The Word became flesh and lived among us.
—John 1.14
On the eleventh day of Christmas
I feel the stretch.
Presents unwrapped, put away,
family gone, New Year’s past,
resolutions already broken…
and here we are, still counting days.
That one bright night,
angels and candles and all,
was not a singular event, but a lasting truth.
God, you are not just passing through.
You are here for the long haul:
the chemo regime,
the enduring grief,
the extra year of school,
the parenting that never ends,
the long work of aging.
Give me courage.
Give me perseverance, to last,
to go the distance
on the long road to wisdom,
to healing, to justice, to joy.
Help me trust you are here,
all the way.
—January 4, 2019