In Spirit and in Flesh

The spirit of Christmas-now walks soft beside me,
weaving as we go:

the chat with a good friend;

Christmas dinner at a table set for two instead of six;

unkind words about another driver; 

kisses blown to sick loved ones through a patio door;

quiet moments reading (sometimes to the cat);

until what I truly value is etched into the fabric of the day,
a gift to me:
an image of my Faith, raw, unmasked, unclothed.


The spirits of Christmas-yet-to-come stand silent:  
watching, shifting with the winds of time and choices  
from now and yesterday,
until one stands alone,
pregnant with possibilities and Hope.


But the Spirit of Christmas-long-ago – ah, that!
It wraps itself around me,
embracing me in all my humanness,
holding Humanity itself so tightly
that it can’t help but be born
in spirit and in flesh;
and it whispers softly that its truest name is Love. 

©Carol Shaw 122521

 

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