Sunday, December 24, 2023
Christmas Eve
Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because they were required to return to Joseph's hometown for the census. Like a lot of other people, I return to the town of my birth for Christmas every year.
This year will be different; it is the first Christmas without my dad. The grief is really strong, but so is the gratitude. He had his own strong instincts and traditions with the holiday, which in retrospect were deeply Christian. For example, he almost always would load up the car with kids or grandkids on Christmas Eve and drive around neighborhoods in Detroit and visit people he knew, ending at the Capuchin Monastery, where he would run inside and huddle with some guys for a bit and then run back out. It was never quite clear what his agenda was, and he didn't really explain it. I didn't figure it out for years.
Today will be a day of reflection, of some sadness, but yeah, a lot of gratitude.
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Love to you all and an extra big hug to your beautiful Mom for her lovely ornament which has pride and place on my little Osler tree.
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