You Matter to God

By Patricia C Watson

As the Christmas season approached, I prayed and asked God, my heavenly Father, to let me enjoy this time of the year. It was my first Christmas since my mother had gone to her heavenly home. I did not want to be alone, depressed, and sad, for I believe my mother is in heaven, based upon her acceptance of Jesus Christ as her Savior. I believe she would want our family and me to have a happy Christmas.

In this book, I shared some of the events that were part of my Christmas season as God answered my prayer!

All the time, God had His eye on me, teaching me and showing me that He is aware of all things and that He knew my every concern, for I do matter to Him.

I pray these simple stories from my life will help you realize that God knows every detail about you. If you are a born-again Christian, I hope my stories encourage you. If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, please ask Him to save you.

“This book will touch your heart. It shows if we will place our faith and trust in God, that He will supply our every need. Clearly, no matter who we are, or whatever station in life we hold, we all, matter to God.”

—Rev. John M. King, Monroe, Georgia

“Truly encouraging! I could not stop reading!”

—Lois A. Holmquist, Martin, Kentucky

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638148739

Book preview

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You Matter to God

Patricia C Watson

ISBN 978-1-63814-872-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63814-873-9 (Digital)

Copyright © 2021 Patricia C. Watson

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Table of Contents

GETTING READY!

OPEN HOUSE

A SPECIAL INVITATION FROM MY RADIO FAMILY

A STRESS TEST

THANKSGIVING

A VERY SPECIAL MOMENT!

A KENTUCKY OPRY CHRISTMAS SHOW

LET’S GIVE HOPE!

CAROLING

A VISIT WITH A SAINT

GOD ASKED ME TO DO WHAT?

SOMETHING NEW!

SURPRISES!

VISITS FROM SPECIAL FRIENDS

CHRISTMAS CARDS

CHRISTMAS AT CHARLENE’S

MY SPECIALTY SHOP: ACE HARDWARE

A SHADOW FELL OVER OUR COMMUNITY

A GOOD FRIEND

GOOD… NOT BAD

IT’S CHRISTMAS DAY!

CHRISTMAS EVENING

CHRISTMAS, AGAIN!

The Light of the World is Jesus!

For the two people who gave me life and

a love for life-long learning

Always,

In honor and remembrance of my loving mother

Gertie Short Watson

Who lived her faith ALL the way until she went Home!

In honor and remembrance of my dear father

Harvey Watson

A great dad, whom I love and miss

Proverbs 3:5–6 says:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not to your own understanding!

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He shall bring it to pass."

With love, honor, and respect for

my Georgia Family:

Mrs. Rebecca A. King Chandler

Ms. Georgia Lee Dailey

Mrs. Frances King

and

Rev. John M. King

This book was written because I believe

God asked me to write it!

May you know the God who I know!

He is a God of love and hope!

SPECIAL APPRECIATION

To my cousin, Donna H. Carty, for all you do!

Thank you to all the friends and family

who have allowed me to write about you!

Thank you to all the encouragers

and especially the Prayer Warriors!

I wish you ALL could know what you mean to me.

Introduction

In times like these, with so much uncertainty and so many changes to our way of life, I want to share about The God I know. You see, The God I know is one of love! As I write this book and reflect upon my Christmas season of 2019, so much has happened. Through this writing, God has shown me that He is involved in every detail of my life.

Every day I matter to Him! And the message that I am trying to share is that not only do I matter, but so do you! YOU MATTER to God!

This book provides some examples of God’s hand at work through just a few weeks of my life that I call the Christmas Season!

By the end of October, some loving friends and family tried to prepare me for the coming holidays by saying, It will be a different time for you. Or I hope Christmas won’t be too hard for you!

I understood that they thought I would be sad and depressed because I was grieving my mother’s passing. And that I would be alone. I prayed a simple prayer asking God to help me to enjoy the coming Christmas season. He heard my prayer. In deliberate, unexpected, and loving ways God filled my days with contentment and happiness.

I thank God for drawing me into a deeper understanding of how truly amazing He is.

The God I know gives hope! He wants to have a personal relationship with each of us.

Please know that no matter who you are or where you are, YOU MATTER!

JOY ornament by Doris Dolin

Section One

Getting Ready!

Open House

A Special Invitation from My Radio Family

A Stress Test

Thanksgiving

A Very Special Moment!

A Kentucky Opry Christmas Show

My Big Tree

Getting Ready!

A few years ago, I started decorating for Christmas in early November. I have continued that practice, for I like to hang the outside wreaths and big red bows while the weather is still warm. Too many times, my fingers had been freezing in December when I hung outside lights! Then too, my tradition of decorating in November happens because that is when my cousin, Donna, can come to help me. Donna climbs into my attic and brings the decorations down a tall, pull-down ladder.

Another reason for beginning decorating in November is that many Christmas movies have begun for the season. I love traditional family-oriented Christmas movies with a happy ending. This year, the first Christmas movie I watched, broadcasted the last weekend in October! Since I love the coming of the Christmas season, I love this early start.

The first week in November, Donna and I set my beautiful seven-and-a-half-foot Douglas fir tree with cashmere trim in front of the windows in my family room. Everyone thinks the tree has snow on the branches, but it is the cashmere look! Donna lifted the sections into place and shaped the branches. The tree had white lights, but this year I wanted colored lights, like I had when I was a child. So, the two of us added eight hundred colored lights, along with the four hundred white lights! The mix of colored and white lights was beautiful!

Just leave it like that! Donna said as she stepped back from the tree and looked at just the lights! The glow of Christmas was in my home!

However, over several days, I added ornaments. It was fun to decorate in small work sessions, rather than thinking I had to get this finished in a rush! I did not open my blinds to display the multi colored lights for over a week. But then, POW! It was fun to share my tree! I have dear friends who do not decorate until after Thanksgiving, but I want you to know that I still celebrate Thanksgiving! I bring out my ceramic turkey centerpiece and fall leaves and decorative gourds as I set my Thanksgiving table.

Once I had the tree decorated and different Christmas pieces in place, my home was transformed. On the mantel, I had my beautiful, flameless Christmas candles and snow-covered trees. I brought out three favorite Thomas Kinkade Christmas prints and hung them on the wall. To finish the look, I changed the window curtains and put cardinals in the snow scalloped valances over lace panels. Then, I placed a red linen tablecloth on the dining room table with a red cardinal accent runner. Red silk poinsettia flowers filled the vintage creamy-white pitcher on the table.

With the decorative changes made, my home began to look like Christmas! Christmas magic! I smiled as I looked at the simple, pretty, festive changes. I love it! I still hold on to some traditional Christmas practices. For example, I like to send Christmas cards and add my own greetings to friends and family. This means that I buy the cards and stamps and update my mailing list. It takes several work sessions to get my cards ready to mail since I send about ninety cards.

I can’t buy all these people a gift, but I can send them a Christmas greeting and let them know I’m thinking of them! I always told my mother who had seen me go through this process in the past.

Now, I organized my cards on the table! My cards had a white background with a church in a snowbank with lots of evergreen trees! I had selected cards with the new color style of white, black, and a little red trim. I thought the cards were pretty, and I liked the verse inside of them. Now, as I looked at the cards, I commented: These trees need some color! I took a few minutes to study them. Why didn’t they color the trees or at least one of them?

I went to my supply drawer and came back with a box of crayons! I pulled out a green crayon. Hmmm! Let’s try just one! I colored one evergreen in the group of evergreens that stood to the left of the church! Not bad! I thought. So I experimented on a couple of the cards until I had just the right shade of green! I liked it! I colored one tree on twenty-four cards! Yes! I was up until about 2:00 a.m. because I was in the mood to get these colored!

All I had to do was add my Christmas music to this work session, and time disappeared. For several years, I played my Christmas music, starting in late October when the weather took a cold snap! Yes! I pulled out my CDs and started to listen to traditional favorites I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas, Silent Night, Silver Bells, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Joy to the World, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, We Need a Little Christmas, and many others. My Christmas music collection seems endless, and I love it! Music adds so much to the festivities and helps to create just the right cozy feeling that I think is Christmas! I never get tired of it.

I have loved the Christmas season since I was a child! I see the best in people through this season. Their countenance changes, usually, into a more pleasant one, and smiles abound. I love the whole season: decorating, shopping, caroling and musical programs and church programs, family dinners, visiting the shut-ins, and so many things. As friends and family had pointed out, I expected this Christmas would be different since my dear mother had passed earlier in the year. I knew to pray as I had known her to pray about so many things. Thus, I offered my sincere prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, You know this time of the year has always been one that I look forward to so much. I do not want my Christmas to be sad or depressing. Will you help me to enjoy this beautiful season?

Truly, I had no idea that this Christmas would be so special until it was over, and I began reflecting upon it. God used people who were willing to do simple things to involve me in activities of all kinds to make sure I enjoyed the season.

I invite you to share some of these special events that God placed in my life to answer my prayer.

Open House

Shopping is such a major part of the Christmas season. I have friends and family who travel to the Smokey Mountains or go to Huntington or to Chicago or some other large city. Yet, I do not have that desire. I like the slower pace so that I can look at the treasures in local communities. Thus, driving about fourteen miles to the Open House at our vintage shops in nearby Paintsville, Kentucky, is my first shopping trip. The large store, Treasures on Main, used to be a large G.C. Murphy store. I remember smelling the roasting nuts as a child when shopping with my parents during our evening shopping excursion. Also, the other vintage shop, Peddlers Home Decor & More, was a five and ten cent store when I was a child. Now, the two stores offer all kinds of relics from the past.

It is no wonder that it is always a time my sister, Marcia, and I look forward to shopping! I start calling Mischelle, the store proprietor, in October to see when the Open House date is! Then, Marcia puts this on her calendar and travels from Nashville, Tennessee, so she can come! This year, we invited our cousin, Donna, and our niece, Rita. It was fun to meet there and hear the sounds of the season as we entered the shops. We found homemade cookies, brownies, specialty treats, and the absolute best Putting on the Ritz punch! Donna loves to collect the recipes of things that tastes good to her, so she came away with a meatball recipe and the punch recipe!

Marcia zipped through the Peddlers Home Decor & More shop, then moved on to Treasures on Main, the larger shop. Donna and I looked inside the smaller shop, taking time to look at the things on display. Inside the store are booths with items from different local vendors who are selling crafts, dishes, whatnots, T-shirts, all kinds of crystal, books, jewelry, art, flower arrangements, furniture, and much more! In the middle of the first aisle was a glass curio case that had two exquisite, vintage crystal candleholders with the crystals hanging from the base where the candle sat. I fell in love, but it was too late! Someone had them on layaway!

After about an hour, we decided to call Marcia, so we could meet. Then, the three of us walked across the street to Treasures on Main! This shop is a huge building with about three times the booths than the other vintage shop. When we opened the main doors, what a heavenly smell of popcorn and mulled cider, and Santa and Mrs. Claus were there in all their finest red attire to greet the customers!

You are absolutely beautiful! I told the Claus couple, who gave me a sweet smile in return. Before I leave, may I have a picture with you? With that settled, time to shop!

I loved stopping in the booths and finding treasures! What someone else considers junk may truly be a treasure to me! One time, I bought a first edition Zane Grey book! Yes, it cost me, but think of touching that book! It was one hundred years old but in great condition! I had read some of the Zane Grey books when I was a teenager. I decided they were books for boys! I smile now as I think of that discovery. Yet I remember how much my brother, Windell, loved reading books by Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour! Would I find another treasure like that book? The anticipation was part of the fun! I was ready! So I turned to the