But yet, I can't shake the feeling of how it doesn't feel like Christmas. I suppose everyone is used to a White Christmas--yes, one I've been dreaming of for years!--and sledding down snow hills on Christmas Day. But me? I'm used to a Yellow Grass Christmas. There's not much to look at in Texas on Christmas. In fact, nothing at all. But I am used to it. I'm also used to spending Christmas with my immediate family.
I must admit it to everyone who is wondering, this Christmas season here in Canada is giving me my first overwhelming pang of homesickness. I miss my mom. I miss my dad. I miss my older brother and his wife and their two kids, whom I've hardly spent a Christmas with so far.
I was a little down today after having a Christmas party with my School of Ministers class. I had realized that there's only six days left till Christmas and I still didn't feel like it was Christmas. So, in the evening I decided to get my mind off it by trying to find a movie I've been wanting to buy for a long time, but I never found it. As I walked out of the store, an elderly lady had stopped me in the parking lot by her car.
"Excuse me," she said kindly. "Could you do me a favor? Are you in a hurry?"
"Not at all!" I reassured, "What can I help you with?"
She pushed her cart towards me and asked me to take it back into it's proper place inside because it was too cold for her and she needed to start her car. With a smile on my face, I took her cart back, received the coin from the cart, and trotted back to her. As I was doing this, I thought of a few things:
She trusts me to bring back her coin, even though it's just a coin, and, this is a perfect time to practice what I learned in School of Ministers, the Discipline of Service. I'm ministering by setting an example of positive and honest servitude. By taking her cart and bringing back her coin with a smile on my face. And so I did.
"Thank you so much, dear!" The elderly lady beamed with gratefulness. "Have a merry Christmas!"
Walking back to my car, another thought struck me: That was the first time a stranger had told me Merry Christmas this Christmas season. And somehow, it comforted me that though I may be away from immediate family, I have joy in this winter wonderland. I have cousins I've never spent a Christmas with that I can now be with, a boyfriend I've never had but now cherishingly have to share it with, endless snow to sled in and ice to skate on...
Even though it's hard to spend Christmas away from my mom and dad, if I try hard enough to find it, it's still gunna be a fine life this Christmas.
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