As a child I had such wonderful childhood Christmases with my immediate and extended family. I remember going to my grandparents’ house with all my many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
These Christmases lasted on up into my adult years until the time when my father left my mother after forty four years of marriage. I had gone through a divorce also just a few years before. I still remember the Christmas Eve that I had to go visit my father with his new wife and without my mother.
It was hard breaking free from their home to get to my mother’s house and I also had to deliver my two daughters to their father’s house afterwards to see him. So the ideal Christmas was just not happening to me that year.
When I got to my mother’s house she was so upset because I had spent more time with my father and his new wife than her. Then when I took my children to their father’s house he jumped on me for having them longer than he got to have them. I left there in tears, I thought I would never enjoy another Christmas and my world was falling in.
It felt so impossible and out of sorts! Through it all, my faith in Jesus grew stronger and stronger. He was all that I had and I grew closer to Him. He actually used all of the sadness and trauma that happened in those times to equip me to have a life of helping others walk through such things.
He has given me a new husband and family. I now have four children and nine of the most beautiful grandchildren. My life is filled with vibrancy and excitement. My father just recently passed away, September 1, 2020. I had always hoped that my dad would outlive the woman that he married and he did. He even got to come visit me at my knew home and spend time as a family there with my mom joining us also.
I also got this beautiful nativity scene that he had carved and it was so special for me to receive that when I didn’t expect to get anything and really wasn’t expecting it.
So many things have been restored and now I can enjoy my Christmases again. Though my father passed this year, he lived 97 years and was such an amazing WWII Veteran.
Now that I’m older and understand better, it means so much to me that he had a very large part in saving the Jewish people from Hitler. In fact it affected his life and when he left my mother he said, “Blame it on the war!” We didn’t understand what he meant at the time but now that I have been trained in helping others, I do understand, because he was never given any counseling or help after all the trauma that he lived through.
God showed me after my father passed, that just like he helped bring the Jewish people to freedom, that Marty (my husband) and I are bringing many people now to freedom! Freedom from past traumas and disappointments.
He earned many medals and we are now waiting to hear when his funeral service will be held at Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C.
I’m so grateful to still have my mother that is 93 and I’m so grateful for all of the restoration that my Heavenly Father has given me in my life.
Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
I’m grateful for the life that I’ve been given and the legacy that my past generations have left behind.
I’m grateful for all of the imperfections because they shaped me and made my story to be what it is today.
There is always hope!
Forgiveness and love never fail!
Merry Christmas to you and may you have hope and goodwill!
Reach out to us if you need anything!
Next time jill 
