Christmas Adam… A New Meaning

A number of years ago, Denise used to host a gathering for family, friends and extended family at her home just before Christmas. Being that Christmas Eve would be quite busy with worship, present wrapping, and family meals, they chose to have the party on the evening of December 23rd. A very dear friend of hers decided that the gathering needed a special name. If you remember the creation story from Genesis, Adam was created (born) before Eve. So since Adam came before Eve in “birth order”, it’s only natural that Christmas Adam would come before Christmas Eve! Thus a tradition was born which would last for many years and provide many fond memories of excellent food and fun with family and friends.

This year’s Christmas Adam is a bit different. Yesterday our 15 year old rescue puppy Buddy began bleeding out of his nose. Buddy is a Chihuahua-Terrier mix (on the right in the picture above with his sister Pixie, another rescue Chihuahua that our Vet, Dr Jay Blackwood gave to us just over three years ago). He had seen Dr Jay last week and got antibiotics to see if it would help. It did for a few days, but he started sneezing blood again last night. So after a very long night with little sleep, we took him to Dr Jay who was consulting with us last night via text (like Padres, Veternarians are always on call) and phone. I’ll be honest, it was a scary night as Denise and I worried about worst case scenarios for poor Buddy. Even Pixie was worried and didn’t sleep well because she knew her big brother was not feeling well.

So this morning we took Buddy in for his surgery. Thankfully it was simply a matter of having 14 of his 41 teeth removed. He came through the surgery just fine and is recovering now at home. He is not settling down though. He keeps wandering about a bit and getting drinks of water. However, he does keep stopping by my chair for scratches and loving 😊 Denise is off with her two boys finishing up some Christmas shopping and I decided to stay home and make sure our patient is okay.

Yes, this Christmas Adam is different from ones we have celebrated in the past. But in a sense it really isn’t all that different. Two of our three boys are here (my son, our eldest, is in Minnesota but we are texting and he has been very much with us as we walk with Buddy), and more family is on its way tomorrow. While we don’t have the crowd we had a couple of years ago in Mobile, we do have what is important. We are thankful for our good friend Dr Jay who took such good care of Buddy and the excellent results of today’s surgery. We are also thankful for our home, family, extended family, friends, and our church community. We are thankful that Izzy, the daughter of one of our church members is feeling better after a health scare. We are thankful that Ricky, the son of another dear friend is feeling better after his own health scare. We are thankful that dear friends are home for Christmas after two years of being on the road working. We are also thankful that one of the matriarchs of our church is also recovering nicely from her own health scare.

Christmas Adam, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day are not really about parties or presents or food. This season is about so much more than that. It is about faith, family and friends. It is about laughter and fellowship. But most of all it is about exgravagent love! The sort of love that would see the Son of God leave the splendor of Heaven to come to earth and be born among the working poor. The same Jesus who calls us to follow him that together we might: (1) Feed the hungry; (2) Shelter the homeless; (3) Welcome the aliens; (4) Forgive others; (5) Embrace the outsiders; (6) Share with those in need; (7) Advocate for the marginalized; (8) Confront those abusing power; and  (9) Respect/Love others, even our enemies.

This Christmas Adam I am thankful for many things. Especially for healthy puppies! And I am also thankful for the love of God which calls us to love boldly, forgive often, and walk with others through their own trials and joys. May we be blessed and in turn be a blessing as we share the love and joy of this Holy season!