I’m not sure what exactly made me sit down and write this little collection of tales today. Maybe it was the cheerful music and happy movies that only made me cry that made me feel like I needed to let someone else out there know they’re not alone. I haven't celebrated the holidays in a long time, and I rarely have the urge to. It’s a welcome break from work and some much-needed time to write. But this year memories of times passed have surfaced and I’ve been crying a lot.
I lost my grandmother this year. She was the one who brought storytelling into my life, and I’ve loved her with all my heart for as long as I’ve been alive. She chose to refuse food following her stroke, not seeing the point in hanging on for just a few months more. I wasn’t there when it happened – I was literally on the other side of the world when she passed. I didn’t know the specifics until my father told me months later. I understand her choice, I do, and I’m grateful that she had that choice. Aside from my grandmother, every family member I’ve known has died on Christmas. My grandfather’s sister in the middle of getting the Christmas ham from the basement, my grandfather slipping away in a nursing home with grandma by his side, and my cousin disappearing from his apartment to be found weeks later on a snow-covered field.
Today, I’m feeling all of them, and I know I’m not alone. So this is for all you lonely people, all of you who’ve lost someone, and all of you who struggle to be jolly when there doesn’t seem to be a reason to. Winter may be here, but that also means summer is coming. Hang in there.
xoxo
YOU ARE READING
Looking Through Windows
Short Story'Tis the season to be jolly, or so they say. But for many people, the holiday season is anything but. This is a short story dedicated to all those who may feel less than jolly. Meet five very different women and one man whose lives will be forever c...
