Open Features: Christmas Awakening
While unwrapping a Christmas gift Mary Clemons receives a sharp reminder of the true meaning of love and family life.
It was Christmas morning as we sat around the Christmas tree. The family had gathered-my two teenage sons, my husband, and me. Hugs and kisses were the first thing we exchanged and then the present opening began.
My husband and I were enjoying watching as our boys opened their gifts. Some presents were things that they had hinted they wanted. Others we knew they would like and still others were just for the fun of it. The enjoyment came from the unusual packing. Rarely was an item in its original box. Some things were wrapped inside the packages with other things. In our house, a box of new shoes always contained something in the shoes. Our boys unwrapped each gift with care looking for things taped to the boxes and checking each piece of paper no matter how small.
My husband had shopped using the internet and had managed to stretch our small budget. This Christmas was unusually good.
Then it was our turns. The boys sat patiently as first my husband and then I took turns opening the few presents we had gotten for ourselves. Just like the boys, we carefully opened each gift.
It was while I was opening a gift that I was clearly reminded that these were internet bought. The filler paper that I unwound from my gift was a newspaper. The date was July 8, 2005 and the headlines read, “Bloody Hell”. A quick glance told me that it was a follow up report about the subway bombing in London. There was an article below the picture. It read “London blast kill at least 37”.
It was at that moment that I was slapped out of my comfy little world. I became aware of those families that would be without a loved one this year. I thought about the mothers without a child or a husband. I silently prayed for all those families that had been senselessly torn apart.
Suddenly the presents and how uniquely they were wrapped was not the most important thing of the morning. It was the family. We were blessed and we were all together for yet another year.
Let us always remember the reason for the day and that each day is to be celebrated.
