Hi Gang:Well, wont be long now before Christmas is here. It is the evening of the 15th of December, 2010. Wow, the Christmases I have seen come and go, and how they have changed. I was just sitting here, going thru the Holiday videos from the forum, and it got me to thinking about the past Christmases I have enjoyed. Nothing, and I do mean nothing out there compares to Christmas , when your a child. My Christmases were spent in awe. Now we didnt have alot of money, that isnt what I mean at all. What we did have was alot of love for family, and for God. At the head of my little family was my Grand Father. ( My Grand Mother and he were married 52 years, till death do them part. )We would all gather at my Grandparents house on Chrsitmas Day, and something I remember, like it was yesterday, was a certain Christmas album always playing in the background. The musicians name was.............. Jim Reeves. My Grand Father was a huge fan, and I knew the songs by heart as they played over and over. It played on a turntable, complete with static and an occasional skip if someone stepped on the floor to hard. That album, as well as the name Jim Reeves was etched into my mind at an early age. Many years past by, my Grand Mother passed on, as well as my Mother. Leaving my Sisters and one Brother with only Grandpa. The years were hard after he lost his two favorite girls, and the age began to show. His memory for things in every day life was failing, his energy level was down, and he had lost his appitite. He was a constant concern of ours, and we went to see him every chance we got. The Christmases we did spend together were never again able to recapture the magic that they once had held. Nothing stays the same I guess, for very long. One of the last Christmases I had with my Grandfather, perhaps not as magical as when I was a child, but this memory came very very close. I was the only one able to make it up to see Grandpa on a certain Christmas Day. We didnt know at the time, but it was to be his last .The weather was terrible, and I lived closest, so I made it there, and it was just him and I. We sat around and chatted, Grandpa napped on and off, and the TV was just noise in the background. The day felt heavy to me. So much for Christmas cheer. Grandpa began to talk about Christmases past. I didnt really want to, as it was painful topic for me, but it made him beam to remember back to a better time. When us kids were young, Grandma was here, as well as Mom, and times were just plain good. For whatever reason, Grandpa remembered the Jim Reeves album we used to listen to. Like I said, his memory for everyday things was bad, but he could remember 50 years ago, like it was yesterday. LOLNow, about that time, my skin began to tingle. The biggest smile came across my face. Oh my goodness, to remember it, still makes me almost laugh out loud at the pricelessness of this moment. You see, at the same moment he brought up the Jim Reeves album, sitting in my car, was a CD case......FULL....of Jim Reeves albums. Yes yes yes, including the one we had listenied to so many years ago. So many of Jim Reeves albums had been remastered and put on CD's for a new generation to discover and enjoy. I'll be right back Grandpa. I flewwww out to my car, and grabbed all the Jim I had brought with me, ecspecially the Christmas one. I have a surprise for you Grandpa. I loaded the CD, adjusted the volume, and hit play. I can never explain the expression on his face when he realized what we were listening to. He was amazed that it was his old friend Jim, singing his favorite Christmas songs from years before. He was also amazed at the clarity of the music. He said it sounded like Jim was in the room with us. LOL. The song changed from one to another, and the next thing I know, I look up to see the tears just rolling out of my Grandfathers eyes. My heart broke. What had I done. Perhaps listening to Jim was to much for my frail Grandpa to deal with. To many painful memories. In the next moment our eyes met, and Grandpa reached out and took my hand to reassure me all was okay. His next words to me, I will never forget...... I'm not crying because I am sad honey. I'm crying because it is sooo beautiful. [video=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqNqqq10iqY]We listened to Jim the rest of the day, and into the evening. Later that night, as I lay awake in bed, I realize that this day was not the terrible day it appeared to of possibly been. I realized that what I was able to share with my Grandpa was so unique, and so precious, and that no one else could of or would of shared this with him. It was the greatest Christmas gift Grand Father and I ever gave eachother. Pam -- Edited by PMM2008 on Wednesday 15th of December 2010 10:37:37 PM[/video]
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