This afternoon I finally finished with all my Christmas decorations. This is the hand-carved nativity scene that Mom bought on her trip to Israel. I'm not sure exactly when she went, but I think it might have been in the 80's. She went with a church group and I know it meant a lot to her. When we lived together, she spent a long time setting this up... probably because she was reliving the trip and reflecting on the birth of Jesus with each individual piece. And as I took out each piece, I felt close to her and thanked God for her devotion to the Lord.