Christmas eve

On the day before Christmas,

there were body aches and pains,

cancelled holiday plans

Cookies and pastries

supposed to be made

All undone

Not what I had in my mind,

Not what I planned

I closed my eyes and rested

but pain cannot not be ignored.

It's there and it's not going away.

I did not surrender to the season's flu

I know I did what I could

to prevent it months ago.

But despite that, I found my weak body in bed .

When it turned dark,

I found a match to light the candle

in the lantern on my window,

I lit the tapered candle on the dining table

I lit the votives on the coffee table

I lit the candle on the office table

Music played and enveloped the room

The soft light embraced me like the

softest blanket.

Pain I felt earlier in the day

All gone and forgotten

on that one moment the night before Christmas

*sorry this holiday greeting is a little late.

but my wishes for all is true.

I wish you hope, light , peace and joy

not just for one night but many more nights.

I