I spent the last year
Writing about people who no longer walk this earth:
Living with them, loving them,
Learning from them, laughing with them.

I came to know them in new ways,
My heart and mind open to what is revealed
When we dwell in the spirit of our loved ones.
I found memories buried so deep in my heart
That I had the pleasure of living them again.
And even though some memories inflicted the pain of a fresh wound,
All brought me closer to those I have loved
And love still.

This Christmas, many of us will be separated from those we love most.

After a year spent with so many long-lost loved ones,
Here is what I have come to believe.

I believe, no matter how many miles or years separate us,
We will celebrate with our loved ones.
We will summon memories
That have often been lost in our frantic gatherings of the past.
We will have the time to think about
How much those we are missing mean to us,
And cherish them even more.

I believe that every moment we are apart
Is a gift we give to our loved ones.
The greatest gift of all.
The gift that arrived in a manger,
In a stable far away, in a time long past.
Jesus our Emmanuel–God with us.
The Savior who would sacrifice his very life
So that we might have life and have it abundantly.

Trusting in him, we are united one to another in love
Across all space and time.
We cannot be separated from those we love,
Just as we cannot be separated from the love of God.

“Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Debra Rose Brillati
December 2020