I was thinking of you today. I was telling tales to your granddaughter and her fiance, of when you were a young girl. And all the mischief you and your brothers and sisters would get into. And your quirky sense of humor...how you would laugh at the silliest things. And how you loved to pull practical jokes. Never harmful but always funny. It felt like you were sitting there with us, laughing and having a good time remembering.
I think of you often Mom., but it seems like at Christmas you are foremost in my thoughts. How you loved this time of year. Oh you would complain about the prices of things and the crowds in the store..
And you didn't know how you were going to have the money to do everything you wanted to do...even though somehow you always managed. But us kids knew you loved it. And you always made Christmas so special for us. From the tree that you would decorate with all our homemade ornaments...that you still would put on the tree long after we were grown with kids of our own. And you would tell your grandkids how we sat around the kitchen table and made those ornaments and how much fun we had. Now they're missing some of their sparkle and maybe some of the trim, but not the love that went in them. You'd yell at us about rattling the packages..trying to find out what you had put in them. And how you taught us a lesson by sticking some of our old clothes in the boxes to open Christmas morning., Then giving us our real presents.
The Christmas dinner was always the supreme feast. From all the homemade pies, and candied yams, the glazed ham, even the tree shaped butter you would mold for the table....
And you never let us forget what the true meaning of Christmas was. It wasn't about the presents or the tree, or Santa Claus....
It was Jesus' Birthday....a time of celebrating our Saviour's birth....and it was also about being together as a family....showing eachother how much we cared about one another. Yes, Mom I miss you most at Christmas. With every twinkle light and ornament I am filled with thoughts of you. It's been 11 years since I spent Christmas with you Mom....But I feel you here with me when I put the tree up., When I'm wrapping presents., or when I'm cooking the Christmas dinner.... Your love and spirit surround me...Like the scent of Gardenia's always seemed to surround you. I just wish I could still hug you and feel your arms about me. And bury my face in your neck and breathe you in.
I miss you Mom., Merry Christmas,

Your Loving Daughter
Kat

I wrote this today to my mom....and I wanted to share it with you all. I love my mom very much and did not see her before she died. I was supposed to go for Christmas the year she died....and was too busy....told her I would come spend a month with her in the summer. She died that May...I never got to say goodbye.
Please., don't ever think you have all the time in the world to tell someone how you feel about them. If you love someone but haven't spoken in a while or if you just haven't said it today...tell them... You never know when they will be called home.

God Bless...