“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What
if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas,
perhaps, means a little bit more.”
The Box
It came without fanfare it came without ribbons and bows but
it was the box that I was anxiously waiting for with memories of my father. It
looked like any other box that comes in the mail, all wrapped in brown paper
and taped beyond belief. I had quite a hard time getting into the box and it
smelled kind of funny.
My mother had been building on my excitement the entire
month when she said what was going to be in the box (minus my necklace) that
still to this day has not been made ready by the funeral director!
This season has not been an anticipated season and to be
honest, I’m quite down. I lost one of my favorite aunts in the beginning of the
year and just last week I lost one of my favorite uncles, AND I lost my father
at the end of October which is kind of putting a damper on my celebratory
Christmas spirit!
My concern lies with my mother who is a brave ol’ soul
enduring a lot and being a comfort to my aunt, her sister, in her time of need.
Friday, the day of the funeral, I was supposed to go see Steven’s family and
when Thursday came, I told him I just couldn’t do it in all good conscience. I
was down and didn’t want to say anything that I’d regret. I couldn’t wear a
mask and pretend all is right with the world when my world was crushed, my
heart broken and my spirit in a quite stir.
My days on Facebook have halted for a spell because it is
full of cheer and happiness. Can people REALLY be all that happy? It’s possible
but I don’t know, I think they wear a mask over their sadness and make the
world think they’re all happy as a horse. It could be my own sadness seeing
things that aren’t there and that is totally possible too because I’m in a
serious funk!
The box – it lifted my spirits on a day shadowed in death;
it arrived. There was some good news and… some bad news. The good news was that
it arrived! The bad news is that the Old Bay seasoning that my mother sent had
been damaged, meaning in transit the lid popped off and splattered all over
everything. The m&m bag was split open (shut up Benning) and Steven was a
sport (the m&m’s were for him) ate for the first time Baltimore seasoned
m&m’s!
She had put in there the funeral cards, some pictures, three
lighthouses (for Adam), and two seasonal throws, one for me and one for Steven.
They certainly gave new meaning to the SEASONal blankets, covered in Old Bay.
Mind you that Old Bay is hard to come by out here in the midwest and that is
why she sent it to me from Baltimore, land of the crab lovers.
Then my most prized possession that I was awaiting, the
binoculars! These binoculars have sentimental value beyond belief! My dad acquired
them from the shipyard he worked at over 40 years ago and they have been
everywhere; Ocean City, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, and of course
Maryland. My dad treasured these naval binoculars.
I held them in my hand, while dusting off the Old Bay, and
could feel my dad’s hands wrapped around them. I put my eyes to the peepholes
(ouch) and just a little burn from the Old Bay but they were here, in my hand,
in MY possession! Every child in my family wanted these but they were the first
thing I asked for when I got the sad news my dad had passed.
After the arrival of the box, my mood swung from happy to
sad and then happy then sad. I was and AM on a roller coaster of emotions and I
want off! I felt sad that I had turned down a visit to see his family but in
all honesty, it was for the best. We all walked away happy and that is truly
what I wanted.
Now onto Christmas…
“Welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Whos far
and near. Christmas Day is in our grasp, so long as we have hands to clasp.
Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas
while we stand, heart to heart, and hand in hand.” Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
