A True Christmas Story

    I was 9 years old when I experienced the most frightening moment of my young life.  Our family car was stuck in a snow drift late on a dark, freezing night along with my brother, sister, mom, dad, and my baby brother.   Our family had left home in Chattanooga early that day to visit my granny, my dad’s mother, in Nashville for Christmas.  

    We left her house late in the afternoon to make the two-hour trip to Elkwood section road in Madison County, Alabama to visit my mother’s family.  I was so excited to see Maw maw, paw paw, cousins, aunts and uncles.  

    As we traveled south out of Nashville toward Alabama snow started to fall.  Big flakes piled up until the snow covered the road and the fields around us.   Dad pushed on.   He said this ain’t nothing because he had driven in deeper snow in Michigan.    Dad had spent one winter in Michigan when he had left Alabama to find work in the automobile factories of Detroit along with many other southern boys looking for work after WW II.  

    Darkness brought a greater sense of fear and danger.  We were the only car on the road by now. The snow was so deep it was piling up in front of the car and pushing up through the floorboards. Finally, the car was stuck in the deep drifts of snow on the road.  Dad turned off the engine; complete silence and dark.  I looked out the window to see snow as far as I could see.  No lights and no sounds except the howling of the cold wind blowing the snow into drifts.  Panic came over me. There was no way out.  

    Dad said he was going to find help.  So he trudged off in the knee-deep snow leaving my mother and us kids alone in the dark; cold, helpless and hopelessly stuck.  Mother tried to be cheerful by singing Christmas carols.  I was not in a singing mood.  I was simply scared.  Tears formed in my eyes so I looked out to the snow so no one would notice.  

    After what seemed like hours, we could see lights coming towards us.  The door opened and there was my favorite uncle, Wayne, mother’s brother.  Tall and athletic he had turned down a college basketball scholarship to be the police chief of Ardmore.  He picked me up  and put me on his shoulders and started trudging through the snow.  Three of my other uncles, husbands of my mom’s sisters, did the same with my brothers and sister.  

    Soon, I saw maw maw and paw paw’s house on the hill.  The house was bright with Christmas lights and I could see the Christmas tree through the window.  The door opened and there was maw maw and paw paw with all my cousins running to greet me.  The house was warm with love and relatives.  Paw paw pulled me in his lap and said, “Why are you crying?  You don’t have to be afraid any more.”  He wiped the tears from my eyes and said, “I’ve been waiting for you.  I am so happy to see you.”  I was safe. I was home.  Just a few minutes ago we had gone as far as we could go but Uncle Wayne had come all the way to where I was stuck, picked me up and carried me home.  

    What does Christmas mean?  When we had gone as far as we could go, God sent his only son to where we were hopelessly stuck.  He picked us up and is carrying us home.  One day we will reach the father’s house.  He will welcome us home saying, “I’ve been waiting for you.  I am so glad you are here”. All those people we have loved will also be there to welcome us.   And we will rest in his arms.  He will wipe every tear from our eyes.  No more crying, no more pain.   You are home. 

In His Service,

-Milan