
A professor at BYU had reminded our class once that the word sheep is both singular and plural. To Feed His Sheep is not to just feed the five thousand, but to nourish and nurture the single sheep -- even a little lamb like Maylia.
Soon my wistful feelings grew into gratitude, thankful for the precious gift of this time together.
I loved these words from President Monson:
“ Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done. We find the real joy of Christmas when we make the Savior the focus of the season.
May we give as the Savior gave. To give of oneself is a holy gift. We give as a remembrance of all the Savior has given. May we also give gifts that have eternal value, along with our gifts that eventually break or are forgotten. How much better the world would be if we all gave gifts of understanding and compassion, of service and friendship, of kindness and gentleness.
As the Christmas season envelops us with all its glory, may we, as did the Wise Men, seek a bright, particular star to guide us in our celebration of the Savior’s birth. May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, taking with us a tender, caring heart as our gift to the Savior.”
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