More Than Fine. (Complete)

28- MTF Joy to the World

     Stopping, she took a deep breath of the familiar salty moist air. Even with her grandfather gone, this was home. This was the place she had come to for healing, and had hashed out all her hurts and disappointments with God since she'd moved here at the age of twelve. Wiggling her toes in the sand brought forth a smile. Somehow that grit between her toes always seemed to sooth her soul. She threw down her towel, sat on it, and closed her eyes. The rising sun warmed her eyelids and she soaked it in along with the sounds of the seagulls out for a morning catch. She could feel her burden lighten. "Thank you God."

     When she opened her eyes she was met with rays of sunlight shooting down through the clouds. It reminded her of the verse that says, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." "Pretty cool God. You can show off anytime." She grinned up at the sky, then closed her eyes again.

     "Gia," came a deep voice joined with the sound of shifting sand.

     "Evan." Gia turned towards him with a smile.

     "Merry Christmas Eve. May I?" He pointed to the space beside her on the towel. When she nodded her head, he joined her. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion. I saw you from the house." He handed her an insulated mug. "Hot chocolate?"

     "Mmm." She smiled softly and took a sip, savoring the warmth. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts she didn't realize how chilly she was.

     "So what's going on G? Yesterday I noticed you seemed... I don't know... down, distracted... not yourself."

     Gia eyed him and took a sip of her hot chocolate, hoping to buy time to decide what to say. She was actually feeling much better about things, though she had no desire to share her feelings about Nick with Evan. "I'm feeling better today. I came out here today to spend some time with God and it helped. I guess I've been concerned over my future." That was an honest truth. Knowing whether her future included Nick, and in what capacity, and knowing whether she would be working in New York after her internship was completed were both heavy on her heart lately.

     Evan watched her closely then nodded. "I understand. You're halfway through with your internship. When might they tell you if you have a future with them?"

     "No idea." The truth was, she'd thought about asking Nick that very question, but then she worried that if she committed to stay there and later decided working at the same office as Nick was untenable because of his relationship with Madison, she'd feel bad about backing out.

     "I won't lie, I'm kind of hoping you'll end up coming back this way. Maybe even to Charleston. There's a Morgan Stanley there. I can help get you acclimated to the city. New York is just so far away."

     Gia perked up at the mention of a Morgan Stanley office in Charleston. "I didn't think of that before. I'll keep that in mind." If her heart couldn't handle being in the proximity of Nick, maybe she could come closer to home without resorting to working for Mr. Fitzsimmons again. Not that she didn't like working for him, but his office didn't do all of the things that she'd come to enjoy while working at Morgan Stanley.

     Evan wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Well, I'm only a phone call away if you ever need to talk." He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Ready for breakfast? Mom's got the kitchen filled with food. You know how she is. She lives for this. I think half the reason she always wants us home is for the excuse to bake all that food. You'd think an army was eating here."

     Chuckling, Gia stood and held out her hand to Evan.

~~~

     Music filled the air as a small orchestra warmed up in front of the giant Christmas tree-like structure filled with a choir of singers from several area churches. It was the annual Christmas Eve candlelight celebration, and practically the whole town was gathered. They called it the singing Christmas tree. It was just one of the many things she loved about the little South Carolina beach town of Lawrence. They celebrated Christmas with gusto: banners and wreaths hung on the lamp posts, window displays in the shops on the square, even the live nativity they had just witnessed before assembling around the tree for hymns, carols, and the reading of scripture.

     As she scanned the crowd she was struck by the many familiar faces; so different than New York where among the masses she never saw anyone she knew on the streets. When her eyes landed on Mrs. Meyers from the bakery she nudged Evie and whispered, "We've got to go to the bakery Saturday." They'd plan to check out the quaint shops on the square the day after Christmas, and maybe pick up some things on sale.

     "Works for me. I can practically taste her cinnamon latte and chocolate croissants. Mmm." Evie licked her lips.

     "I'm thinking earl grey tea and scones. Look," she gestured, "isn't that Mrs. Wheeler? I haven't seen her in ages." Mrs. Wheeler had been Gia and Evie's seventh grade teacher, and she had been a godsend for Gia when she transferred in the middle of the year. After losing her parents, then being sexually abused, the woman had been the perfect blend of compassion and consistency that she needed in her life. Now with graying hair, it was a little harder to recognize her. She smiled and tried to take in the moment: here with Evie's family who had been like family to her since she was twelve, and this community that had been home and brought so much healing. Sure, she had had plenty of normal teenage ups and downs during those years, but they seemed like nothing compared to the six months leading up to her move there. In fact, she relished those times; they made her feel closer to normal. They made her feel less broken.

     Towards the end of the performance, once the sun had set, the Christmas lights turned on and the choir worked their way down the tree carrying candles as they led the group down to the pier singing "Silent Night." The townspeople followed and once everyone was in place, all the lights turned off, leaving only the reflection of the moon on the water for light.

     A voice was heard reading Luke chapter two and the story of Jesus birth. At its completion, a single candle came on in the center of the pier, followed by the words "In John 8 Jesus spoke saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" The choir's vocalists began to turn on their candles one by one, down the pier towards the audience. Gia glanced down at her battery operated candle to make sure she was ready to turn it on when her time came. The pier and surrounding area became brighter and brighter as the candles were turned on, with the audience now beginning to turn theirs on as well.

     Once all the candles were on, the choir began singing "Joy to the World," and the choir director turned towards the audience motioning them to join.

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

     The same peace from the morning welled up inside of Gia and tears soon followed. Happy ones.

~~~

A/N: The picture above is from Isle of Palms just outside of Charleston.  The town of Lawrence is a made up place.  One that has maintained it's small town feel, rather than become a tourist town like most places along the Atlantic coast.

What Christmas traditions do you have? Sometimes the busyness of the season can be overwhelming and distract from the whole point of Christmas. Are there ways you overcome that?