December 17, 2014

Missing Austin and Merry Christmas!

Christmas is upon us and we find ourselves
missing our Austin in the midst of it all.
We always will.  That will never change.
Never, that is, until we are called into eternity.

There will be no missing there.

In the meantime, we remember and we look back.
It hurts.  But, we are so very conscious of our Austin's gain.
He is no longer bound by the temporal.  By sin.  By suffering.
We can't help but rejoice when we think of where
he is and what he is doing.  All the time.

He will never die again.

It truly is an amazing thought.  A comforting thought.  A steadying thought.
It takes the sting away when we fill our hearts and minds with the reality of it all.
And, we rejoice because this is why our Saviour came to earth the first time.
To save His people from their sins, and to give them eternal life.  

To prepare a way for His people to be with Him.  Forever.



Austin made this tree ornament for me when he was ten.  
He hand-printed these sweet words on the back of it ~
"To My Dearest Mom Merry Christmas!  Love, Austin xxxooo"
It has a prominent spot on our tree.  I'm a mixture of emotions over it.
And, through it all, the Lord is good.  So very, very good!

This is just one of the many ways I am missing him.
All that he has done is all he will ever do ~ here.
I miss what will never be this side of eternity.  I miss him.

We are planning to be home this Christmas season.
There are many things on the calendar ~ too many?
Our front door threatens to be worn out with all the
comings and goings ~ but, it is good.  And, we are thankful.

There are many voices out there vying for your attention.
I like to take mine out of the mix especially at this time of year.
Quiet reflection is hard to come by at the best of times.
But, at Christmas?  It's nearly impossible.

So, I leave you with these precious verses from the Word of God
to ponder in your hearts at this wonderful time of year.
It really is all about Him!

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins."  Matthew 1:21

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life;
no man cometh to the Father, but by me."  John 14:6

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; 
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."  John 6:37



May the Lord bless you each with His peace and presence now and always.
May He continually be your all in all.  Your everything.
May you follow wherever he leads.  For all your days.
Until He calls you from this world into the next.

He is faithful.  And, He is good.  Rest in Him.

My plan is to take the next couple of weeks off from blogging.
I hope to catch up with you all early in the New Year, Lord-willing.
If you should choose to leave a comment here it will not appear until then.
Thank you for always being so understanding of these breaks I take.
Y'all bless my heart and make me smile.  Truly.

 Merry Christmas from our Home to Yours!
Much Love, Camille

17 comments:

Angela said...

I know you won't see this till the New Year but I want you to know that I am praying for you and your family this Christmas season. May God be your strength, your hope and your comfort. I wish you a wonderful time of celebration.

Sharon said...

Dear Camille,
You and your family are always in my heart and prayers. You are such a light in this dark world with your love and devotion to Jesus, thank you!
I pray that the Lord would bless you, Howie, Calvin, Frasier and Emma this Christmas (and always!), and that you would reflect on Him (which I know you will :)).
I look forward to catching up and reading about your trip, how exciting!
I love you!
Hugs,
Sharon

Sharon said...

PS: Your blog looks great! :)

Melissa said...

Merry Christmas, Camille. May the Lord bless you and your family this season.

Patty said...

Have a wonderful Merry Christmas!

Jill said...

Merry Christmas my dear friend and a very happy, healthy, blessed new year!

Hugs,
Jill

Esther said...

Tears and prayers for your family dear Camille!! You gave me shivers when you said Austin will never die again! What a wonderful truth!! Rejoicing with you in this thought and grieving with you in missing him now and always. Your family is in our thoughts and our prayers!! Love you!! XOXO

Chelle said...

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas. I will pray for you during this time. I am sure it is hard. Your house looks lovely all for Christmas. Blessings to ya'll!!!

Barbara said...

Let us celebrate the gift God give us, the lord Jesus Christ.. Merry Christmas and may God bless you real good, best gift I ever received was from God, his only begotten son Jesus Christ, my Saviour and the one who took my sin away.

Heather said...

Camille, dear one: I just popped onto my blog to "think" about writing again when I saw your comment about missing me :) Thank you for caring. I definitely miss stopping by here and writing on my own blog. It's been a very busy few months. I love this last post of yours and, of course, within reading the first line, I was in tears. I'm thankful for the emotional response I have each time I visit here. I feel connected to you and your family through our sisterhood in Christ and through friendship. I think they are one in the same though ;)
Praying for your Christmas to be peaceful and lighthearted and lovely. I know you won't read this until January but know that I'm praying for you.

Love,
Heather
xo

Lisa said...

Camille, I have been thinking of your family all week, and missing you terribly. Last December was so special for us, and we feel so grateful that we got to spend that time with you! Praying that you will have a wonderful Christmas!! Our thoughts and prayers are with you!! Much love, xoxo

Nadine said...

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

Merry Christmas! That Christmas ornament Austin made is such a treasure. How precious those gifts must be, especially now. My heart and prayers are going out to your family today. Love and hugs to you all! Jackie

Maryann said...

Will be praying for you friend

Camille said...

Dear Angela ~ You bless my heart. Thank you! I trust your Christmas was a lovely one as well. Hugs. :)

Dear Sharon ~ How wonderful it is to see your smiling face here on my blog...I am thankful for you! You are a sweet blessing to me in this here blog-world. Thank you for your sweet P.S. as well. Hugs to you. :)

Dear Melissa ~ Thank you so much my friend. May the Lord bless you and your family, too! :)

Dear Patty ~ Thank you, sweet friend. Hugs to you! :)

Dear Jill ~ Thank you so much! May your 2015 be filled with blessings. Many hugs. :)

Dear Esther ~ Love you and miss you, my friend. Thank you SO much for praying for us...we so appreciate you all. Hugs all around!! :)

Dear Chelle ~ Thank you for your kind words...you bless my heart. May the Lord bless you and yours in this coming year. Hugs. :)

Dear Barbara ~ Oh, yes...how precious HE is!! Hugs to you. :)

Dear Heather ~ I am thankful for your friendship...and for your prayers! Thank you for being a sweet blessing to my heart. I know you have been very busy...and for good reason. What a blessing you are to those little (and not so little) people in your life. Hugs across the miles! :)

Dear Lisa ~ We have often thought of our special time with you all as well...what a precious gift it was! The Lord is so very good to us, isn't He? Many hugs to all of you. Perhaps this is the year you will come here? :)

Dear Nadine ~ Thank you so much, sweet friend. I am sure yours was very special with your newest little family member...what a blessing!! Hugs. :)

Dear Jackie ~ How wonderful it is to know that the Lord's people pray for us...we are blessed beyond measure. Thank you so much for encouraging my heart and being a faithful friend. So excited for you as you anticipate the birth of your newest little family member this year. Hugs to you! :)

Dear Maryann ~ Thank you SO much! You bless my heart. Hugs to you. :)

With Love,
Camille

Pam said...

What a precious post Camille. All of it so bittersweet.
I hope that your Christmas was a very special one this year. Have a wonderful New Year.
Love and Blessings,
Pam

Camille said...

Dear Pam ~ Yes, my friend...bittersweet. The Lord truly is so very good to us, isn't He? He carries His people along...we can testify to the truth of that. Happy New Year to you and yours! Hugs, Camille