Last Thursday a 16 year old joined our family. I met “Jack” 2 summers ago at a camp I do with foster kids. Jack was in a tough spot and his story laid heavy on my heart after this summer’s camp.
Below is an email my wife sent earlier tonight. Funny, I spent a lot of time writing about why I am a foster parent, my wonderful wife succinctly states it beautifully right here.
Hi special friends,
I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for helping to make Christmastime such a special time for Jack. We can celebrate the Jesus meaning of Christmas but there is no denying that Christmas can be a magical, special, family time whatever your faith might be. I have talked a lot to Jack about his Christmas memories and they all stink. He has NEVER had a ‘real’ or special Christmas. I knew that. And I’ve told him pieces of what we do to celebrate Christmas so he can be prepared, not overwhelmed, and know that he can ask to sit out if it is all too much for him. Tonight though, was touching. He started asking about Christmas with the excitement of a young child.
He says he can’t wait and he can’t believe it is almost here. He asked what our Christmas morning is like and wondered if it is what you see in the movies, presents under the tree, kids waking the parents in joyful anticipation. That stopped me in my tracks.
Yes. My life is perfect. Just like what you’d see in the movies (except the year Peter was so excited and woke the kids at 5am!!! We were all ready to kill him by 7am we were so tired!!). And every Christmas of my life has been like that. Fun, Meaningful, Beautiful decorations, presents under the tree, stockings with goodies, joyful anticipation even when I was old enough to know exactly what my parents had gotten me. Dinners with family and cousins and grandparents. Every year of my life. It caused me to stop and reflect on how much I have always loved Christmas because of my family (of origin and marriage), the fabulous memories (the smell of the ornaments when they came out of the attic, the smell of the real tree, all the garland my mom would hang, all of our childhood Christmas crafts, all of the cookies (Jack has never made homemade cookies before…until this week! My kids are begging to help, like always and I have to remind them that Jack has never measured the sugar, cracked the eggs, turned on the mixer, rolled the cookie dough, licked the spoon like they have hundreds of times), Christmas Eve at my aunt’s, the simple cardboard advent calendar with the doors that opened, the stockings that were hand made for my sister and I, the Teaberry gum my mom would give us every single year in our stockings (Of course I remember our 2 sad Christmases – when I was very young, about Sammy’s age, and my mom was in the hospital and then the first Christmas after she died; yet even then I was still with my family that I knew loved me so much). Since we’ve been married Christmas memories have been about collecting meaningful ornaments old and new, and seeing the joy in my kids eyes as we go through them every year and tell the same stories; The Nativity play my kids and their cousins put on every year, going to bed in Christmas PJs with Caleb and Mila to insure cute pictures in the morning (Jack wanted to get some red PJs since ‘that is what we do’-thank you God for reminding me to ask him about that!!!) , setting up the pewter Nativity set that my dad bought for me, still going to my aunt’s on Christmas Eve when we are back in PA, going to the Star of Wonder and crying every year, celebrating Advent. Gifts are important and fun at Christmas, right? Who doesn’t look forward to that? But these memories, the smells that I can still remember from childhood, the people, the ornaments from my tree growing up and Peter’s tree growing up and all the special ones we’ve collected like the silver gift box that opens to a picture of Morgan and says “my first Christmas” from his 1st real Christmas when he was 4, and the glass Blue Balloon ornament that reminds us how adorable Sammy was in Durango as an 18 month old, the decorations I made as a kid that my mom saved for me and the ones I save for my kids are absolutely priceless. To me, that is what I love most about Christmas. The history. Jack is 16 and he has none of this. And he very excited for his 1st Christmas. Thank you for helping us to make this a special time for him!!!
