Holding Hands

 On Thursday during Kindergarten music,

I looked up and saw two of my students

Holding hands.

Happily singing “Jingle Bells”

While holding actual jingle bells in their free hands,

My students swung along their joined hands to the music.

When the girl accidently dropped her bells,

Both students bent down so she could get them,

Never un-holding hands…

 

In yesterday’s gospel reading,

Mary the mother of Jesus went to visit Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist.

Both pregnant with their babies,

Mary and Elizabeth spent three months with one another,

Inevitably sharing stories of their miracle babies and

Who knows what else in between blessings from the Holy Spirit and magnificent declarations.

I could be wrong, but I imagine that at some point

Mary and Elizabeth joined hands and

Sat in solidarity with one another.

Neither was supposed to be having a baby, yet both were.

Their lives were scandalous.

And they needed the support…

 

This holiday season,

Many people are facing the holidays without pets, friends, and loved ones

For the first time—

Or maybe for the tenth time—

And it’s hard.

The missing is real and the loneliness is vast and

The holiday spirit that is supposed to fill the air feels stale and dank and stifling.

Songs sound empty and words blur together

And no amount of tears can stop the pain…

  

So let’s join hands, friends,

Literally or figuratively,

And show up for one another in very real and tangible ways.

In joy, share joy.

In uncertainty, share uncertainty.

In heartache, share heartache.

In community, share love.

We can’t fill the void of missing,

But we can be present for life,

Like my Kindergarteners,

And Mary and Elizabeth…

 

Amen.