Sunday, December 26, 2010

The Christmas Miracle

Our motto for this family get together has been, "It's a Christmas miracle!"  The pants I bought you actually fit?  It's a Christmas miracle!  You guys made it here safely through the snow?  It's a Christmas miracle!  You found some extra dipping sauce in the back of the fridge?  It's a Christmas miracle!

It's been a bit overkill.  Don't get me wrong, I love acknowledging everyday miracles but "Christmas Miracle" is kind of a term already on reserve.

A few days before Christmas 2006, we received a phone call from my grandma.  Our family friend Arnie, 81, had a seizure during dinner.  He vomited, aspirated, and earned himself a flight for life ride to the intensive care unit.

While the rest of the world was preparing for a joyful holiday, we were preparing for the worst.  Decisions were to be made on December 26.  The decision was that life support would be terminated the following day after everyone had the opportunity to say goodbye to a warm hand. 

The following morning, my dad received a wake-up call asking him to make the drive to be with them.  While he was showering my grandma called back.  She had to hand the phone to my grandfather because she was crying too hard to talk to my mom.  They were tears of joy.  Arnie was awake, sitting up, and by that afternoon he was asking for a drink.

Arnie lived for eight more months before he passed away peacefully.  There was no reason he should have survived that December.  His funeral was planned!  Even my agnostic grandparents admitted it was a Christmas Miracle.

Sometimes God works in life-saving miracles and sometimes He works through everyday miracles.  The question becomes, will we acknowledge them?

I pray you all had a miraculous Christmas, my friends.

<>< Katie

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It was a Christmas of miracles