Christmas will be here in a few days. This will be our eleventh Christmas without Mama. Life to Mama was about her family loving and sharing, and Christmas was the time to “get that done.” We were her mission field—just as many others were her mission field, too.
When I was a child, Christmas was an exciting time. My grandparents, Big Tom and Gigi, always came on Christmas morning. When I had children, we often traveled to Mama and Daddy's house in Georgia for a time with our family. My brother, his wife, two children, and my sister would be there. Sometimes, someone who was lonely and needed some love joined us. God always brought those who had needs into Mama's life. As the years passed, Christmas remained the greatest time to love family and friends.
Christmas was a time to share the story of Jesus from the Bible. Daddy would also read “The Best Little Christmas Pageant Ever.” We learned not to play the game of Trivial Pursuit with Pat. He knew all the answers. We played Fictionary and other games that took imagination. Two folding tables would often be set up in the family room, and different games would go on. Laughter filled the room. My brother played the guitar, and we sang. The Hamptons always sang. The Christmas Daddy gave Mama a new ring hidden in a blender will never be forgotten. The picture shares her joy. The younger ones sometimes slept on a cot in the basement garage when the house was packed. One year, my son turned off the central heat while sleeping in the garage, and we woke up freezing. There was always a place to sleep, to share, and be loved. There was always a place of acceptance where you were inspired to be more than you thought you could be. There was always room.
Through the years, Mama saw our potential and inspired us—I should say pushed us—to achieve it. She believed in who we could be when we had little belief in ourselves. In 2005, she went into Autumn Cove Assisted Living because Daddy could no longer care for her. Up to her passing, she always inspired and reminded us of our potential. Daddy had always taken her to church every Sunday, but in early December 2012, she could not go anymore. Two weeks later, I knew she needed to come home from Autumn Cove for a special Christmas Eve. It was a wonderful time. Mama prayed in her quivering voice for her family. It was the last time she would come home to be with us. She would never leave Autumn Cove again.
I still love her and miss her. I miss her laugh. I miss her look, saying, “You need to think that through.” I miss her look, which could see right into me. I miss watching Bonanza, Andy Griffith, and Matlock with her. I miss holding her hand, straightening her room, and hearing her say, “Aren't you ready to quit fussing so much?” I miss her loving concern for everyone in her life. A month before her death, she was still asking the staff at Autumn Cove about their families and sharing her love with them.
Mama's greatest wish―her last wish that Christmas when she came home―was for us to love each other unconditionally and for us to know her Savior. It was on her mind a lot before she passed. Jesus will bring me one take to be with her again. She probably has Daddy busy with her in heaven, preparing for her family.
May each one who has lost a loved one remember the good times and the good memories. Bring the memory of who they were into your home this Christmas. Love your family entirely and unconditionally. Mama prayed that her family would all know Jesus’ unfailing love. Mama may not be with us again this Christmas, but her legacy of love still lives. Her last prayer for her family lives on. It was her last Christmas wish.
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