Dearly Beloved in Christ,
I spent the week before December 6 embedded in my large recliner. I was weakened by a reaction to my flu shot. Not being up to doing anything other than watching the television and sleeping, I found myself being slightly depressed. Television didn’t help. It was filled with news about the terror attacks in Paris and finally the horror of events in San Bernardino. Our President continued to have difficulty naming our enemy. It is as if he thinks Americans are so shallow that they will be turned against all Muslims if he names the specific group of Muslims who are radical extremists. All in all, I was feeling less and less in the mood for a holiday celebration. My illness forced me to forego a funeral and officiating at the Eucharist on the second Sunday of Advent. My mind drifted over the recent deaths of parishioners and the brother of a friend. Into this morose mood and drowsy moment, after turning off the lamp, the Limpock arrived. He sat down on the oval table. He said, “You’ve got a serious case of the Christmas Blues.” I responded with a grunt and said, “Go away!”Gingwiggle replied, “No!” He snapped his fingers three times and once again we entered the silent whirlwind until we reached a point suspended in space above a white picketed fence and an arbor arched over a swinging gate. There were lilies ensconced in the arbor before which stood a figure I thought I was supposed to recognize. I whispered, “Is that . . .” Gingwiggle whispered back with his finger to his lips, “Shush and pay attention.” I watched as a line of people came out of the very bright fog at our left. They approached the figure who engaged them in some conversation. This happened with each person who would then enter the swinging gate to be greeted by a smiling toddler in gleaming white diapers. The Toddler reached up and took each person by the right pinkie and walked off like a baby who had recently learned to walk. The toddler seemed to be tugging each person. They would disappear into a slightly foggy air behind which there seemed to be a murmur of voices. A moment or two after the toddler and a person passed through the slight fog there arose a mighty cheer. There followed squeals of joy.I started to ask a question, when the Lord of the Limpocks pointed at the line of people before the arbor and gate. Suddenly, I recognized a thin lady dressed in red and I said to Gingwiggle, “Why that’s Donna.” He nodded yes. I looked behind her and there stood Leslie. Behind Leslie was Zachary. Behind Zachary was Frank. Following Frank, was Bruce. The toddler came out and greeted each one of them in turn. Each time a murmur was heard followed by a cheer and squeals of joy. When Bruce’s turn came and the toddler grasped his pinkie, I turned to my green silver bespectacled friend and said, pointing at the light fog, “What is happening . . .” We moved into the fog and seemed to merge into the murmur.As we came through the fog the toddler held Bruce’s pinkie and pointed to a chair that stood before a throne. The Toddler sat Bruce down and climbed up upon the throne. The babe made a twirling motion with his hand. Bruce’s chair turned away from the throne. At that moment, the great cheer arose and facing Bruce was a mighty throng of his family, ancestors, the company of heaven and a host of angels and archangels. Immediately, the toddler was no longer upon the throne. It was Jesus. Bruce stood up and turned to face our Lord with tears in his eyes. Jesus bent forward and with his index finger brushed aside the tears in each eye.The Lord of the Limpocks snapped his fingers and I was once again ensconced in my recliner. He looked at me and said, “You have witnessed that to which Christmas points. Christmas is the beginning that washes away our pain. The Child will greet us in the end. We know, in the end, what the Child went through and accomplished. Rejoice and fear not. You know where you are going.” He smiled and winked at me from behind those silver spectacles. He pointed his index finger into the air, twirled it and was gone.A Blessed Christmas,Fr. Col+CHRISTMAS 2015
GINGWIGGLE
