Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Jenni Sebora Column – 12/09/13



Thanksgiving has come and gone, but the season for gratitude hasn’t – that is what I truly love about Thanksgiving – family, food, and friends gathering together to enjoy traditions, old and new. Blessings. Gratitude for what we have. These are the true sentiments of this holiday season.

I was thinking about this as I was contemplating our upcoming holiday family gatherings. This will be the first Christmas without my dear sister, Kathy. She always put such special thought and love into everything she did. This is what I will miss the most about the holidays.

As I was decorating for the holidays and putting out my various Christmas trinkets and hanging lights, I thought of how my sister would sincerely comment on specific details of my decorating labors. She showed genuine acknowledgement and gratitude for the effort I put into creating a warm and cozy Christmas home.

Her kind words remain with me and always will. Blessings.

My sister also played Santa. She brought gifts for everyone, but they were always from “Santa.”

It was fun to open these Santa gifts to see what wonderfully practical gift she gave each one of us – a new type of cleaning product, or a neat kitchen utensil I would never have thought of getting myself, but am so glad that I got it. The fun was in the anticipation of what newly-found gadget she found for each of us. Memories.

Each present was beautifully-wrapped with foil paper and handmade bows that she created. Her wrapping was an art form, which truly was to be admired. The package itself was such a wonderful gift. Each was wrapped with love and thoughtfulness that she poured into each gift and wrapping for each person. Love.

So, as there will be an empty spot at the kitchen table where she always sat, the memories we created with her presence will always be such a major part of our family gatherings. That, itself, is magical, and that is what Christmas should be about. Creating memories that will always remain.

May each of your families create such memories. For those of you who are celebrating the holidays without someone you love, may the memories that were created with your loved one live on in your gatherings and with you. They are blessings.








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