Advent. Gather

I just put down my aunt’s annual Christmas letter. She is my mom’s younger sister, so reading her note naturally has me thinking about my mom. Gathering was my mom’s favorite thing in the world. Getting her kids, her grandkids, and assorted friends together brought her more joy than anything else in life.

Mom, with a sweater that includes handprints
of my three kids from many years ago.

There did not need to be any occasion, because the simple fact of gathering was occasion enough. Of course, occasions provide good excuses, and the holidays are an occasion often marked by gatherings.

That cuts many ways. Deaths, disagreements, and simple contingencies of life change the nature of the gathering. We’re gathering our closest dear ones later today to mark my 60^th, and illness will keep us from being whole. We’ll get together again in a couple of weeks when Christmas comes, and I’m sure that the losses we’ve experienced during the year will be felt more closely. Gathering does that, too, when it reminds you of who’s not present.

Such gathering, though, should also remind us to focus on the ones who are present. Love those near to you right now because the next gathering is never promised.