Being not religious, Christmas has never been an incredibly spiritual experience for me
Having grown up in the kind of poverty that leaves one with lifelong health issues, I remember Christmases as reminders that we were still pulling through, and despite not having much, always found a way to share what we had with others
In the wake of several family losses these last couple years, I think that really stands firm; though my grandmother was always a unifying force for the family, her children took up the mantle to ensure that ideal persisted; though my uncle will no longer be sharing his latest amateur movie at the yearly Xmas party, his friends still contribute their newest works so that the memory can persist
The absence is there, yes, but in their absence, we come to understand just how powerful their presence was for all of us, and we maintain that presence both in honor and love; so many people fear leaving without having established a legacy and, often, in grief, we overlook those legacies because we fear what darkness they might give us, but really, as a body returned to the earth nourishes it, so too can a memory nourish a soul.
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