I HELD YOU
“I was going to get the dishwasher unloaded and the overflowing pile in sink washed. But instead I held you.” - Regan Long
“I want to hug you right now, is it okay if I hug you?”
This past Sunday, 5 Dolores Mission families and 30 members of the Christus Ministries community gathered for our annual Adopt a Family brunch and gift giving party. Those of us who have “adopted” families for Christmas provide the necessities (clothes and household items) and special gifts for each family member. We have built relationships with the Dolores Mission community, watching their children grow older and their needs change. As I helped one of the new families to our program gather their gifts, the teenage daughter was overcome with tears and gratitude. She asked if she could hug me and my newborn son. As I held her and my own baby in my arms together, I too was overwhelmed with gratitude.
When we got home, I looked at the boxes of Christmas decorations still piled in the entryway. Between a community Christmas parade with the Boy Scouts and the Adopt a Family celebration, we had not had time to finish decorating our home. I dug through and found a single nativity scene (among our collection of about twenty) to place on the mantle and then carried the rest back to the garage.
As the Grinch discovered at the end of the classic Dr. Seuss book, Christmas does not come from a perfectly decorated tree or expertly wrapped gifts. “It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags! And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! 'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store.'"
With a newborn and two older children in our home, I have had so many things demand my attention that were more important than the usual preparations for Christmas festivities. I returned to work from maternity leave without having my house perfectly re-organized to accommodate our newest family member. I bought most of our gifts online this year. I didn’t make it to the baby shower of a dear friend of nearly 20 years.
But today I held a girl who needed to be held. Today my own baby looked into the eyes of a girl who has struggled in ways I never have. My older kids kicked a soccer ball around the yard with kids whose path they would not normally cross. My husband and I shared Christmas traditions and memories with a mom from Guatemala who is living in one room with her two kids. These were the most important things in the Advent season.
As I look at the still empty creche in my nativity, I imagine this teenage girl cradled in the arms of Mary and Joseph. There is a beautiful video circulating on social media with a poem by a mother who chooses to hold her baby instead of doing all the other things that demand her attention. Today, for just one moment, I had the privilege of holding another family, and allowing them to hold me and my family. Tomorrow, I will continue to hold my own children, my husband, and our families.
As you watch the video, do you sense God inviting you to hold someone in your life with gentleness and care? Do you experience God holding you with the same tenderness?
Jen Coito