Monday, December 5, 2011

Gaither Christmas Homecoming








 
Clint shown shining his Gaither light.





Last Friday evening, December 2, 2011, we attended the Gaither Christmas Homecoming at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.  As luck would have it, the Christmas Parade was held the same evening in downtown Knoxville. Whew!

The evening was magical and I heard my two favorite songs I had mentally requested before the event:  Beautiful Star of Bethlehem and Mary Did You Know.  I am a big fan of Mark Lowry, he wrote the lyrics to this well known song, Mary Did You Know.  Mark sang it beautifully with such emotion and feeling.


 

Elvis prepares for the parade.






Tis the season ♪♪♪






Still haven't figured out this float's theme






Many different reflections at the event




 

Stunning stage and lighting plus some
of the most beautiful voices in the world





We were "greeted" by the Gaither Vocal Band as we arrived





The Gaither lights are passed out at the concert,
imagine a gigantic arena full of twinkling star lights.





Where are you, Mark?  I have been waiting six years for this
moment!




 




 

Oh, there you are, Mark!


(My heart was thumping)


My night was complete.






5 comments:

Clint said...

Beautiful star of Bethlehem,
Shining afar through shadows dim,
Giving light for those who long have gone;
Guiding the Wise Men on their way
Unto the place where Jesus lay,
Beautiful star of Bethlehem, shine on!

Amen

Shelly said...

Thank you for sharing! I feel like I got to experience it, too! What loads of talent!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had a blast!
Carol B.

Shady Del Knight said...

You described a magical evening, Cindy. I am happy that you and Clint had such an enjoyable outing. I was thinking about you that night, hoping that you were feeling better and able to fully participate in the celebration.

Even tho I just now turned off the air conditioning for the day I am slowly getting into the holiday spirit, too. Every year around this time I am visited by a memory that makes me mellow and misty. It's the memory of a very special night in 1993 when I went Christmas caroling with my mother at a park for seniors here in Florida where she and my dad stayed every winter. Mom had an accident on her bicycle a couple of weeks earlier and broke her ankle. She was temporarily confined to a wheelchair. On a cold dark night a few days before Christmas we we hooked up with a group of seniors from the park and went caroling door to door as I pushed my mother in her wheelchair. I vividly recall the beautiful lights we passed and the look of happiness and appreciation on the faces of the residents. I remember being filled with joy singing those holiday songs both religious and secular. I also remember how close I felt to my mother that night, something that had not always been the case during my life. It was a rare and perfect evening. Unfortunately my mother and I never got the chance to duplicate the magic of that night. By Christmas the following year she was quite ill and our visits had become tense and worrisome. She died less than two months later in February of 1995.

Again I must thank you, dear Cindy, for the consistently high quality of the comments that you leave on my blog. I told you this before and I will keep on telling you. You are the complete blogger and the complete friend.

Cindy Ellison said...

Clint ~ Thanks for the verse from "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem". You know how I adore that song!

Shelly ~ Thank you, Shelly, wish you could have been there in person. Hope you are having a good week in south Texas. ♥

Carol ~ Hi Carol, yes we had a blast! It did last a long time and they had an intermission. It was during the intermission that I found Mark! :-) Such a talented group some of the best in the world ... as I say. Thank You, Carol!

Tom ~ Thank you so much for sharing on here the magical evening you spent years ago caroling with your mother. It's hard to duplicate those magical evenings, isn't it? I am sure it was special for your mom, too. Also, it seems to me when we are experiencing those special times, especially with family, we don't realize how memorable it will remain until reflecting back years later. Clint and I say often that we don't think a day goes by that we don't each think of our grandparents. This morning I was thinking of my grandmother when I was searching for a can of evaporated milk for my coffee! She and my grandfather always used it in their coffee. (We were out of fat-free half and half :-) It is good you have this very special feel-good Christmas memory of your mother and that it comforts you, especially this time of year. How I miss Christmas carolers as you described. Only once can I remember going Christmas caroling when I was young with the MYF group from my church. Hmmm, this would be a good blog topic. =) Thank you again, Tom, hope you and Mrs. Shady are doing well down in the sunshine state!