At the end of every year I look for them; those glorious impossibles!
They seem to pop up when they are least expected at some point during each Christmas season.
Joy is usually the lesson; though the lessons vary.
With each glorious impossible I’m reminded
in a very profound way of the REAL things that life is all about.
But this year was different.
I forgot to look!
I’ll admit for the first time ever; I wasn’t even thinking about the Glorious Impossibles.
Nope; I was actually singing one song over and over;
“Where are you Christmas? Why can’t I find you? Why have you gone away? Where is the laughter you used to bring me? Why can’t I hear music play? My world is changing; I’m rearranging. Does that mean Christmas changes too? Do you remember the one you used to know? I’m not the same one, see what the time’s done? Is that why you have let me go?” (words taken from How The Grinch Stole Christmas 2000; lyrics by James Horner, Will Jennings and Mariah Carey and recorded by Faith Hill.)
We had just been through a pretty tough year and so many unexpected catastrophes had happened to us that perhaps subconsciously I didn’t think this year was going to count for any glorious impossibles.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas though, I did have a vision of a white Christmas. I was just beginning to carry it out inside our home. Before I got very far with this decorating though, the double convection wall-oven that I use to cook our meals died and had to be replaced. That replacement was pretty costly.
Next; both my husband and I had car troubles, and then our heating and air conditioning units for our whole house finally died from exhaustion. We had to put in a new heating and cooling system. Again; it was very costly.
These were just normal, every-day life problems though. I knew we could wade our way through these things and eventually still find a few glorious impossibles despite them.
While those typical life events were still fresh on my mind, my cousin called to say she was getting a divorce.
It broke my heart. I had just gone through helping a close friend to cope with the fall out of an ugly divorce.
My other cousin (who is younger than me) then spoke to us of the fact that she had cancer all over her body and she would probably be celebrating her last Christmas with the family this year. I couldn’t bear the pain of knowing what she was going through.
My best friend called later that day to tell me her father had passed away in the night. She was trying to get his funeral arrangements together. Over the course of time she had already lost her mother, sister and brother. I had no words that would bring her comfort.
As I was praying about where to go with all of these very hard things and asking God how I could be helpful to those that I loved so much, I received a phone call from a friend of my Mother’s. My Mom had fallen and broken her hip. She lay in the floor for four hours before anyone found her. She was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance.
I quickly gathered up a coat and headed out the door.
The next seven days were spent sleeping wherever I could find a place in the hospital while waiting on doctors and test results. Mom had hip-replacement surgery during an ice storm. The surgeons and my husband got caught on the interstate and the surgery was delayed half-a-day from the time they took her into surgery. She lay on the bed waiting in what the hospital called a “holding area” for hours before surgery. I could not go in.
As I sat in the surgery waiting room I noticed the employee of the hospital that usually sat at the desk and reported the news from surgery back to all the patient’s waiting families had been caught out in the ice storm too.
The waiting room phone rang and rang and no one answered.
The lobby filled with people who wanted to know what was going on with their loved ones who had been taken into surgery. It just seemed a natural thing to pick up that ringing phone.
“Hello.”
“Who is this?”
“I’m just sitting here waiting on my Mom’s surgery results and there is no one to answer the phone; so I picked it up. Do you have any news from Mrs. Smith yet?”
“Oh! God bless you hon. Thank you for answering. Your Mom is still in the holding area and her doctor is still out on the icy roads. We will keep you posted. Can you let me speak to the Wilson family?”
“Sure.”
I mustered up my most commanding and loudest voice and yelled out over the lobby; “WILSON FAMILY…..IS THE WILSON FAMILY HERE?”
A relieved man came to the desk and I handed him the phone.
“Thank you! I’ve been so worried!”
The voice on the other side assured Mr. Wilson that his wife was doing fine. He smiled and handed the phone back for me to hang up.
From that point forward I was doing missionary work for the surgery waiting room.
I didn’t mind. It was a good way to pass the time. The phone would ring and I would yell out the name of the family and they would come to the phone and receive the news about their loved ones.
Soon people were asking me questions like “Where is the nearest restroom” and “Is there a cafeteria here?” Fortunately I had been there a week and I knew all the answers; so I just let them know what they needed to know.
A kind-hearted lady from Montgomery, Alabama grasped how things had progressed. She chatted with me about her brother who was having surgery on his arm. We enjoyed a charming and interesting conversation that was often interrupted by the phone ringing and me yelling out to the people in the lobby. She waited patiently then continued her chatting. The sound of her voice comforted me.
Another young girl had seen me come down and knew that I had originally needed to use the phone charging station. It wasn’t handy to the desk so I had temporarily given up on charging my phone. She brought over her own personal phone charger and plugged it in at the desk and told me to charge my phone on her charger. I was so happy with that situation because I was wanting to hear from my husband who had been stuck for four hours on the interstate in a traffic pile-up from the ice storm. He got through to me not long after my phone charged and we talked long enough for me to know he was okay and would eventually get to the hospital to sit with me. I told him my Mom’s doctor was out there in that same traffic pile-up with him and the surgery had not yet started.
When I hung up from him another sweet lady approached the desk and told me she had noticed how kind it was of me to be taking over the responsibilities of the desk on a volunteer basis and she brought me a pen and a notebook to use.
The pen was decorated with felt like a little Christmas tree. It had fuzzy balls of different colors glued onto it and it really cheered up the boring desk area. Now I could take notes.
Another lady came timidly up to the desk and handed me a pretty crocheted book marker in the form of a cross. It was enclosed inside a plastic bag with a scripture verse attached. “Thank you so much” she said in a quiet low voice and then she was gone.
I smiled at her kindness.
Not to be out-done by the kind lady who had the original idea to reward my extra efforts; a few of the other people brought me coffee and magazines to read while I sat there waiting on their (and my own) phone calls from surgery.
Eventually my husband arrived and pulled me away from the desk.
Still, no one forgot what I had done.
As we sat waiting with all the other families, one of the hospital administrators came by to thank me. She gave me some free meal passes for our stay and had a long conversation with me about how much the hospital appreciated what I had done.
By her side was the girl who actually did the job on a regular basis. She had finally made it in from the ice storm all safe and sound and ready to resume her day’s tasks. That young woman shook my hand and thanked me too. Then she headed over to tend to her job; much to everyone’s relief.
As she sat down at the desk she received a full round of applause; then they all turned and bowed toward me and clapped for me too.
I felt like I had fallen into a Norman Rockwell painting!
It was all very sweet and thoughtful.
The waiting time had been so very amusing. I hadn’t had a bit of time to worry or to be anxious for Mom’s surgery. I had been too busy!
It was the first glorious impossible of the season and I barely noticed that it had happened!
Waiting on Christmas is a lot like what I experienced there that day.
Sometimes we have to put our own concerns aside and tend to the needs of others.
The gift of how most human beings respond to the smallest acts of kindness is always so special and unexpected. The original giver is usually the one that gets the most from all who are blessed. Those dear people in the waiting room that day were my first glorious impossible of the season. They had brought joy into a very stressful and tense situation for all of us.
I looked at my husband all safe and dry and standing beside me for support after battling traffic on the icy interstate for four hours. He had seen some trauma on that highway; and we both knew there were people who didn’t survive that day.
God had brought him safely back to me just in time to be with me for the doctor to come down and tell us that my Mom’s hip-replacement had gone as well as could be expected for someone of her age.
Those were the next two glorious impossibles I noticed!
God had kept my husband from harm when there was an ice storm and many terrible wrecks on the interstates; and then He had delivered my Mom’s surgeon safely to the hospital and steadied his hands after four hours in traffic pile-ups surely enough to perform very successful surgery.
Of course the most obvious answered prayer and glorious impossible was the fact that my Mom had survived the surgery well and was now being hauled back to her room.
The first thing she told me later, was that those “holding areas” were quite beautiful. They had paintings on the ceilings as you lay in your bed and it was of beautiful sunny skies with great white fluffy clouds. I had imagined something like a prison camp.
How funny that God had provided just the opposite of my terrible imagination and my Mom had enjoyed that restful time in spite of all of my concerns.
This was the year that I almost forgot to notice the glorious impossibles because of all that was going on around us; but now looking back I can see so much.
I was already up to five glorious impossibles; and then I thought of my Mom’s friend Frances who had found her and called the ambulance. We were up to six now and Christmas had not even arrived yet.
Because my Mom was in the hospital I had been able to communicate with so many close relatives who would normally only communicate with her. I was able to feel their support and I was able to give support to them too. Many of them had just as much or more than we had going on that week and it was good for people who knew each other well to be able to talk and process their concerns together.
Glorious impossible number seven was that I heard directly from so many loved ones which I only get to hear from second-hand from my Mom. It was nice to be directly connected for a change. I made a note to keep those doors open wider in the future.
Of course with all of the hospital activity with Mom, my white Christmas vision had been pushed aside and forgotten for several days. When she was settled in rehab though; I did get a few days to be at home and I simply picked up where I had left off. In record time for me I got my shopping and wrapping done and the house in order for Christmas Eve Dinner with our family.
My granddaughter wanted to spend a day with me that week. We always do take a day together when Christmas comes near and I try to devote it to things a little girl would love.
This time I needed to take her to the hospital. Not exactly the treat she was used to; but she was amazingly good about doing this with me. I sensed that she was very concerned about her great-grandmother.
I thought I would add at least a trip to IHOP to get some Grinch pancakes and hot chocolate. That was a great big hit with her! She LOVED our breakfast and then she was fascinated with all the decorations in the hospital lobby.
We took some photos that I now cherish under the gigantic and beautifully decorated tree in the main lobby and she was intrigued with the gorgeous nativity they had sitting out in the front of the lobby.
The beautiful setting led her to chat with me about all the details of her kindergarten play in which she played the part of Mary. She marveled at the depiction of Mary that they had in the lobby.
We had a nice visit with great-grandmother. Afterwards; I was able to take my granddaughter to the book store in time for story hour and she even got to play with the Thomas The Train exhibit.
The task I dreaded being a failure had turned into a perfect day that we both will always remember.
Glorious Impossible Number 8.
In all of the recovery time for my mother, our adult children amazed me; each one showing up with smiles and comforting treats and flowers.
They filled the hospital room with cheer; as did the many friends and acquaintances of my Mom. I gave thanks to God for how these adult children of ours had turned out to be such caring individuals.
Each had their own way of making you feel loved and special. They were not only supportive to Mom; but they gave a lot of love and support to me during this time of waiting.
One daughter even cooked me dinner and brought it over to the hospital while it was still hot. She also gave me a favorite book to read which I had been looking to find for a long time. It was a rare copy, and one of the last in print by one of my favorite authors.
How amazing is that?
I would have to say amazing enough to be Glorious Impossible Number 9!
Glorious Impossible Number 10 would be the thoughtfulness of all four of our grown children as well as my Mom’s many friends who rallied around her and fetched her things she needed and kept the phones ringing and full of happy conversations.
I especially remember one sweet couple who came in and prayed with us. We were so blessed with care and attention.
These little miracles all came into our lives right on time, just as they were needed.
My one concern was that my Mom stubbornly insisted on going back to her house instead of moving in with us. I knew there was a possibility of yet another fall because of her ear problems making her dizzy and that illness was not going away. She had fallen like this twice now.
I begged her to move in with us; but she insisted on maintaining her own place.
We were blessed again when one of Mom’s good friends volunteered to stay with her for awhile while Mom recuperated.
Others offered to fill in the blanks whenever they were needed. My brother and I could swap out helping with the chores and the shopping on the weekends.
A plan was coming together that seemed workable.
Glorious Impossible Number 11.
God was showing us how the impossible could become possible when He was in charge.
Christmas Eve arrived.
We were home for the evening and most of our grown children were coming over for dinner that night.
Everything looked so lovely in the candlelight.
My only sadness was the fact that our South Carolina kids could not make it. I perfectly understand that they wish to be home with their two boys on Christmas morning, and a long road trip at Christmas time with young children was just too hard to do. Still;
I missed those grandsons tremendously; but I got to talk to them on the phone on Christmas Day and that helped a lot.
In the past we had never been able to make the schedule work out where we could attend the candlelight communion services at the neighborhood church. This year it DID work out and my husband and I, along with one daughter and one granddaughter, were able to attend.
The service was lovely and brought out all the perfect reminders of Emmanuel – Christ with Us.
I loved getting to see my little granddaughter light her candle from her Mom’s candle and then share that flame with me.
We got to have a nice little chat later about how the love of Christ lights up the whole wide world and we all just have to pass it on like those candles that night at communion.
The whole service experience made the evening start off perfectly for me. And before you could even notice; we had experienced Glorious Impossible Number 12.
That night was one of the most beautiful Christmas Eves we had ever shared as a family.
The food was simple and tasty but lovely and had not been too much trouble to fix.
We all relaxed and leaned into the mood of the night.
There was a cozy fire in the fireplace. The white Christmas décor just fit the year. Suddenly, everything seemed pure and fresh and new yet warm and cozy and sweet.
Lovely smiling faces tumbled through the doorway bringing gifts and laughter filled the house.
We got to share in our granddaughter opening a present from some of her grandparents who lived in another state.
That “other” grandmother had hidden her gifts at our house earlier when she had last visited with them back in the fall. It was a beautiful surprise for my granddaughter and another way for them to connect in spite of the physical distance between them.
I thought sure this seemed to be Glorious Impossible Number 13 considering the fact that we got to share in the giving of another person’s gifts.
The unusual amount of sharing that was going around in our family this year was pretty amazing.
All of the gifts were so very thoughtful.
We cherished each one.
Our family has this way of making each gift be associated with some type of memory we all had already shared during the year together.
This year we had gone to an arts festival and a vineyard together in the summer season. Gifts came from both of these memorable days.
Our son and daughter and her boy-friend had taken a little outing together to Ava Maria Grotto. Our son’s gifts to everyone was something he had bought on that trip.
My gift usually comes to everyone in story form, as I am a writer, and God has shown me that writing stories is my greatest way of giving gifts.
My husband has a natural ability as a storyteller; so the teamwork from us on the gift of a story is almost a given around our family’s Christmas Eve services.
This year I wrote a story about a little star.
My husband read the story in a way that made it come alive to all of us. Then we received our gift from one daughter and her boyfriend. It was a chart of the stars in the sky on the night we were married. Neither of them knew of my story gift about a star; and I was not aware of what they had planned to give to us either. They had printed our names and wedding dates on the chart.
Isn’t that an amazing coincidence?
Yep; you guessed it; I do NOT believe in coincidences – this became Glorious Impossible Number 14.
So we determined to spend Christmas Day at the hospital with Mom.
It wasn’t the way she or we had planned; but it turned out to be very nice in spite of everything. We exchanged gifts and watched her eat turkey and dressing from the hospital cafeteria.
It was actually a very nice time for all of us.
The time passed by quickly and before we knew it we had spent the better part of the day and were thinking of heading home.
My husband and I went home to catch a nap and to call all the grand-kids to see what had happened with each of them that morning; but our grown-up kids who lived in Alabama got together and went to the hospital to visit my Mom later that evening.
They had a wonderful time visiting and on the way home they were able to catch a drive through a winter wonderland of lights with our granddaughter.
How cool is that?
Though I didn’t get to be there for the winter-light show; I thought of them driving through all of those lights and I realized it was a perfect way to end a perfect Christmas Day; because it signified the way God had been guiding them all through the year from one light to the next until at the end we all had this beautiful portrait painted in our heads of the loveliest year ever.
That would be Glorious Impossible Number 15.
For a year when I had forgotten to look for them; I think we actually broke the record of the number of Glorious Impossibles that can be seen and felt in one year.
I found myself humming the end of that same familiar song: “I feel you Christmas – I know I found you.”
This little story wants to end with wishing all of you a most blessed and very happy new year; and with hoping that you never forget to look for all of those glorious impossibles which God grants to all of His people who live with open eyes, open arms and open hearts.