We'll be home for Christmas...as will my sister & her husband...

This is my sister and me at Jane and Andy's wedding....

We weren't going to have our kids with us this Christmas,

I invited Sandy and Jerry (my sister's husband)

And they said "Yes".....

I want to back up...you see, there was a time that I wondered if my sister and I would ever have a friendship once our mother and father were no longer alive.

Now the big deal about her coming out to see me at Christmas...it was that she wanted to be with me! I was so excited to be with her. I love her so much...

Then it happened...

People all over the Northwest began singing, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..." and "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..."

And SNOW it did...again and again and again and it continues. Then airlines stopped flying out of SEATAC. People were stuck in the airport...we didn't give up! We were going to do it. If I had to get the airporter shuttle to bring them to Ferndale...it was going to happen...

So...I checked the website...they weren't going to even TAKE calls for several hours...the buses were full, HMMMMM. We talked. I watched the horrific situation compound at the Seattle airport. We made the decision today. And I cried. Even though I had come to the conclusion that it wouldn't be safe or smart to have them come out. I cried.

I went to TJ Maxx and saw this ornament. It's a snowflake. I bought 2 of them. One of them I am going to send to her. This snowflake has the 2008 date on it and it will be treasured by both of us as the Christmas we ALMOST spent together.

As I said, I was crying and driving...okay, not smart on the snowy roads...but I was. Then, I got a glimpse of the north Cascades and realized what I have said so many times...

Christmas isn't the tinsel and the tree. It isn't parties and packages. It's not friends and yes, it is not even family. Christmas is the celebration of my Savior's birth. It is the reason that we celebrate. It is all about Jesus. And He is faithful to me. Praise Him for all that He has done not only with me, but for me. He gave me a sister who was willing to come spend Christmas at a huge cost just because she knew her baby sister didn't want to be alone. What a precious gift! Thank you Sandy for loving me so much. Thank you Jesus for giving me my sister.