Home for the Holidays: Joshua Smith 1/5/2010

Joshua Smith, missing from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL since 11/4/2000

Christmas and Joshua

Written by Vicki Smith, mother of Joshua

Out of all my children, the one who loved Christmas the deepest was Josh. He seemed to feel that true Christmas mystique and magic as a child…..the excitement often drove him to total distraction.. Each and every Christmas throughout his childhood, Joshua was the one who provided us with the glimpses into Christmas through dreams dancing with sugar plums. Oh only a few lucky ones of us have those kinds of dreams!

Once, on a Christmas Eve that seems so long ago now, Joshua came wandering down the stairs well after we knew him to be sound asleep. “What’s the matter, Josh?” his daddy asked. “I don’t know, Dad”, Josh said. “I just couldn’t sleep. Excited I guess.” Then he sat beside me.(happily Santa had not yet paid his visit) So, Josh sat there on the floor watching the fire and then he decided to sing a Christmas Carol. No lights were on....just the glow of our tree and the fire dying down in the fireplace. We all remember those little boy voices that sound so innocent and carry throughout the house like a beautiful little angel had swooped by to pay us all a visit, right? And then, one by one, the other two drifted into the room, pulled to us by that clear and sweet little voice softly singing, we think.

But who really knows what really woke all three of them on the Christmas Eve night? Joshua might have told you that one of Santa’s reindeer pawed too loudly on the roof..or shook it’s head and the sleigh bells were a little too loud that year. And again, one by one, each of them joined in and there we were having a moment that couldn’t have turned out more beautifully if we had planned it.

Josh led his “choir” the rest of the time choosing each song and coaching the little ones with the words....his excitement, as always, carrying us through that night! And finally, sleep seemed to creep in and each one fell into slumber once again. Their daddy carried the boys and I picked up the baby, my daughter, and up the stairs we went. And this is when we think the distraction part joined the Christmas party...Josh woke up just enough to walk into his room and - Gasp - shut the door, which had a broken latch on it and could not be opened from the inside!

When Christmas morning rolled around, and Josh tried to open his door to come and see the gifts....he was panic stricken!! He just knew that Christmas would pass him right on by and he’d miss it all, but good old dad eventually saved the day and took off the door knob so that Joshua could join his siblings for the great reveal!!

Later we commented on how he calmed down after his initial panic at being trapped, and he said: ”Yeah..I got to thinking about it and looked over at my manger scene I made a church and got to thinking about how Christmas really is suppose to be about Jesus being born, not about me getting stuff and I just stopped being afraid!”

So, that even today when I think of Joshua being gone from us for so long now, I remember his faith, his joy at that Christmas time, and I remember to express my own gratitude to God for not only His Son, but for mine as well. Merry Christmas Josh, where ever you are. We love you. Even though no celebration will ever be alright without you here, those special Christmas memories carry us along each year as we dream of your return to us: The greatest gift we ever could receive.

Learn more about Joshua