🎄Christmas

The rain is soft. It is akin to a caress although it barely touches my face as I await the chariot that will bring me home from a Doctor’s appointment,

And I smile as I reflect on the word home. It once belonged to so many of the stops where I found refuge in my surprisingly long life.

Now as the road narrows I find my home in a community shared with a hundred other pilgrims, I am not unique. We are bonded by age, and to a degree, the physical burdens that accompany longevity.

And possibly, fears (although that is unspoken). If we share that useless emotion, it hides behind activities, complaints or reminiscences.

And of course, laughter.

If we had remained in what we still refer to as “Our Home,” most likely our diverse paths would never have crossed.

Nor would we have sought each other.

Fate or something far more mysterious and beautiful made the decision that we would share our last days on this earth together.

And so in this complicated world of 2023, as I sit enjoying the gentle tears of rain, I give thanks for the hands that guided me to what has now truly become my home,

I am far from the beloved white cape cod nestled on a corner in Farmingdale and even further than the crowded streets of Hells Kitchen.

And yet I no longer wonder, “How did I get here?”

Because I know this is where I belong.

This is where I will give thanks tomorrow for the Blessings of Christmas.

It is where I have been sent to follow my destiny on this Christmas of 2023.

And no longer will I question why but gratefully give thanks for all the shelters I once knew and called home and also, the other pilgrims God has sent to share my way.