December 23

When my children were younger, much younger, my daughters introduced me to the term “Christmas Adam.” I had never heard of it before and so I questioned them about it. With a huge smile on her face, my youngest daughter answered me, with much glee, and said,”Mommy, Christmas Adam is December 23rd, because Adam came before Eve!” This made me laugh almost as much as my daughter.

As a Gen-Xer, I of course, knew about Festivus already. On the show, Seinfeld, George Constanza tells Jerry about how his father, Frank, made up his own holiday when George was young. So, later, Jerry talked to Frank about Festivus.

Frank said that he was tired of the commercialism and holiday craziness that he saw going on around him. So, he made up his own holiday called Festivus. On Festivus, instead of putting up a tree and decorating it, everyone is to erect a metal pole on their front lawn and put lights on it. This metal pole is, of course, a Festivus Pole. Instead of loved ones getting together to share a special dinner or have a party, the purpose of the gathering is so that people can tell other people how they had wronged or annoyed them. Frank Costanza called it, “the airing of grievances.” Finally, instead of saying “Happy Hanukkah” or “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Kwanza”, the official greeting of Festivus is, “Festivus for the rest of us.”

With these two events in my head, I was reminded of another 23. The 23 that jumped into my mind is Psalm 23. My dad had a framed cross stitch picture that my grandmother had made him hanging on the wall. The sentence my grandmother had cross stitched was, “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” Before I knew what Psalm 23 was, I knew that phrase.So, rather than put up a pole or air grievances, I have been thinking about Psalm 23, my father, and my grandmother today.

My grandmother took her faith seriously and she shared it with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her faith supported her for many years as my grandfather was stationed overseas more than once while he was an active duty Air Force officer. When he was stateside, her faith sustained her through many moves while raising three children. Knowing my dad, he alone was probably a handful, much less having two more children!

To honor my memories of my grandmother, I read Psalm 23 and have been pondering it today. Is the Lord my shepherd? Do I trust Him to guide me as a shepherd does a flock of sheep? The answer to both questions is the same, “Yes.”

Why do I believe that? Well, my grandmother was a pretty convincing witness to God’s protection and care for His people. But, somewhere down the line, I had to take what she told me and apply it to my own life and see what happened for myself. It turns out that my grandmother, Mema, was one smart cookie! I should have known that she would not steer me wrong.