A Christmas to Remember

I will always remember this past Christmas. Forever it will stand alone in my memory of my father, Gordon C. Facer, also known to me as the greatest man who ever lived.

Dad’s wife had chosen this Christmas to travel out to Arizona to spend the holiday with her son and family. Dad elected to stay home and spend the time with my sister and me. He attended Christmas Eve service with her and spent most of Christmas day with both of our families. It was a warm, loving day with a great feeling of closeness and relaxation that I had not felt in a very long time.
Later that night we all went to a friend’s home for Christmas dinner. It was a nice evening that included dancing with Dad. At the end of the evening, Dad met with fate; he slipped on black ice and broke his hip. Dad was hospitalized, but he was a very good sport about his injury. He was released four days later to recuperate at home.

A week after he had returned home, I visited him on a quiet Saturday afternoon. Dad was reflective; he tried not to focus on his injury but to be a good loving dad to his daughter. He surprised me with a few things. He first pulled out a stack of books from my childhood. These included classics such as Robinson Crusoe, Black Beauty, and of course, my favorite, Uncle Remus. Dad regaled us, using his delightful squeaky storytelling voice, and made us laugh about the Tar Baby, our favorite story. He then handed over a framed collage of pictures taken of my mother, who passed away eight years ago. He closely examined treasured photographs, told of his recollections and memories.

Dad saved the best for last. He asked his wife to hand over a small gold bag with white tissue paper flowing from the top. I opened the tissue paper to discover a wonderful surprise: my Holy Bible that was a gift to me from his mother, 39 years ago. Inside was a postcard to me where Dad had written a message recounting the events of the past days, noting, “This is a Christmas to Remember.” He also wrote: “This is the Christmas we found Patty’s Bible — lost for many years.”

The following morning Dad had a dizzy spell that put him back into the hospital for observation for two days. He was due to be released from the hospital at 10 a.m., but delays occurred. At 4 p.m., while in his hospital room, Dad suffered a pulmonary embolism and was resuscitated.

I reached out in faith and prayed, along with the family, and the family of the Church of the Good Shepherd. I offered myself in prayer that I believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God and almighty healer of all. I prayed for healing; I prayed for Dad to be lifted up into his loving arms. I prayed for the strength to abide by God’s wishes during this very difficult period for all.

In contrast to the total feeling of despair that I experienced at the time of my late mother’s passing, I thank God for his grace and compassion and gift of my church community. In reflection, I realize that God embraced my Dad in a very special way in providing him the tools to reach out and touch me with this precious gift.

— Patty Icke