A Christmas Surprise

A few days before Christmas, secrets began to stir in the Brown house. Secret phone calls, secret conversations, secret trips to secret places. Of course, I was not invited to be a part of any of these secret happenings, for they all revolved around my Christmas present.

It is known that Sarah is not the best at keeping secrets, so naturally I attacked her first. I bombarded her with questions: "Why was Peter calling you?" "Just tell me yes or no if I'm going to be surprised." "Can you just give me a hint?!" Oh but even she let me down...she kept the secret!

Christmas Eve came quickly. After spending time at the family gathering, Peter and I joined the rest of my family at our Christmas Eve service. Taking communion that night, I remembered all of the loved ones that I had left behind in Kenya, knowing that they too were celebrating this special day.

The service ended and we drove home. Literally as we stepped in the door, I heard a chorus of "I'm going to bed!" from everyone! Mom, Dad, Sarah and Nana gave me hugs and shuffled off to their rooms. Strange...I thought to myself...

So there Peter and I were, talking about the last Christmas we had spent together, two years ago. He asked if I'd like to read a story, so we went over by the Christmas tree and pulled out "The Night Before Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!" came right as the clock struck midnight. Then, Peter told me that in his family, they had a tradition where they could open one present on Christmas Eve...and he really wanted me to open his present. I picked up the box and began to unwrap it as slowly as possible...I don't really know why...but that's what I did! I kept asking him, "Are you sure you want me to do this?" and he would say "YES" very seriously.

I finally got the box open, and he told me to stop. Then, he explained how the past two years we spent together had been really special to him, so he tried really hard to find a present that would embody all of that emotion. I smiled, because I knew what was coming!

I carefully folded back the tissue paper to find a little, blue box. Peter stopped me again, saying "This part's a little complicated so I have to do the rest."

The next few seconds were a blur. I remember that Peter kind of got down on a knee, and sat back on the couch. He said something else...but neither of us can remember what that was :) The next thing I knew, he was back down on his knee, asking "Would you spend the rest of your life with me?"

And I said, "Of course!!!!!"

It was a beautiful Christmas, and I am so thankful that I was able to spend so much time with my family. Now, as I get back into the swing of things at work, I try to remember those peaceful moments I spent playing in the snow with my sister and my mom. I remember the feeling I had as I saw my family for the first time coming home from Kenya. Looking further back, I remember the road in Gatundu, recalling how much I enjoyed just walking from town with Shurie. It is my prayer that God would protect all of the good memories of our pasts, so that we may be able to live fully in the present.

Happy 2010 to you all, and God bless you always.