December is special to me for many reasons. Not only do I get to celebrate Christ’s birth, I get to celebrate my firstborn son’s birthday. Kyle only spent two birthdays on earth with us before he died but we still celebrate his birth every year. If you have read “Birth in Remembrance of Him” in the Gift of Giving Life then you are familiar with his birth story. His birth will always be very special to me. He came just days before Christmas surprising us on a starry night. No hospital, no midwife, just me, my husband and a newborn baby in a tiny little room. I felt a special kinship with Mary, Joseph and the precious Baby Jesus. I will always treasure that night.
How does one celebrate an angel birthday? I don’t think there is a right way to do it. We started by releasing balloons for each year old he would be. We each write a message on the balloon and release it into the sky. As the years pass, the number of balloons has grown so we are looking to change things around a bit. We will likely continue to open a gift from Kyle. It is usually a Christmas book or other classic children’s book. We have also donated a book to our local library because Kyle loved books so much.
This year I decided to give Kyle a gift. It was early because I gave it to him on Fast Sunday. As I have blogged about before, I moved this past year. In my old ward, I often shared my testimony. It was not unusual for there to be lots of pauses which made it easier for me to get up. The new ward has a line waiting every fast Sunday so if you want to get up you have to get up early and get into the line up. I also felt a little more nervous to get up in this new ward. And there is always the challenge of keeping the toddler happy while you go wait your turn. While she was distracted with the cute boys behind her I snuck to the stand and waited my turn. And then the bonus, my four year old followed me. I admit to feeling like my thoughts were scattered but what I do know is,
“Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you.” Doctrine and Covenants 62:3
My belief is that my angel, Kyle, will read it. It is my gift to him. And that is the glue that will bind us together forever as a family, Christ. Our living testimonies of Him. I also realized after finally getting up was that I could keep giving that gift to him. So I have shared my testimony in my primary class, Family Home Evening, on my Facebook page, Instagram account and blog. And now you get to hear it too.
I do know that Christ lives. He is my Light. He brings me hope as I seek repentance and forgiveness. He has the power to save. He leads and guides His living church through a living prophet of God on the earth. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God as is the Bible. My heart rejoices in their power. I know that it is because of the Savior that my family can be together forever. This is not wishful thinking. This is eternal truth. I bear witness to it. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I loved hearing your testimony. It was very nice! Thanks for sharing.
I am so thankful for your righteous example, and your spiritual strength. You are beautiful inside and out, but the most beautiful part is your testimony. That scripture is one of my very favorites. I remember the first angelI knew that I connected that to. It was right after Grandpa Joe passed away. It felt really good to know he was smiling down on me and rejoicing in my testimony. Now that good feeling is multiplied as that angel list as changed 🙂