In This Issue

About Babies
     A Special Story
Behind The Childbirth Professional
     The Secret Power ~ Part Five
Ask the Professional
     What is Herpes Simplex 2?
Charis Cuisine
     Quick Yummy Soups
Kids Korner
     Ten Talents
Letters To The Editor
     Comments From Our Readers
Our Charis Family
     Dawn Jones
Tidbits from Ebony
    He Brings the Nation To Us
Adventures in Madagascar
     Pictures

Newsletter Archives ~
Aug.  2006 Sept.  2006 Oct.  2006 Nov.  2006 Dec. 2006 Jan. 2007
Feb. 2007 Mar. 2007 Apr. 2007 May 2007 Jun. 2007 July 2007
Aug. 2007 Sept. 2007 Oct. 2007 Nov. 2007

Updates

Job Opportunity

Charis Childbirth Services is currently seeking an individual with experience in fundraising and non-profit organizations to serve as part-time fundraising coordinator. If you are interested in interviewing for this position, please send your resume to or 149 Business Park Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23462, attn: Charis Administration.

Our Newsletter

Charis thanks you for your contributions to our growing newsletter.   Post your  Charis  workshops and gatherings,   submit  questions you  would  like  professionals to answer and announce your baby's    births.      Share your thoughts  and  comments   in   our  "Letters  To  The  Editor" section.  Editorials, such as "Ask The Professional", are areas where many points of view can be reflected.  Share your opinions and ideas as well.

Submissions   should  be  made by  the 5th of each month for that month's publication.

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Our Director's Heart

Joel, Kristin, Eric, Rose, Todd and Joy Schuchmann

The Grandest of Celebrations

Greetings, Charis Family!!!

I love this time of year! Some of my fondest memories are of family Christmas celebrations. My mother always makes holidays extra special. She decorates our home for every occasion, which makes even relatively unimportant events seem like grand occasions. Even though she goes all out for all holidays, every single one of them pales in comparison to Christmas. It isn’t just a day, but an entire month or more of celebration! It starts the day after Thanksgiving and lasts through the beginning of January. She even celebrates Christmas whenever it snows!

When we were kids, Dad would take us out on a cold evening to pick out just the right Christmas tree that would fill the house with the smell of fresh cut pine. Mom always put tons of tinsel on the tree that made the entire thing twinkle. It made me feel so special that she would, every year, put a particular ornament on the tree that I made out of a mason jar lid and glitter with a picture of me in the middle. (One can still find that ornament in a place of honor on her tree even now that I’m all grown up!)

I remember the aroma of cookies baking all season long, going Christmas caroling, fires burning in the fireplace, putting on our Christmas records and singing along in front of the stereo (which back then was a huge piece of furniture). Just thinking about those sounds and smells puts a smile on my face today!

Back then, Christmas Eve was spent at church. There was an early service geared toward children where everyone would ring bells and sing Christmas Carols. Then there was a late candlelight service that ended at midnight. From the viewpoint of a child, it felt like Jesus was right there with us in an even more special way than usual as we sang all the verses of “Silent Night” by candlelight. I would think to myself that He must like it when we honor Him that way.

My sister and I would often sleep in my room on Christmas Eve. Any other night of the year, we couldn’t have done it. One or both of us would not have survived. You see, Michelle and I are opposites in many ways. She had to have the lights on to go to sleep and I needed it completely dark. She decided, however, that On Christmas Eve it was lighter even with the lights off, so we tried hard not to kick each other or pull blankets and we did OK. It was great sister bonding.

Mom always prayed that it would snow on Christmas, but I prayed that the weather would be good for playing outside in case I got a new bike or something like that. Most of the time God answered my prayer, but I think there were several snow flurries a few times sent especially for Mom. December in Virginia Beach is just not usually very cold. (She still prays for snow, but I don’t think it will snow while she is here visiting us in Florida this Christmas.)

On Christmas Day, our friends and extended family would get together to exchange gifts and eat all kinds of delicious food. The kids would play or listen to stories told by the adults. The adults would just talk and enjoy each other’s company. I especially loved going to Nannie and Grandaddy’s house. They had a way of making their grandchildren feel like the most important people in the world. Although they are no longer with us, just remembering how they believed in me and encouraged me causes my confidence to grow even more. (Grandparents, don’t underestimate the impact you can have on your grandchildren!)

Once Christmas ended, my sister and I would wait in anticipation for the next one, for it was sure to be fabulous!

The reason we celebrated so big was that there was something BIG to celebrate! No matter what we were doing, my parents made it clear that the reason we were celebrating was because God came to earth as a man so that we could spend eternity with Him. Really, we celebrated Christmas in light of resurrection day, Easter! There’s nothing else more worthy of a Grand Celebration!

My prayer for you this season is that as you celebrate Christmas with your families, you will remember the big reason we celebrate and that you will celebrate big! Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is certainly worthy of the grandest of celebrations!!!

Merry Christmas with love,

Kristin
 

The information in this newsletter is for educational purposes only and is not intended to take the place of medical care and advice from your health care provider.