January let down

Reluctantly the decorations are taken down and put away until next year. Leaving out that special Christmas frame with a special person's photo seems silly. People will ask, "Why do you still have that frame out?" The Nativity set is put in a box with a lid. Is that what the whole Christmas season amounts to. Put all the generosity and smiles and neighborly get togetherness in a box with a lid. Remembering my childhood January was more special than Christmas. Mom was back to just thinking about everyday tasks. She had time for me. Jerry and I played in the snow. We got cold and wet. Mom pulled off the boots and hung up the coats and put us in front of the stove to get warm. We didn't have very much in the way of toys but we definitely had her love. Even when she yelled at us so loud and so long that she would hold her head in her hands because it hurt her so, we knew she was the one we could count on. So sad that I don't remember tender moments between my mother and father. It seems he was never there and when he was there was just fighting and put downs. My boys are such sensitive and kind men who want the best for their wives. My sweet darling girl deserves that too. I pray dear Father that the sins of the past can dissolve and love, trust, faith, hope replace the empty parts of our hearts and Christmas will never be in a box with a lid on it.