Home for the Holidays (or not)

This was our first Christmas without family.  All season long I had been so busy that I hadn't really had a chance to think about it.  I was sad that we weren't going to be with family, but still upbeat about this time of year and all the merriment in brings.  Then came the time to pick up a few last minute items from the grocery store.  I got there at 9am on Christmas Eve day and the parking lot was already packed.  I pulled the kids out of the car (Adam was working) and made my way into the store.  I go to the grocery store all the time.  Because I'm a stay at home mom, and I make my trips during the day it's always the same type of people there...elderly men who pull coins out of Charlotte's ear or other moms with kids wearing construction paper and feather hats on their heads.  These people are not at the store on Christmas Eve day, and I was not prepared.  I saw grown men there with their teenage sons,  moms with their children that must be home from college, grandpas and grandmas with their preschool aged grandchildren, brothers and sisters who ran to the store for mom to grab some last minute forgotten item.  All of a sudden, will all these people around me I realized I was very alone.  My family that I usually spend Christmas with was in Georgia and Texas (and California and Nevada).  I quickly ran my items through the self-check line.  I fought back tears as I loaded my car with kids and food and felt quite successful for keeping my emotions in check.  Unfortunately music got the best of me.  "I'll be home for Christmas" started playing on the radio on the drive home, and I couldn't hold the tears back any longer.  Upon arrive home, I thought about how even though I'm not with all of my family for Christmas, I'm at least not completely alone either.  My hubby and children are lots of fun.  Then my thoughts turned to those who are alone, and I immediately panicked as I wondered if the missionaries in our ward had a place to go.  So I called them to invite them over.  They informed me that they already had plans that evening to go caroling, but would love to stop by our place.  Around five that evening, eight missionaries showed up at our door.  We invited them in to hear them sing.  I was not prepared as they began to sing, "Away in a manger, no crib for a bed."  These eight boys away from their families at this Christmas season sang with power and love.  Their voices blended perfectly as they sang 2 or 3 different parts, and I felt as though I was listening to an ensemble that diligently practices.  Most importantly though, they filled our home with the spirit of Christ!  It was all there...love, peace, joy!  It was a Christmas Eve tradition growing up in my family to sing Christmas hymns by the light of the Christmas tree.  I always cherished that time with my family.  As the missionaries closed with singing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" we joined in. Although I wasn't singing with my parents and brothers, the light and warmth of Christ filled my heart and eased my loneliness.  I'm so grateful for those young men and the sacrifice that they're making in spending the holidays away from their families, and the service they were able to provide to me by doing so.