Last week, we attended the holiday program at Kasey's school....awesome, as all programs have been. As last year's Holiday program did, the music director found another group of songs/skits/dancing which concentrated not just on the "generics" of the now politically correct "holiday" season, but on specifics. Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, and Mexican traditions....as well as some traditional winter songs which the kids sang just beautifully. Oh yes, as the title of this post might indicate, the program was titled 'December In Our Town.'
The kids opened with the title song - 'December in Our Town - What a Wonderful Place To Be!' and the students from Kindergarten right on up to sixth grade were animated and enthused and awesome. The sixth graders took the stage and did the speaking parts at first and they participated in the opening song too, but just did a wonderful job with their leadership jobs. Each grade had a song about a different religion - Kasey's grade sang the song Innkeeper, which of course was about the innkeeper, Mary, Joseph and the stable and baby Jesus. It was beautiful and yes, my eyes did leak a bit.
After it was over, and when we went to the commissary for groceries, I was humming the title song and singing the only part I remembered which were the two opening lines. But then I got down to the business of buying groceries - and preparing for a special person. Kasey's mommy would be on her way home soon after that and I wanted everything to be JUST right for her R and R.
Which brings us quickly to just the last day or two, when a determined pilot - despite Mother Nature and the airlines he works for - brought Laurie safely home. As soon as she rounded the corner to the waiting area and saw Kasey, she ran to him with tears in her eyes. As they hugged and kissed and Laurie looked at every single inch of Kasey's little face, Stephen, Ron, and I waited patiently as our little boy and his beautiful mom embraced. There were smiles and tears all around us as other soldiers greeted their families - and from others as they just looked on at the sheer emotion unfolding in front of them. When Ron and I got to give Laurie her hug, hers to us was long, and warm, and happy.
December in Our Town....God in His grace has truly made this a wonderful place to be.
