He-Said-She-Said, Christmas Goodies - He Said | Sweet Pieces - She Said

Taste and see that the LORD is good... Psalm 34:8

We suffered a death in the family this year; Christmas won't be the same. My mom's cookie press died.

No more cheese straws or no-bake oatmeal cookies. Sausage balls are out too. Same with the peanut butter and Ritz crackers covered in chocolate. Christmas won't have the same flavor this year and I'll miss that.

I'll miss Christmas morning at my mom's house with my sister and her family and the big glass of chocolate milk; the slow opening of gifts (one at a time, in order, please) followed by applause. We always clap, regardless of the gift. Receiving anything in and from my family warrants a cheer.

Speaking of cheer, they'll be less of that this Christmas. The dining room will have one less place setting. Our fathers are gone, their patriarchal presence no longer anchoring the head of the table. The memories remain but it's not the same. Pictures and presents and stories of past holidays can't make up for the hole they left in our hearts.

Love does that. It fills our mouths with sweetness. And when the richness of it is gone, when the vitality of a life is lost, we hunger for more. Nothing novel in that sentiment. "To have loved and lost..." and all that.

God is love and allows us to love but the legacy of love can leave a bitter taste in our soul if we focus on the "not" instead of the "have." And yet, without the wanting - without the caring and living for and with a person - life has no flavor.

Taste and see; sample and enjoy; feast but know it won't last. The real meal will have to wait.

Read the rest of this devotion.