By Mike Kennedy
Even before I met her relatives, I knew that Stephanie Stevens would be an amazing wife. But when I met her extended family, I was convinced that she was the woman for me. One of the first things I noticed about my future in-laws was the way they loved spending time together. They would use every birthday, holiday, and sporting event as a reason to get together. In all their gatherings they had a wonderful blend of creativity and tradition that produced joyful family memories. And that was important to me. When we make joyful family memories, we are storing up treasures that will continue to bless the hearts of our loved ones.
Some of our favorite Christmas memories were made in Seattle at the home of Merrily and John Jones, Stephanies’s aunt and uncle. Rich and Linda Stevens, Stephanie’s parents, also lived in Seattle. But with a name like “Merrily,” how could you not be the host of the family Christmas gathering? So almost every year, Stephanie and I, along with our two children, would make the three-hour drive from Portland to Seattle. It didn’t matter what the traffic or weather was like, the anticipation of Christmas with the family kept us going, along with several CDs of Christmas music and some peppermint mochas from Starbucks.
Stephanie was always eager to see her family. Recently she shared her memory of walking into Merrily’s kitchen on Christmas Day. “I remember the smell of Russian Tea and frosted yeast rolls. Mom and Merrily were chatting in the kitchen as they pulled the meal together—they were always so peaceful with each other—not only sisters but deep friends.”
Our daughter Bethany also reflected on those special gatherings. “Every Christmas was filled with joy and laughter. I remember I wanted to stay where all the joy was, with all the smiling faces, I never wanted to leave. Even after most of the food was gone and all the gifts were opened, I didn’t want to leave because I didn’t want to miss out on all the fun and laughter with my family. Christmas memories full of joy—that’s the best gift!”
Our son, Jimmy shared the following memories: “There was a long table for the adults, and a small table for the kids, because it was only my sister Bethany, our cousin Laney, and me. In a corner was a birdcage with a talking parrot, and around a corner was a massive Christmas tree with a mountain range of gifts under it. Merrily always made butterhorn pastries, and I always got in trouble for eating too many. But the best part was the people, being together with family. In their house, John and Merrily created a home full of warmth.”
Last summer, John Jones passed away. At the memorial, I heard my children sharing memories like these with their loved ones. I began to realize another reason why it is so important to create joyful family memories. God wants to use our joyful family memories to comfort the hearts of our loved ones in times of grief. Our memory is a gift from God. But we have no idea how long we will have our memories in this life. So, if we want our memories to bless the hearts of our loved ones, we must record them and we must share them. This Christmas let’s create some joyful family memories. And let’s write them down.
Mike Kennedy is a bi-vocational minister at the Minnehaha Church of Christ in Vancouver, Washington, and teaches at Northwest College of the Bible in Portland, Oregon.
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