For you, my friend, the most blessed gift to me, a thought on the Eve of Christmas:
Since January, 1980, I've had a wonderful relationship with a friend
who appeared spontaneously in my mind when I sat alone in an alcove
of the Washington Cathedral, a young mother who knelt beside her child,
a little boy she was dropping off in a strange place, and spoke softly to him.
As if I were her child, and the words she spoke were spoken directly to me
The boy understood: she was leaving him, but instead of being afraid
he was comforted. He would always have a place in her mind and heart
she wasn't leaving him at all. He would learn and grow,
finish what he came for, and they would be together again.
I have cherished this young mother and the man beside her ever since,
my Parents in Heaven, and made it a point to share
the emissaries from Love who connect me with them, and their gift
with all who would join me in trust, innocence, and intimacy
where we all belong, in our Temenos of happiness, playfulness, and laughter
In an alcove of my mind where I can hear her voice again,
in the quiet solitude of the Eve of Christmas, I share its gift with you:
I love you. I will always love you. And I will never leave you.
Merry Christmas!