August 3, 2022
“We’ve Decided to Decorate for Christmas This Year”: A Prayer
O Lord, we’ve decided to decorate for Christmas this year,
unlike last year,
hardly decorated at all,
just a few things here and there, though
did manage to put up a tree early, before
illness and pneumonia and hospital left me
too tired,
too wired,
too weak
to do anything,
except watch as Kitty did
the few things
did;
didn’t even
gather with family,
just the two of us,
Covid Christmas;
‘twas not a season to be jolly;
but this year
to be different
decorate big time,
go all out, go the
whole hog,
whole nine yards,
whole enchilada;
and invite family
from near and far
to gather;
no more waiting
until I see how I feel
before planning this or that;
no more waiting
until strong enough
to begin this or that;
no more waiting
until well enough
to do this or that;
if not feel the best,
then do the best I can;
if not very strong,
then do a little at a time;
if not well, well
keep going anyway;
if too tired,
too bad,
good physical therapy,
huff and puff and huff
my way through;
if too much
to do,
start early
(like next week);
if not sure
can do it all,
just suck it up and
do it;
if not sure
be here long enough,
live long enough,
to complete it,
then do as much as can
while still here, and
enjoy;
we simply must,
I simply must,
especially
must I do
the Department 56 scenes
did for years,
until last year,
lighted porcelain churches,
porcelain carriages and wagons and slays,
porcelain people and porcelain animals as well,
porcelain evergreen trees,
bare birches too;
crowded London street scene
on the buffet,
English parish
on the piano,
Alpine village
on the sideboard,
and a couple more
on a couple of tables;
street sellers selling,
shoppers shopping,
skaters skating,
skiers skiing,
sitters sitting,
steeples soaring,
streetlamps shining,
families walking to church,
Alpiners hoisting a pint or three,
couple cooing and wooing in the park;
lot of work, but
labor of love,
loving the joy
it gives
to others,
and to me;
so must do it,
because
it’s not only
an act of love, but also
an act of faith,
an act of hope.
And that is my prayer, O Lord, for every last one of us,
every last one of us
who have things we
want to do,
love to do
must do,
but
aren’t sure
we’ll be able to do
because of
illness or treatments or the emptiness down deep inside;
that you would grace
every last one of us with the
strength,
willpower,
determination,
faith bestows; the
confidence,
certainty,
courage,
hope gives; the
motivation,
inspiration,
passion,
love births;
and so
be able to hang
tough, be
tough enough to
tough it out
and do
as much as we can
and enjoy life for
as long as we can.
O Lord, we keep praying to you,
keep asking you,
keep pestering you,
because that’s what Jesus told us to do; and so
we pray for those who are ill, those who are battling cancer,
those who are suffering with heart disease,
those who are dying, those who are grieving;
and we ask you
why, why such evil and violence;
and we pester you
about the hungry and homeless and refugees.
Hear our prayers! Answer us! Respond to us!
O Lord, we’re going to do it, we’re going to decorate for
Christmas, going to
celebrate big time,
because
we trust
you will grace us with
what we need,
and that
even if I’m not well,
it will go well,
and all shall be
well.
Amen.