This will be the first Christmas without my mom. She passed away in April this year from stage five kidney failure. Mom lived with me and my family for almost twenty years. She came to visit and help out when I was just about to give birth to my youngest daughter, Reili, and she never left. That was twenty years ago!
That first Christmas after Reili was born my husband got really sick with a bad cold. I tried everything to keep my two week old baby from getting sick too. Every time he moved from the couch, chair, bed, whatever, I sprayed Lysol. I washed the bedding, throws, towels, etc. almost daily. None of this helped. Not only did Reili get sick but my mom did too. They both ended up in the hospital just before New Years Eve. Reili was on the 2nd floor and my mom was on the 5th. Reili was diagnosed with RSV (respiratory virus) and mom with pneumonia.
When my mom came down, she was in the middle of trying to sale her home in Ohio and planned to move to WV near my brothers. After she got sick, my husband suggested that she just move in with us so she could help take care of Reili. I asked him if he was crazy! I loved my mom dearly but after a few days she would start getting on my last nerve. But, he made a good argument so we built on a room for her with the sale of her house.
Having mom live with us the past twenty years had their ups and downs, some better than others, but it worked, especially for Reili. Mom and her had a special bond. Mom was with Reili all of her young life. She was her confidant, biggest spoiler, and best friend.
Over the years, I started collecting Christmas ornaments that I felt reflected each family member and what they were interested in at the time. Mom 
enjoyed playing bingo, loved God, and made the best biscuits around. Through the years she lived with us, I was lucky enough to find ornaments that embodied her very essence.
I have many special memories with my mom but one in particular occurred every year when we put up our Christmas tree. Mom would sit in the chair closest to the tree, carefully unwrap the many years worth of ornaments, and hand them to me and the kids to hang up. This year was the first year in twenty years she wasn’t there to help and repeatedly tell me where I missed a spot on the tree.
I t
ruly feel that although mom is no longer living with us, her presence is and always will be in our hearts and special memories. Her direction can still be heard through every step of decorating our Christmas tree. Her words are with us whispering how to put the love in her homemade biscuits. A
nd every time we see a bingo dobber we can imagine her carefully studying her multitude of bingo cards anxiously praying for a winning BINGO!