Chara Donahue
About the Author

Chara Donahue is the founder of Anchored Voices and loves to engage God through writing. She seeks to be faithful to Jesus in all she does, cherishes time with her family and church, and is honored to spend her life ministering to women.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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Comments

  1. Hi Chara, thank you for sharing about your Grandma and the piece of fudge. Your post reminded me of my grandfather. One of the sweetest memories my sister and I have of him is his huge heart and yummy homemade fudge that he had waiting for us when we visited him.
    Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

    • Veronica,
      It is always amazing the memories we attach to food. It is fabulous when they are great memories and even better when they are memories like these that are marked with love.
      Thanks for reading,
      Chara

  2. Hi Chara,
    Thank you for sharing. Christmas can be a hard season for me too. My precious brother passed away unexpectedly age 33 on Christmas morning, in 1995. My daughters and I have a lot of loving memories of him that I cherish. We know he is with the Lord, but it can be hard sometimes. It’s hard to relate this to my new husband, but he is so understanding of the situation.
    Have a blessed Christmas.
    Mary

    • Mary, thank you for sharing a piece of your story with me. I am praying that you will feel the nearness of Jesus as the hardness of loss presses in on the joy of Christmas and the love and you have for your brother. I am glad that you have the hope of being reunited in eternity, but for those moments when these bittersweet memories visit and remind, may you find comfort in the, not yet but someday, promises of our good God.
      Thank you for reading,
      Chara

  3. Thank you for sharing your memories of your Grandma! As I sit here sipping my coffee, I too am missing my Grandma. I have so many sweet memories of her that I treasure deep in my heart. Christmas makes me miss her all the more, but I will never forget the impact she had upon my life. I can’t imagine how it will be when I see her once again in heaven. Her legacy of loving God, showing humility and kindness, and her love of family is continuing on. She would always pray and say ” Lord, help me to be a blessing to someone else, today” and that’s truly how she lived. I was so blessed and grateful to call her mine!!

    • Kim,
      Oh, yes! The hope in this comment alone made my eyes glisten with expectant tears. That legacy piece is so precious and such a good gift from our God. May we be so fortunate to leave a wake of love and the glory of God behind our own lives as we rest in the blessing of the Christ-honoring inheritance that we have been given
      Thanks for reading,
      Chara.

  4. And Chara, your grandma was my little sister. In our childhood, candy was a little scarce, but for Christmas, our mother made wonderful fudge, divinity, date loaf and outstanding pies and cakes. She always loved me and hurt with me and rejoiced with me. As we grew older, we were far away, but grew closer as the years went by. Thanks for your beautiful memo

    • Don, Thanks for telling me that. I didn’t know that it dated back even further. That just makes it even more wonderful.
      Thanks for reading,
      Chara

  5. Dear Chara,
    These are precious memories. It is great to have another writer (Grandad would be crying with good pride that you have taken up the “pen” like him) in the family to, so eloquently, share the memories with others and have them recorded for family. Thank you for sharing this story with the additional acknowledgement of Christ’s continual presence throughout life, both in the big and the little things. Love, Mom

  6. Chara,
    Christmas has been a little hard these past few years. My aging dad is in assisted living and his health is failing some-dementia, etc. This year we put him on hospice in July. I haven’t had any big family celebrations in a while. We will just go see my in-laws and celebrate the birth of Jesus.
    P.S. My mother loved chocolate. She would ask for a couple squares of chocolate. Fond memories!
    Blessings πŸ™‚

    • Beth,
      I am praying that you feel the presence of our Savior with you as you move through this week. That you find joy in curious places, and feel the weight of the tension between holiday past and present being carried for you.
      With love,
      Chara πŸ™‚

  7. My mother-in-law had that same gleam in her eye. She rode on a snow-mobile with one of her grandsons just weeks before her death, and if there had been fudge somewhere nearby, she’d have had a bite of that too! Thanks for this bittersweet memory.

    • Oh Michele, what an amazing memory to cherish. Here’s to the amazing women who have been in our lives! Praying you have a wonderful Christmas~ Chara πŸ™‚

    • Thank you Amanda. I was so grateful to be able to share the story of a woman I loved so very much and the love she carried for Jesus. Praying your holidays are peace-filled. ~Chara