We went out for dinner last night. I ordered a Cobb salad. When Karen and I had lunch together I often ordered a Cobb salad at our favorite restaurant in Vermont. There was conversation on what the salad included and how good it was---every time. I missed Karen last night. I also missed her when we went to a Cirque de Soleil performance last week. Karen and her husband and Joe and I went to Montreal to see Cirque de Soleil. I miss her frequent emails.
A few nights ago I was out with friends and one friend recounted a funny story about her mother ordering a ukelele at age 82. Her mother, who had some musical talent, wanted to learn to play the ukelele. The friend's mother had died recently and we all laughed warmly at this fond memory.
Two days ago a card arrived in the mail. I thought it was our first Christmas card. But no. It was a card and and obituary from a friend whose brother had died recently. I have known this friend for many years but rarely has the conversation been about her brothers and sisters. Her brother was a priest and the obituary notices were several. I read the stories of his life with real interest and gained a deeper sense of my friend, her family and this gentle man.
As I think about Karen and these family members who have died this year, I am touched by the meaning each of them had in the lives of their families and friends. These warm memories honor these dear people. We bring their histories into our present moment.
At Christmas we bring the past into our present moment. We bring Christ's birth into our present. In Advent we prepare for that birth by quiet prayer, by silence.
Do you have some time today for quiet prayer, for silence to think about the meaning of Christ's birth in your life?
Blessings-Penny
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