A Mother's Gift

Welcome to our Christmas episodes!

Sponsor:
Finley Law Firm -  Comprehensive Estate Planning
Be prepared for the expected and the unexpected.
Take the first step to peace of mind now.
Click here for a free consultation with Chris Finley.
Be sure to ask him how he behaved in Sher's 9th grade class!

Drip-Drip Drop, Words and  Music by  Matt Hoiland
Click here

instagram.com/cydniandsherpodcast

https://www.youtube.com/@CydniandSher

Transcript

Episode 87 - A Mother's Gift

​[00:00:00] 

Sher: Maybe you've noticed lines have gotten longer. 

Cydni: And your patience, shorter. 

Sher: The days have gotten darker.

Cydni: And your chaos, more chaos-y. 

Sher: Your bank account, a little smaller. 

Cydni: And your jolly, jolly-less. 

Sher: So, we invite you to join us and pause. 

Cydni: Remember, this isn't a season of must haves to-do's and next day shipping. 

Sher: It's the season to reflect and to remember our Redeemer. 

Cydni: To recall, rejoice and reverence in the Light of the World's message.

This is Cydni 

Sher: and I'm Sher, and we invite you to join us. for a few minutes each Tuesday and Thursday in December for a special Christmas message. 

Cydni: To make your Christmas a little more Christmassy. 

Our second son, Titus, was born in September of 2012. When December came around, he was just the right age to play baby Jesus in our church's nativity scene. I would be Mary, and of course, my red headed [00:01:00] husband was the clear choice for Joseph.

 I tried with everything. To read Mary's lines, but I was sobbing so uncontrollably that my tears ruined the ink on the page. Ben, ginger Joseph, shared his script with me. It was painful to try and get through those lines, but I imagined it was probably more painful for those in the audience. Was it the Christmas spirit?

Or was it the very real postpartum hormones that pumped through my body that caused this chaos? I assumed it was a mix of both, 

. But even more than that, I had never taken time to really consider Mary, The way I did that Christmas as I held my new baby boy, I couldn't read the lines because they were smeared, but also I couldn't stop thinking of how she must have felt holding her baby.

 Yes. The savior of the world. But right then he was just her baby boy. I desperately attempted to run out of the church and hide forever with the embarrassment that I felt. However, some sweet sisters trapped me, and one by one they hugged me [00:02:00] tightly.

many said they imagined Mary did sob like that, knowing what it took to get there. And also knowing what was to come.

Some said that I brought Mary to life. After all, she also had postpartum hormones. And some women just handed me their Christmas chocolate handouts and walked away.

Later in the Christmas season, our family went to the nativity scene downtown in Salt Lake. When I saw the statue of Mary, I sobbed again, but I was interrupted by my oldest son who was three who pulled on my coat and he said, I can't wait for Christmas. What presents will I get under that tree? That day as I stood there overwhelmed with how Mary must have felt, then interrupted with a toddler's Christmas idea, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd done some things wrong , that that's what he was thinking when he looked at the nativity. That night, these words came to my mind.

 This is titled A Mother's Gift. Christmas carols, candy cane, holiday season, light display, walking past the nativity, I heard my child say, I cannot wait for [00:03:00] Christmas. I will look under that tree and I will find so many gifts wrapped up and waiting for me.

I looked at my child beaming, dreaming of Santa Claus, but then looking up at Mary, it caused my heart to pause. If I could give him. Everything treasures new and old. Would I give him security from piles of endless gold to never have to go without to live like a king?

Is that what I would wish for? Could I give him anything?

 Is that what Mary hoped for when she looked at her son, knowing that he was a king? Did she hope he'd live like one?

O night when Christ was born, I tried to sing along, but the only thing I could think of was, is it really so wrong to hope that he never feels pain or has his heart broken? That no one ever treats him unkind or bad words of him spoken.

If I had the power to protect my son from the scary and the unknown, would I choose to do so? Let him sit easy on a throne? My heart felt peace at that thought, but I know much too well [00:04:00] that he will be much greater trekking his own trail. I hope for him courage to do what is right that in this world of darkness To know where to find the light. I hope that he'll be faithful and believe in the unseen, to have a heart of charity and help those in need. And when he is defeated and bruised and tired and sore, I want him to be determined and stand up and beg for more.

I wonder how Mary felt the weight of being his mother. Did she feel like she had something to give or wish it on another? Did she feel discouraged lying in a lowly stable, knowing who Christ really was? Did she ever feel able? I watched my child laughing with a snowball in his glove. And as if I heard Mary speak it, I heard, just give him love. Hot cocoa and a carriage ride. Holly and Jubilee. The gifts I hope to give him are the things I'll try to be. 

May we go forward this holiday season remembering the birth of our Lord and [00:05:00] Savior Jesus Christ 

Sher: This is our prayer. From Cydni