Memories and Dreams
There is something about the traditional holiday
season (Thanksgiving to Christmas) that warms the heart. Perhaps more than any other time of year the
holiday season is a rich blend of old and new, of what was and what will be, of
memories and dreams.
Looking back comes easy at this time of year and this
time of life. This is the season of
smells – the warm aromas of roasting turkey and dressing wafting from the oven
every time my mother decided it was time to baste the bird. Evergreen, just as much scent as sight, as I
smell again the fresh balsam Christmas tree that filled our living room and
greeted me when I crept down the stairs far too early Christmas morning.
Of course, delicious smells mean delicious
tastes. My childhood focus was on all
the treats and desserts of the season.
My favorite then, and now, were the cookies, actually a particular
cookie. I’ve learned that some call them
Mexican wedding cakes, others Russian tea cakes. I don’t recall that my mother called them
anything in particular. My wife also bakes
them each year; I very aptly call them “little white round ball cookies”. Whatever they are, they are Christmas to me.
The holiday season meant big family meals. Being the youngest of the family I can recall the excitement building as each of my older siblings pulled in the driveway with their own respective families. A busy house is a happy house. The leaves were added to the dining room table and extra card tables and chairs were brought up from the basement, so that there was a seat for everyone. There was always room for one more; it was important to live the sense of being all together. My heart still warms, especially now, because many of those who I see in my mind seated around the kitchen table of my youth only live here now in my memory. I still hear you laugh, and see your smiles; I haven’t forgotten any of you. My Christmas card to you is addressed simply: "My Heart"; I know that it was delivered - no need for a stamp.
Even my own family is firmly rooted in our own
past. Those who I recall opening up
gifts of first baseball mitts, Barbie dolls and BB guns now spend Christmas
mornings watching their own children (some already now young adults) open their
own presents before coming to gather together at our home. Still, we make sure to hang the silver glass ornament that used to hang on those many farmhouse Christmas trees of Michelle’s youth,
and we set out the aging plaster Nativity set with the ox and donkey with
broken-off left ears.
Retired now, we are enjoying these days full of
each other’s company and affections. Michelle
may be referred to as Grandma now by our children and grandchildren, but to me she is
still my lovely bride. We still
feel the strong pull of joined hearts. True,
we can see farther back than forward these days, but we still plan our future. That’s how you keep the holidays well, and
that’s how you keep love both full and evergreen - with a balance of memories and
dreams.
His Peace <><
Deacon Dan
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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