Christmas: At the heart of it all

Inspiration

By Don Lindsey

With Christmas just a couple of days away, it’s been a lot of fun seeing how excited my children have been. It seems as if each day that goes by, the more anxious they become and that is especially true for my daughter. All week long she’s been talking about what she hopes to get, and every day she reminds me how long it is until Christmas day. To be honest, her holiday cheer has been quite contagious and now I find myself looking forward to spending the day with my family.

As you can probably tell from my last few articles, I’ve been thinking a lot about my family this holiday season. I’m sure a lot of that is due to having my parents living with us. They are constant reminders of Christmas experiences from my childhood that will always stay with me as some of my fondest memories. They always went above and beyond for me to make sure that I got pretty much everything I could have wanted on the holidays and were always so happy to watch me unwrap everything come Christmas morning. Now that I have kids of my own, I get it. Something about seeing the joy on their faces when they’ve gotten something that they’ve wanted is a great feeling.

Spending that time and enjoying those moments with my loved ones also brings an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the blessings I’ve received in my life. I do my best to remind myself all year of how fortunate I am to have the life I do but making these new memories with the ones I care about the most tends to put in perspective how important family is to me and how God has looked out for me by putting me in the lives of my wife and children. Just being around them is something that I cherish deeply.

There are so many things for me to be thankful for and at the top of the list is my savior, Jesus Christ. It’s difficult for me to think about Christmas and not feel grateful for His birth. Everything positive I have in my life is a direct result of God working and guiding me through the different challenges that life will sometimes offer. As I look back on the year, I am happy to say that it’s been a year of me recognizing where my life is good and where I can improve and I know that as long as I give the stress I come across to the Lord, I can get through anything and come out of it a better person.

In a lot of ways, Christmas is about presents. This year I’m celebrating all the presents that God has put in my path in the form of blessings. Family and Jesus……That for me is what is at the heart of it all when it comes to this particular holiday. To you and yours, I say Merry Christmas, have a safe and happy holiday season.

Don Lindsey is a follower of Christ, son, husband, father, and a survivor. Originally from Dayton Ohio, and resident of Apopka for six years, Don sees his life as a dedication to his wife, parents, children, and community.