My life is full of people, including dear friends, but death and divorce have swept away my family. As a result, holidays can be excruciatingly lonely. I’ve tried ignoring Thanksgiving by volunteering to work that day. I’ve tried marginalizing Christmas with movies and Chinese take-out. But I know that I am just trying to avoid dealing with the loss. No more. As I prepare for Easter, I am purging “lonely” from my vocabulary. Instead, I am embracing words like “Sabbath” and “Renewal” that represent a new, different kind of holiday joy. My holidays may not look like most other people’s holidays, but at least they won’t be co-opted this year. Instead, I am going to really focus on a particular Guest, who’s been waiting for my focused attention for far too long!
JA, MA