I am often amazed when I take in hand my daily devotional books, “The Upper Room” and “Streams in the Desert.” Sometimes I read a message that appears to address me exclusively. Other times, scriptures I have read repeatedly jump out at me, expressing something I had never quite grasped before. At times, I find myself sitting there, nodding my head in agreement with the writer.

Once when I turned to “The Upper Room,” the devotional for that day referred to gifts from God. The writer said the times she and her late husband had spent enjoying their truck and camper was a gift of God. I identified with her because my husband and I enjoyed our camping adventures. I looked forward to our camping trips and worked had preparing for them. We were always thankful to be “On the Road Again,” as Willie Nelson so aptly put it.

That day after I read the devotional, the writer’s words kept coming back to me. Many times we experienced a day that I did not want to end, a time when I treasured every second. I often looked back, remembering the times we spent at Tannehill Historic State Park at dulcimer festivals. Yes, the writer had nailed it—what else were those fleeting seconds, those precious fleeting hours of happiness than God’s special gift to us?

Reminders of other gifts floated into my consciousness. I will never forget the day my children and I stepped into my husband’s waiting arms following our ten-day journey across the sea and a long train ride to join him at his post in Germany. What else was that but a gift of God?

I recall many others, like the day we four set foot back on U.S. soil; the time our youngest grandson, an infant, slept peacefully in a cardboard box on the beach while the rest of us fished; a summer morning when my granddaughter and I took a lazy walk down a dusty road. Another treasured day was when we introduced our daughter, granddaughter, and oldest grandson to our favorite retreat in North Carolina. Another memorable time was when my mother came home from the hospital following a stroke. She was just in time to join our family around the Christmas tree.

I treasure so many Christmas gifts of God. I hope I’ll never forget the way our daughter looked adoringly at a doll Santa left her; the sparkle in our son’s eyes upon finding his tricycle under the tree; my mother’s beautifully spread tables resplendent with Christmas dishes and delectable food; the look of contentment on my daddy’s face as he watched everyone gathered around the tree; the worshipful attitude that enveloped us all as we paused to hear the familiar scriptures on Christmas Eve. There are too many to count and name. God’s gifts have just kept on coming.

Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you recognize and enjoy your many gifts of God during this glorious season.