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| Christmas morning |
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| My niece Noora |
Today was my first day back from my trip downstate for the
holidays and I’ve been trying to get things caught up a bit before heading back
to work in a few days. It’s hard to believe how much effort goes into planning
for the holidays, and how quickly the days seem to pass. A part of me was
wishing that I could just skip Christmas this year so that I wouldn’t have to
come face-to-face with the pain of celebrating the holidays without loved ones,
but the more sensible part of me knew
that avoiding the emotions would not be very instrumental in the healing
process. In spite of my apprehension, it turned out to be a wonderful week,
full of much love and special times of grace with friends and loved ones. I truly am blessed!
Ironically, in a few months when I look back on Christmas
2013, I sincerely doubt that I will remember what was served for dinner, what
gifts I opened up, what type of wrappings they came in, or how tiring and
stressful it can be to travel. More than
likely, I will remember the joy on the faces of the little children when I
pulled out the guitar and they got to play instruments as we sang carols. Or
the conversations I had with cousins and relatives that I don’t get the
opportunity to see very often. Likely, it will be the love I felt when I visited
my nun friends at the IHM motherhouse and spent the day with my dear friend,
Sr. Therese Michael, and the joy on her face when I agreed to stay for dinner.
It will also be the happiness of seeing my childhood friend, Susan, and her
daughters , one of whom is about 3 weeks away from delivering her 2nd
child and the complete joy in visiting
my dear friends, the Tilley’s and opening a Christmas card from them with the
greeting: to our “6th child.” They have treated me like one of their
own since I was a young child and they fill the void left by the absence of my
own parents.
Or maybe sharing
breakfast with one of my former students that has remained a close friend and
is now all grown up with 3 children of her own. Of course, there are the kids….the
nieces and nephews….the new babies and the old ones…the aunts and uncles and my
brother and sister and cousins. The
bottom line???? It’s not the THINGS I enjoyed; but rather than PEOPLE and the
TIME spent with them that made this one of my best Christmas’ ever.
Those memories will nourish and strengthen me on my journey
and will provide me with inspiration to keep motivated, because just 3 years
ago I was unable to do many of these things. My life was one of physical and
emotional pain and although I was always “in the room” for the holidays, I was
not truly PRESENT. Trust me when I say….being
PRESENT…..in Life….is the best PRESENT of all! I encourage you to do what you have to do in the New Year so
that you can be PRESENT and enjoy each day of your life. I pray that your
Christmas season was one of wonder and grace as well.
.JPG)
My friend of 35 years and former teacher,
Sr. Therese Michael Dudek, IHM
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