Lake Deaton at Home

Writer’s Name:  Linda Stubits

Writer’s Position:  Finance Coordinator

Assigned Text:  Psalm 96

Word of the Week: Joy

When I was about 5 years old, my father’s business burned down.  My parents sat my three sisters and me down and explained that there were going to have to be some changes in our household.  They said there would be no Christmas presents that year.  In addition, my mother was going to have to go back to work as a school teacher until they got back on their feet. 

Needless to say, we were crushed.  No Christmas presents!!! The four of us moped around for weeks. Christmas morning came and, lo and behold, there was a brand-new record player for my youngest sister and me. 

About a year later, Teresa noticed that the cover of the record player was peeling, so we pulled it back and, to our astonishment, there was my older sister’s Howdy Doody Record Player.  My parents had covered it with contact paper and given it to Teresa and me for Christmas. We did not know what to do or say, so we went to Mom.  She sat us down and explained that she and my two older sisters wanted us to have something to open Christmas morning, so they gave us their record player. They had all worked on covering it to make it look new. 

As the four of us sat down last year after Mom passed away to write her eulogy, we asked each other what was one of our most memorable events.  Teresa and I both blurted out, “the record player.”  As I look back, I now realize how much it meant to my parents and two older sisters to make sure we had something for Christmas, even if it meant giving up something of their own.  This selfless act to make my sister and me happy was just another way of strengthening our family bond.

Daily Prayer: Lord Father, please give us strength and guidance to extend Joy to those in need. Amen 

Discussion/Reflections Questions:

1. To what extent would you go to make someone happy?
2. How does bringing joy to someone make you feel?