merry christmas
We pray that your Christmas was filled with abundant reminders of God's great love and faithfulness to us. Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but along with it comes many mixed emotions...especially as we send out our Christmas cards. Our family picture represents the life that God has entrusted to us this year...not one, but two sweet boys. We love those boys so much and feel incredibly blessed to be their parents. But when we look at our family picture we cannot help but be reminded of a huge hole. A hole that our daughter Cora left behind. A hole that forever makes our family feel incomplete. We are so thankful that Christmas is about more than pretty decorations, presents, fun traditions, or even a "complete" family Christmas card. We celebrate because Christmas is the time God kept his promise to send a Savior. It is amazing to think that God sent his Son to the earth as a tiny baby to save us...to save me. What an incredible truth to celebrate. A truth that assures us that because of that tiny baby in the manger and His death on the cross for us, we can have a personal relationship with Him. And we can look forward in great anticipation to the day we will stand "complete" before our Heavenly Father. A solid truth and HOPE that we can live by.
This little blog has been an unexpected blessing. Thank you for reading. Thank you for crying and laughing along with us. Thank you for praying for us and encouraging us along this life journey. We are so grateful for each one of you. We thank God for all that 2011 held and look forward to seeing what God has planned for our family in 2012.
Merry Christmas!
Love, The Macs
posted by the mcclenahans @ 12:18 AM
31 Comments:
God Bless you Jess. Never forget just how many lives that Cora has touched and changed for the better. Happy Christmas from hot and humid Brisbane, Australia. Michelle xxxx
well thank you to you for your words, your encouragement, your life lessons and everything you share with us. I can't wait to see what 2012 will be made of. Merry Christmas from France dear Jess!
What a sweet post.
I do enjoy reading your blog.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful 2012!!!
Adorable family photo of you guys.
Such poignant words, Jess. You write so incredibly well and I feel closer to our Savior just by reading your words. I hope you and your precious family had a very merry Christmas and I wish you the absolute best in 2012. With love, Laura D
I always appreciate your faith and love in the Savior and your wise words from someone who has had to go through a great loss. You are right!! He makes it so that we can bear our burdens, look to the future, share our love with others, and know that He watches over us. Cora will always be a part of your lives. Remember....the love never ends. I pray for you and your family, your husband, and your boys that 2012 will be a great year. Mary from SLC Utah
I love reading your blog..love reading about your beautiful family, love watching your beautiful boys grow.. Thank you yor letting me be a part of your life. <3
Yes, Cora is missing from the photos, that is heartwrenching,yet every photo you post of your sons, I do think of her, her place in your family: First born, beloved daughter. Your family may feel incomplete, yet somehow every photo is completed with her memory. Gratefully you are promised eternity with her. You have such a gift with words.
MJ
Aww blessings to your family! Merry {belated} Christmas!
Love your family photo. Levi looks especially adorable!
~Melisa
I love your blog and reading about your sweet family. You are such an encouragement to me! Merry Christmas to all of you from Tennessee!
Jess, I need to thank you for your beautiful inspiration to me. I started reading your blog when Cora was first sick. I prayed with you, begged for her healing with you and cried with you when she left. Your walk through the valley was tremendously helpful as I walked through the death of my husband. Your faith has touched mine and I now press more deeply into the Lord than ever before. I would much rather that you have your beautiful daughter in your family photo, but please know that your journey has touched so very many others in life-chaning ways. Happy New Year to a wonderful family!
I have a very good friend I met in an infant loss group. She lost a little girl. She now has two beautiful children. Every Christmas card, her kids hold a pink balloon as a reminder of their angel in heaven.
May God continue to bless you in 2012.
Beautiful family pic! Levi looks like daddy and Griffin like mama! Hope your Christmas was blessed! Reading your blog has certainly blessed my life!
Merry Christmas dear Jess. You are a precious part of my weeks. Thank you.
Happy holidays! Loved getting the Christmas card from you!
I wanted to tell you Thank you too! Even though we dont see each other often...... you continue to be so special in our hearts! We were just talking about Cora and the boys the other day! Your words....wisdom .......and love have given so much back to those that cherish you and your family! Happy 2012 and we miss you! Take care always!
Happy New Year to your sweet family.
Merry Christmas, Jess! I so enjoy your blog! Reading about your awesome faith makes it even better! Also, thanks for getting back to me about the camera lens. I plan on starting with the 50mm you mentioned! Can't wait to try it out :) Happy New Year!
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merry christmas to the macs :) I've loved following your blog over the years. thank you so much for sharing your life and what God has been teaching you! your family is a beautiful picture of love and hope. sweet cora is remembered and her impact is felt by so many of us. merry christmas to your sweet family :)
Thank you for always being so focused on the true meaning of it all -- for being positive and hopeful in the face of despair and for reminding us that with His love we can endure more than we can imagine or would necessarily choose for ourselves. I love your blog because it is always such a testament to God's abundant grace.
Merry Christmas! What a sweet Card. I have always thoroughly enjoyed your blog -- and have been reading it since Cora's passing... I love how candid you always are... Even though I do not know you personally I feel as though I know your heart through your blog posts. Often God will bring you to mind and I will lift you up in prayer! -- After reading the book Heaven is for Real -- I thought about Cora being with Jesus! -- So so precious! -- I love your intimate realationship with Christ and the things He speaks to your heart. Please know what a light you are for the Kingdom. -- I'm proud to call you my Sister. :)
I hope you had a Merry Christmas! I know this probably is a weird question, but I have a son a week younger than yours who loves his pacifier. What kind does your little Griffin use? Just curious!
So happy to be along the ride on your blog-its fun and I love seeing your boys grow. Always praying for you as well!
God's Blessings to you and your sweet family, Jess. I love your blog so much - thank you for writing and sharing your heart and faith with us every day of the year :)
xo - Diane
Luv your Christmas card! Merry (belated) Christmas!
dear jess, your posts are always such a blessing. thanks for being a shining beacon for Jesus. thankful for how He blesses hearts thru your writing. i agree with anonymous that your family pictures are "complete" with cora's memory. she continues to touch lives and hearts. thanks for not sugarcoating but sharing your journey - with its joys and struggles. ((hugs)) & prayers,
Love the family photo, Jess. Your blog has touched many. Happy New Year, Mac Family, from Birmingham, England. Annabel xxx
Love your family photo! I know this may seem random but would you mind sharing what kind of camera you use for your pictures? I know nothing of photography and would like to invest in a nice camera.
I hope your Christmas went wonderful and I'm wishing you a joyous 2012!
A good friend of mine lost her 3 year old (jacksbattle.com) to cancer several years ago. She has since had three more babies. Her Christmas photo always includes a large picture of Jack that one of the other children is holding. It always makes me smile as their family is so beautiful (as is yours) and Jack is still apart of it.
Thank you for your great blog, I can relate to you in lots of ways, we lost a twin son at birth and the holiday's are bittersweet. I just had a rainbow baby girl on Oct. 10 and I have two boys age 3 and 6. Your post remind me of my life. We represent our angel son as a star and we always include a star in our family pictures in someway to include him, I don't know if you would want to do that for Cora or not, but it is something that we do to help us with our healing and including him. Thanks for all that you share in your blog and Godbless you and your family and hope that 2012 is good to you all.
Jaime K. Western, KS
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