The year was 1992. Everything was going great; our youngest daughter arrived in February and we moved to a better house. My husband’s small silkscreen business was going well, and the kids were happy and healthy. We had some spare time on the weekends to do volunteer work, singing in children’s homes, a facility for elderly people, and a home for orphan teens. We also collected donations at the market to share with poor families.
Then, the unexpected happened. My husband had a sudden stroke! This came as a big shock to us all. He was in the ICU for three weeks, while I juggled between managing everything at home, trying to keep the business going, and visiting him every afternoon. Contrary to all our expectations, the Lord took him home to heaven.
We moved through our grief slowly. My faith in the goodness of God kept me going. Also, my life became extra busy, and this helped somewhat to take my mind off of my sadness. I knew our children were being brave and suffering in silence, and it made my heart sink every time I looked into their sad eyes. My eldest daughter’s birthday in September passed without a celebration. Not counting the baby, my children were ages 3 to 13. I could see them maturing beyond their age because of their loss, but I couldn’t do much about it.
As Christmas approached, our feeling of emptiness grew, and I prayed and asked the Lord for a miracle of joy for that season. At the beginning of December, some Christian relatives of my brother-in-law who owned a small clothing factory in a city close by came our way for the holidays and stopped by. They brought new clothes for all the kids and sat on the veranda with us for a few hours. They were like angels of mercy, talking to my children and cheering them up.
We lived on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. A week before Christmas, my sister Mabel sent some money for me to go to Ciudad del Este, where toys were cheaper, so I could buy a gift for each child. The amount of money was just enough to buy a special toy for each one. I remember getting my middle daughter, who loves to sing, a small portable music box with a microphone to amplify her voice, and for my adventurous seven-year-old I picked out a set of walkie-talkies.
On Christmas day, they opened the toy packages, laughed, and played. We ate a special meal, we sang together, and we thanked Jesus for coming to our sorrow-filled world to bring us joy. Somehow, He was doing it all again for us that Christmas!
As the months passed, we eventually were back to our happy selves. Though we had little money, God always supplied our needs. We found time and inspiration to go back to doing our volunteer work singing and bringing cheer in institutions. We understood better what it was like to be an orphan or a lonely widow in a nursing home.
All my kids are now adults, with children of their own. Every Christmas we get together, we eat and celebrate. We play and we sing together. We have a family tradition where after each present is taken from under the Christmas tree, we mimic the person that the gift is for, and the others guess who it is. We always have some big laughs. Two of my sisters, including Mabel and her grandson, come to our celebrations.
Sometimes, a gift can make the day (or the year!) of a person in need of some cheer, as Mabel’s gift did for me and my family that year. As we approach Christmas, I am reminded that our heavenly Father is by far the greatest gift giver of all time. He loved us so much that He gave His own Son to redeem us.
If you have not yet received the gift of eternal life through receiving Jesus as your Savior, you can do so now by praying this simple prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to earth and dying for me and for all humankind. Thank You for making a way for me to have a personal relationship with You and the Father. Please forgive me for the wrong things I’ve done. I ask You to come into my heart. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to live a life that pleases You. Amen.