My First Christmas in Heaven I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below, with tiny lights like heaven’s stars, reflecting on the snow. The sight is so spectacular. Please wipe away that tear, for I am spending Christmas with Jesus this year. I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear, but the sounds of the music can’t compare with the Christmas choir up here. I have no words to tell you, the joy their voices bring, for it is beyond description to hear the angels sing. I know how much you miss me. I see the pain in your heart, but I am not so far away. We really aren’t apart. So be happy for me dear one. You know I hold you dear, and be glad I’m spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year. I send you each a special gift from my heavenly home above; I send you each a memory of my undying love. After all, “love” is the gift, more precious than pure gold. It was always most important in the stories Jesus told. Please love and keep each other, as my father said to do, for I can count the blessings or love he has for you. So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear, remember I’m spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year. Kasey may not be with us in the flesh, but we know in our hearts, she is with us in spirit. Every Christmas we hang many photos of Kasey’s life on our tree and at the bottom we put white clouds and in those clouds sit every little angel that she gave me through the years. The last one reads, “Thinking of You.” Christmas for Kasey, 2001 was probably her most special one in her life. She really had grown spiritually with her faith and more than ever showed love and caring to her family and friends. As we knew her condition was getting worse and didn’t know if this Christmas would be her last. Well, it turned out to be her last. She had a fantastic one and shared many special times and much laughter. The presents she gave were only symbolic. Kasey gave her love, courage, determination and strong spirit to everyone. She gave everyone around her love, laughter, smiles, but most importantly, she let everyone around her to latch on and feel God’s love, God’s plan, God’s journey that Kasey so bravely succeeded at on her way to heaven. Our first Christmas without Kasey, her friends helped decorate our tree. We took all of her photos and used them for ornaments. The pink roses came from her flowers that we used at her funeral, we had six of them to represent their friendship. The angel on top of the tree came from the girls' big hearts, they gave it to me as a present. Our Christmas tree, the first Christmas without our angel. In photo above you will see young souls with big hearts that came over to help decorate our Christmas tree. Kasey had a ring of girlfriends that were so helpful to her and me and Brian. They worked so hard to have benefits for Kasey to help us all out. These girls will always hold a special place in my heart. They help put many smiles on Kasey’s face and that always warmed my heart. Our last Christmas together, little did I know that the Lord would take her home so soon, but just like every human being, God implanted inside our souls hope and that is one thing besides my faith, that I never let go. I took every second with Kasey by my side as a blessing from above. People would ask me often, “Rebecca, how are you doing?” “I’m hardly sleeping, pneumonia six times, running Didier’s Painting business, being a wife and a mother 24/7.” “How are you doing it?” I told them that Kasey is a part of Jesus Christ and the blessed mother never would say that she is tired or just couldn’t do this anymore, so every night when I laid my head down on that pillow, I thank God for caring me through this day, because at the end of each day, I only seen one set of footprints in the sand. I know that out sweet Jesus was caring me that day. I knew that after all the miracles and that Kasey is still with us, that Brian and I were being tested by God and we wanted to make an A+ on our test. The only way to do that was, to keep smiling and by letting our faith shine and grow even stronger. To all God’s people that would cross our path on this journey of faith. So whenever a trial comes your way, just hit it head on with your faith and God will carry you through.