Our Last Christmas
This could be our last Christmas together.
Whether we are painfully aware of it
because of the progression of Alzheimer’s
or debilitation, the chemotherapy,
or the unspoken about separation growing between us,
or whether we are not so aware
that the car accident or burst aneurysm is but one heartbeat away,
this could be our last Christmas together.
So may we treasure this day.
So may we treasure each other.
May we let go of the sensitivity to annoyance,
the urge to judge, the need to be right,
and the compulsion to control.
May we let go, if only for a while, the hurts of the past
inflicted by those who loved us badly.
Let us mediate Christ’s coming anew into the world
and the gifts of love, forgiveness, acceptance,
and freedom he offers.
This could be our last Christmas together.