Hello Kids from 1 to 92,

Well, just a few more hours and the world’s best known holiday will be upon us.

Christmas!  You know, there is something about that word that moves me.  I know that there are many today who do not celebrate or even acknowledge Christmas but, no matter, like the wind itself, Christmas touches us all whether we see it or not.

As I write this, I am overwhelmed by a heart wrenching sense of homesickness for…  Well, that is the question for all of us, respectively, is it not? 

Perhaps I’m homesick for the beautiful clean white first fall of sweet Kentucky snow.  Perhaps I’m missing that dazzling silver Christmas tree with it shining tinsel, red and blue balls and that magical four-color wheel that seemed to transform it into four sparkling enchanted and seemingly timeless lattices.  Am I missing my grandmother’s homemade boiled custard?  I can still remember how, when I was two years old, she would pour the freshly made warm soothing mixture into my baby bottle and gently hand it to me making sure my tiny hands had a good hold on it before letting go. 

Maybe I’m homesick for the days when, after school, my brother and I would sit in front of the big color television set and watch the Munsters while snacking on our favorite potato chips.   Yeah, I definitely miss my brother.  We did not talk much but it didn’t matter for somehow we always understood each other.  What a wonderful thing, to understand someone, anyone, so completely. 

Even though my soul longs for Christmases of old, my spirit eagerly awaits Christmases to come. 

As I sit here, thousands of miles from the land in which I was born and far from those who love me no more, I know there will be Christmases to come.

As I sit here, at 2:00am on Christmas Eve, my mind turning and churning out of control as I face the seemingly fathomless abyss of tomorrow and the unknown, I still look forward to Christmas for with Christmas, all things are possible. 

To those of you, like me, who somehow always find themselves feeling hopelessly alone on December 25th, to you I say, believe in the possibilities of all those Christmases to come and hang in, hold on, stand up, buckle down, take just one step, and above all else, dream. 

Remember, no matter how lonely you may be, no matter how silly or childish those who are spiritually empty say you are, no matter how low those who are truly blind make you feel, no matter that those who are forever ignorant doubt your abilities, you are someone’s child and you are marvelously special to the universe, your world, and, when it’s all said and done, you are special to me.

Click Here to go to a delightfully fun website where you can test your knowledge of Christmas trivia.  I promise, it will make you smile.

Yes, finally, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Love,

Mark Marcus
December 24, 2008