Memories Of Christmas Past

I realize that it's still late summer and that Christmas is a few months away but I was visited by the memories of Christmas past, this week.

I spent a couple of hours copying a program of Christmas music I made 10 years ago in December 1999. It was another of my Rewind Christmas programs. For those of you not familiar with my Rewind programs let me explain.

Rock & Roll Rewind is a series of programs I wrote and recorded for over the course of about 10 years. They feature music about specific subjects (one hit wonders or instrumental hits for example) which link together through narration. Out of 37 programs 5 of them featured Christmas music.

The Christmas program I recorded in 1999 was significant because of all the changes in my life that year. I realized that at the time I recorded it because I made a statement to that fact at the start of the tape. I chose the subtitle: Christmas In Kentucky because it was the first holiday season I was living in the bluegrass state.

In addition to spending my first Christmas with Paula and her family in Kentucky; it was the first time in my life I wouldn't be with my family in Pennsylvania on Christmas day. Also it was the first holiday season since the death of my father. It was a year of events that changed everything and this Rewind Christmas show would address those changes.

I know it's rather self indulgent for me to be writing about this but hearing this Rewind show again 10 years later really touched my heart. The script recalled the family tradition of decorating my parent's house and the music that we played every year. I remembered my father by celebrating all the things he loved about the holidays. I acknowledged and recounted one of the best Christmas days in our family history; Christmas 1997. That was the day that Olyvia Rose Nunez was born.

In the preshow statement I mentioned before I expressed a hope that, in the future, when anyone heard the show they would remember and compare. Remember the people and the days which I endeavoured to honor through words and music. Compare where they are now to where they were in 1999 and see how far they've come

While recording the tape I participated in both of those actions. In the end I realized how much I still miss both my parents. I also found myself grateful to God for the way he has guided and grown me over the past 10 years. In my case, as I look back at the my life in Kentucky over this past decade I overwhelmingly see the hand of God on my life.

I am so thankful that He brought me back to Him. He loves and cares for me and has blessed me in ways I could never ever imagined 10 years ago. He helps me every day and is working in my life to make me into someone who can bring glory to His name.

Christmas is always a sentimental time of the year. The "Rewind: Christmas In Kentucky" program preserved the sentiment of Christmas 1999. Listening to it once again has given me a renewed assurance of God's faithfulness as I face the future.