Christmas Stockings

This week our house has started to look a lot like Christmas.  My oldest son is essentially a Christmas junkie. He started opening boxes and little by little we have hung things up. It is funny how I can look at decorations and remember each little story. There is the advent calendar wall hanging made by my step mom. Yesterday, I carefully filled each pocket with exactly two pieces of candy. Usually there are three, but my oldest has to make weight with the military. There is the Hummel crib set. It was left to me by my grandmother.  My mom has a story behind each piece. For example, my mom had bought Jesus, Mary and Joseph for her parents the year she graduated from nursing school. There are the pieces that are not Hummel, but added later by my grandmother. There is a ceramic springer spaniel, their favorite breed of dog. I think in their minds if there was not a springer in the stable when Jesus was born, there should have been. Loving my lab mix like I do, I can understand that.

Perhaps my favorite decoration is not up yet. It is our Christmas stockings. When I was a little girl my grandma made me a stocking. It was hand knit with my name on it. When Tim and I married, she made him one, then when we adopted Katya and Jack, she made them one too.  They are all different patterns and my grandmother was so dear to me. She was an adoptive mama too. She adopted my mom. I always felt connected to her from that. When we adopted Zachary, she had passed away. Then, Tim's favorite aunt knit one for Zachary too!  She was a special lady too. She never married and spent her life caring for everyone else. She cared for her parents until they died, then cared for two aunts until they died, then moved in with my mother-in-law when my father-in-law died. She cared for all of us.  She shared her faith and her tremendous knowledge of literature. She loved to tell stories and my children and my niece and nephew would gather at her feet as she spun the tale of "The Pirate of Dun Dirk Dowdee" or another such tale. Yes, Zachary's stocking reminds me of all our wonderful times with her.

So, that brings me to my dilemma. Both of these special ladies have passed away. I must admit that I have looked at stockings for Grace and Alex. I have found beautiful ones of all sizes and materials. Yes, they are pretty, but I have grown attached to our hand made stockings, imperfections and all. Then, I had an idea. I texted mom. I asked simply this,"how confident are you with your knitting skills?" I had remembered being a little girl in the 70's. I remembered Mom wearing a multicolored caftan doing lots of things. She had an herb garden, she baked bread, and was what we would now call "crafty". I remember her doing macramé, and knitting. I have not seen her do that stuff in many years, but I know it is in there somewhere. The thing is mom was not well. She had cancer last year and had a breast removed, followed by chemo and radiation. This was all overshadowed by years of back pain making her essentially immobile and on medications that changed who she was. Two weeks ago though, she had surgery. Surgery to fix her back. She can now walk, pain free. Her canc is gone and my mom has returned. She is anxious to knit these new stockings for the babies. We both got a little tearful as we discussed how grateful we were that she is finally well enough to think about enjoying her grandchildren.  We get to make plans for the babies, together.  As for mom, she excitedly talked about a knitting store she knew of and a friend who could help her renew her skills.

When we finished talking it dawned on me. I am not the only one God is preparing. The people under this roof are not the only ones God is readying. He is preparing mom too, and I am so grateful. For now, Grace qnd Alex's stocking holders will remain empty, but I know when they arrive, we will have a good story to share with them of God's healing to their grandmother (ok, she cannot deal with the term, lol! So, God's healing to their Bubbe).